Healing With Honey

Let me explain to you my love and appreciation for honey.

It is a superfood and a delicious gift given to us by hard working bees. Learning about the process and methods used is a good way to differentiate between honey products and also having gratitude and appreciation for the bees. Healing with honey is a delicious way to bring the body back to balance.

            Taino Organic Farms, here in the Dominican Republic is one of the few organic farms that have bees. They have 10 hives and produce delicious raw, unpasteurized honey in small quantities, making their honey of high value and quality. 

            So what is the importance of honey other than to make something taste sweet? Honey is a superfood. It is nutrient dense and contains antioxidants. Here are some health benefits to buying honey locally:

• Soothes allergies 
• Fights infections and contains anti-bacterial properties
• Clears acne and smoothes skin
• Boosts energy and mental health
• Anti-inflammatory properties help
• Assists with sleep and promotes blood sugar stability
• Improves digestion as it contains pre-biotics
• Anti-ageing and improves vitality

            These are only some of the benefits honey contains. But let’s stop there for a moment. Honey comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and no two honey’s are really the same. What I mean is there is a huge different between store-bought honey manufactured by large companies vs small local organic farms. These health benefits mainly apply to raw, unpasteurized organic honey. 

            What does it mean that a honey is raw and unpasteurized? Most companies that manufacture honey don’t have traces of pollen. According to US Food and Drug Administration, if a product that has been ultra filtered and no longer contains pollen then it is isn’t honey. Processed honey can go through many methods such as heating at high temperatures, watered down, sugared up, forced at high pressure through extremely small filters, etc. These methods remove antioxidants, pollen, vitamins and enzymes, lessening their health benefits and nutrient contents. Raw honey has not been heated, pasteurized or processed. It comes straight from the hard working honey bees in the beehive. 

            Stores and supermarkets contain very low quality, health-damaging honey. So be very careful with your choices. It is unfortunate but many large factories do not get inspected and continue to sell “fake” honey. 

            By choosing organic raw honey, you are not only contributing to your health, you are also helping the environment. Small local organic farms tend to really care for their bees and appreciate the hard work they do for us. Organic bee farms, that do not use chemicals and pesticides, don’t seem to have been reporting bee colony collapses, according to Organic Consumers Association (April 24, 2007 issue). Since bee colony collapse is a big issue, we must take this into account.

            Taino Organic Farms is a small but versatile farm. They truly care for the health and harmony of the bees without the use of chemicals, pesticides or stress placed upon them. They bottle small amounts and keep production very low. Buying honey from such a source is key as they only produce raw, unpasteurized honey that contains a slew of health benefits. 

            With regular consumption of raw, unpasteurized organic honey you too will start to feel the benefits of this superfood. But remember, healing with honey does come in doses and too much of a good thing can also be bad for you!