Honey Can Boost Your Immune Health

Is Honeycomb Edible

Is Honeycomb Edible and How?

Did you know that all honey comes from honeycomb? Where can you even buy honeycomb? For most of us, honey is a great topping for our breakfast toast, good for soothing a sore throat, or even a reminder of a certain honey hungry bear from our childhood. Over 157 million pounds of honey are produced annually in the United States, and it all begins with the fascinating honeycomb.

The beauty and complexity of the honeycomb is unmistakable. Its intricate hexagonal design specifically allows honeybees to expend less energy building and spend more energy foraging and producing honey. If you’ve ever wanted to buy honeycomb for its many uses, here is some essential honeycomb knowledge to satisfy your curiosity.

What’s a Honeycomb

What is a Honeycomb?

Honeybees create this delicate structure of hexagonal wax cells within their hive to raise new bees and to store honey and pollen. It normally takes a few weeks for bees to make new sections of honeycomb. The honeybee consumes honey and digests it, converting it to beeswax through a series of glands on the abdomen. A bee has to consume up to eight pounds of honey to produce one pound of beeswax. The wax is secreted as little white flakes through pores on their abdomen. Worker bees will chew the wax flakes off one another. This chewing mixes enzymes from their saliva and softens the wax that is then added to the comb, building on the hexagonal shape. Honeycomb serves as the internal structure of a honeybee hive.

How to use a Homeycomb

How Do You Use a Honeycomb?

Honeycomb is a unique and tasty component that can be enjoyed straight from the hive. It is entirely edible including the prismatic cells of honey, pollen and royal jelly. You can buy honeycomb raw, break it up and sprinkle it on your favorite yogurt, or even combine it with other ingredients to make several dishes and beverages. Buy honeycomb to add to your favorite hot drinks. It is a wonderful sweetener for coffee and tea.

When your friends ask is honeycomb edible, serve them a charcuterie board with honeycomb and salty cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, goat cheese or blue cheese. Fancy up the plate with nuts, berries and even chocolate. Honeycomb pairs perfectly with many flavors. Buy honeycomb and put it on a sandwich with avocado and tomatoes. That gooey goodness!

Are Honeycombs Good for You

Is Eating a Honeycomb Good for You?

Honeycomb’s gifts keep on giving in the form of benefits to your wellbeing. The components of honey, beeswax, propolis and royal jelly each have unique properties that are good for you, and you’ll be adding “buy honeycomb” to your to-do list right away.

A common question asked by first-time consumers, is bee honeycomb edible? For the most part, yes, honeycomb is edible. Raw honey isn’t processed, so it retains its natural amino acids, vitamins, minerals, other nutrients and antioxidant properties. Natural honey from bee honeycomb is edible and has been used as a natural remedy for
coughs and sore throats for hundreds for years. Its coating properties may even help symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux and other digestive issues. Raw honey can be an integral part of an overall healthy diet and exercise plan.

Can you eat beeswax? Many famous chefs use beeswax for its subtle honey flavor, especially in glazes for meat and candy. When consumed as part of raw honeycomb, beeswax extracted from the comb might help to lower cholesterol levels or reduce swelling and inflammation. Because honeycomb is edible, as organic products increase in popularity, don’t be surprised to find beeswax on the list of ingredients for everything from chewing gum to cheese.

Another ingredient in bee honeycomb is propolis. Bees produce this compound from the sap of evergreens or other trees that produce needle-like leaves. Propolis found in raw honeycomb has an abundance of polyphenols. These are powerful antioxidants that help fight off disease and inflammation in the human body. Propolis has also been shown to reduce glycemic levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Also nestled inside of bee honeycomb is royal jelly, secreted from honeybee salivary glands. It is highly nutritious and provides nutrients to the queen and honeybee larvae as they develop. Royal jelly has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Royal jelly made from bee comb may even have properties that help regulate the sleep wake cycle

The Dangers

Dangers of Raw Honey

Raw honeycomb is a rare treat but before you buy honeycomb you should know that it is not for everyone. Infants under 12 months of age should not eat any raw products from a beehive, including raw honey and raw honeycomb. It’s
important to be aware of raw honey dangers, especially for those who have compromised immune systems. Avoid honey and honeycomb if you are allergic to it. Consult your healthcare professional if you have any concerns about consuming raw honeycomb.

Vegan or Not

Is Honeycomb Vegan?

In the strictest sense, the answer is no. Practicing vegans note that bees are living creatures, and that eating something produced by a living creature is not acceptable. Basically, you cannot drink the milk of a cow, so you shouldn’t eat honey from a beehive. If you are a vegetarian or otherwise prioritize thoughtful food production, be sure to make sure the source of your honeycomb practices balanced and sustainable forms of beekeeping and production.

How it it worth

How Much is Honeycomb Worth?

It’s worth its weight in honey gold! When you buy honeycomb, expect to pay between $16 and $45 per pound. Comb honey can be up to three times as expensive as liquid honey. You can buy honeycomb in many forms. Chunk comb is where one or more pieces of honeycomb are placed in a jar with the empty space around the comb filled with liquid honey. Cut comb is a square or rectangular piece of honeycomb placed in a plastic container. You can purchase honeycomb in small or large quantities. When stored in appropriate temperature and humidity, it never expires.

