Plagued by worrisome wrinkles?
Honey softens and moisturizes for a healthy complexion. Beekeepers’ hands are
often noted as being soft and smooth during honey season. To take advantage of
honey’s skin softening potential, splash warm water on your face to open the
pores. Then apply a thin honey mask, wash it off, and finish with a bit of cold
water to the face. Dry skin cells plump up and wrinkles tend to smooth away.
Dairy cream, whipped egg white, fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar or any
fruit juice may be mixed into your honey mask.
Add to all of the above the fact
that honey is just plain good for you. It’s chock-full of nutrients, albeit at
low levels. Honey is an excellent source of potassium. It also contains
thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine and ascorbic acid, not to mention
calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, and sodium, too.
“Table sugar has no nutrients or antioxidants at all,” notes Percival. “So
using honey as a sweetening agent has its advantages.”
Darker honeys contain higher
amounts of minerals than lighter honeys. Enzymes also do their part to make
honey far more nutritionally complex than other sweeteners. With so much going
for honey, isn’t a teaspoonful on your breakfast toast or Band-Aid a simple
solution to healing wounds inside and out?
Antibacterial: Apply honey to
cuts, scrapes or burns and cover with a clean bandage. Change dressings one to
three times daily, as needed. Note: Excessive heat or prolonged exposure to
light can rob honey of its antibacterial properties. Always store in a dark, and
cool place.
Disinfectant: Take several
tablespoons of honey daily for internal disinfection.
Nursing salve: Nursing mothers,
try covering cracked, sore nipples with honey-soaked gauze to prevent
infection.
Sore throats: Many opera singers
add honey to a glass of warm milk and sip slowly. This helps soothe the throat.
Insomnia: Mix a half glass of
warm water with 2 tablespoons of honey and the juice of a lemon and an orange.
The darker the honey, the better this works.
Honey pick-me-up: Combine 2
tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons pollen, a teaspoon of ginseng, and dried orange
peel. Take with a spoon. Asian healers believe that this creates a feeling of
total rejuvenation.
Diarrhea: In 8 ounces of water,
mix 4 large tablespoons of honey. This works well for bacterial diarrhea. Those
with diabetes should be cautious about taking so much honey at one time.
Dieting: Honey’s double action
(providing instant energy boost, while maintaining sugar levels for a long
time) satisfies the hunger for sweets and may keep you feeling fuller longer.
For some dieters, this may be good news.