10 Benefits

Top 10 Benefits of Raw Honey You Should Know

Raw honey is good for your health. It’s that simple. But before explaining why raw honey is good for you, let’s pause to learn about “raw honey.” Not all of the honey sold in stores is the same. To increase honey clarity, and to prevent the honey from crystallizing, some companies will heat the honey to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and then use high pressure to force the honey through dense filters. This over-processing either kills or removes a lot of the good stuff in honey such as pollen, propolis, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. What a waste. Only raw honey (unpasteurized and unfiltered) boosts your immune system and provides other health benefits. In truth, eating raw honey and healthy living go together like summer and sunshine.

Is it Safe

Is it Safe to Eat Raw Honey?

Absolutely – with only one caveat. Raw honey is much better for you than over-processed and pasteurized honey. This article explains why. But raw honey should not be given to children under 1 year old. Raw honey may contain bacteria for which infants have not yet developed immune system defenses. But for the rest of us, is a spoonful of honey every day is good for you? Yes it is; read on to learn more.

Can it Cure Diseases

What Diseases Does Honey Cure?

It would be a stretch to claim that honey can cure diseases. Moreover, such questions are better left to medical doctors and research scientists. But raw honey is a very healthy food with important benefits. It should be a part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Beneficial Nutrients

Raw Honey is Packed with Beneficial Nutrients

David Wolfe, the author of “Superfoods” explains that “Bee products are considered to be one of the most spiritual and magical foods on the planet, as well as one of the top superfoods and sources of concentrated nutrition.” Raw honey contains natural sugars (glucose and fructose) plus additional beneficial nutrients such as amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. So is raw honey good for you? It sure is. Democritus, a Greek philosopher who lived to the age of 109, explained: “The secret of my health is applying honey inside and oil outside.”

Immune Boost & Antioxidants

An Immune System Booster and Source of Antioxidants

According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the natural chemicals found in food we get from plants (known as “phytonutrients”) have beneficial properties that can help to boost your immune system and fight sickness. One way honey improves our immune system is through providing antioxidants. Poor diet, stress, cigarettes and alcohol can cause the body to release too many reactive molecules called oxidants. These oxidants can then attack healthy cells, resulting in the release of free radicals. If these free radicals are not contained, it can result in cellular damage and then disease. Antioxidants are compounds that slow or stop the oxidation process. Raw honey contains at least sixteen known antioxidants which search, target and destroy free radicals.

Is it Good for You

Is a Spoonful of Honey Good for You?

To relieve the irritations of a sore throat, eat a spoonful of raw honey. The honey will soothe your throat by coating your mucous membranes with a thick and naturally sticky covering. The raw honey will also send anti-bacterial agents to the problem location, where it will promote healing. Raw honey has also been used for generations as “Nature’s Cough Suppressant.” Recent studies have shown that honey performs even better than over-the-counter cough syrups for reducing cough severity and frequency.

Energy Source

A Natural Energy Source

For a natural energy boost before, during or after exercise, honey is a great option. Honey provides 17 grams of carbs per tablespoon. Since carbohydrates are the primary fuel that the body uses for energy, honey provides a quick and all-natural boost when you need it. An added benefit of honey is that it promotes steady blood sugar levels, and does not lead to spikes in blood sugar, which you get from sugar and other sweeteners. Clinical trials support the conclusion that honey is an effective pre-workout energy source that does not lead to hypoglycemia.

Antibacterial

An Antibacterial Agent

Raw honey has two properties that fight bacteria. First, honey is hydroscopic. This means that it attracts water. If bacteria come into contact with honey, the honey will essentially draw the moisture from the bacteria and kill it through dehydration. Second, honey is mildly acidic with an average pH level of 3.9. Many bacteria are acid intolerant and prefer a neutral pH level of around 7.0. So far, researchers have identified more than 250 different strains of bacteria that honey kills. One of these is the super-bug MRSA, which is resistant to clinical antibiotics.

Gut Health

Improved Digestion and Gut health

Probiotics are a class of beneficial bacteria and yeasts that help to keep your stomach and gut functioning and healthy. In 1995, a French scientist identified a type of fiber compound that he named a prebiotic. Probiotics feed and nourish beneficial probiotics, and also help to inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that may be present in the digestive system. Raw honey, as it turns out, is a good source of probiotics and it also has strong anti-bacterial properties.

Allergy Relief

Natural Allergy Relief

Seasonal allergies flare up when your body reacts negatively to plant pollen. Unfiltered honey contains some of the same pollens that cause these allergic reactions. But the pollen found in raw honey is at relatively low levels. In addition, raw honey contains various beneficial enzymes, vitamins and minerals. In this harmonious combination, over time and with repeated exposure, some people become less sensitive to the pollen and therefore experience less severe seasonal allergies.

Wound Healing

Honey for Wound Care

Before the advent of modern medicine, raw honey was often used for treating cuts and wounds. Raw honey contains small amounts of the enzyme glucose oxidase which, under the right conditions, can convert into hydrogen peroxide (a common disinfectant). The two elements needed to complete this conversion are water and sodium, which are both present in body fluids. So, inside of a wound, raw honey continually converts into minute doses of hydrogen peroxide, which wards off infection as the wound heals.

Burn Relief

Soothing Relief for Burns

Raw honey has been shown to be effective for treating minor (first degree) burns. Run cool water over the affected area for 5 minutes and then pat dry. Gently rub some raw honey over the burned skin and then wrap with sterile gauze to keep the honey in place. Change the dressing and reapply new honey on a daily basis until the burn has healed.

What is honey good for? Lots of things, as it turns out. Is honey healthy? Absolutely. Raw and unfiltered honey is a tasty AND functional food with a number of significant health benefits. As part of your daily diet, raw honey (in moderation) is good for you.