HONEY FOR A HEALTHIER SKIN

In the quest for better skin, people have tried a lot of things, ranging from natural substances to concoctions prepared in chemical labs. While we are still working on the perfect solution, there are some which are already known to be really effective for the skin.

Today we will be discussing one of them – Honey

 

INTRODUCTION

Honey is a viscous substance produced by honey bees and some other insects. It is produced by bees from the sweet secretion of flowers (floral nectar) or plants(sap-plant secretion). It is also made from the secretion of other insects (Honeydew). 

Honey is stored in structures made of wax, which are most typically in the form of cylindrical cells that later transform into hexagonal prisms.

Honey has been used by humans for a long time, with the earliest evidence pointing to its use for over 10000 years ago in cave paintings in different parts of the world.

 

USES OF HONEY IN/AS FOOD

Honey has been used primarily as one of the food sources since historical times and consumed directly. though it has also been used in other forms. The different ways they have been used are:

1. As a consumable or as a constituent ingredient: Honey is used as a spread, or as a sweetener substitute in beverages like tea. It is also used in cooking, baking and in desserts
2. In creation of beverages: Mead, one of the oldest beverages is made from the fermentation of honey. This use dates back almost 9000 years. In this use, the yeast is added to the honey-water mix. Often different fruit juices such as grapes, or other items such as cinnamon are also used for imparting different flavor.

 

HONEY FOR HEALTH

Honey has been used as an effective substance for various ailments and issues. The main uses are: 

1. Wounds and Burns: Honey is considered a popular folk treatment for burns and other skin injuries. Research is being done to determine the effectiveness of honey, the preliminary evidence suggests that honey heals infection faster and with fewer side effects. Several medical grade honey products have been approved by FDA for use in treatment of minor burns and wounds.
2. Cough: Honey is also popular as a home remedy for controlling cough in the form of a mixture of honey and lemon.Though it has not been proven to be effective, the World Health Organization  recommends its use for coughs and sore throats
3. Antibiotics: Herbal and traditional medicinal systems have long been utilized as a topical antibiotic. There have been numerous research carried out which has shown that honey contains broad-spectrum antibacterial activity.  This has become a subject of intensive study due to the rise of drug-resistant bacterias which has forced researchers to look for newer solution to keep ahead of the 
4. Cancer and other ailments : Honey is also used in controlling the side-effects of chemotherapy 
5. Masks and wash: Honey is also used to create homemade concoctions like honey masks or a mix to wash face. 

 

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES REGARDING BENEFITS OF HONEY FROM USE 

The interest in honey has increased in modern times. As sscientists and researchers look for source of proteins, honey is one of the resource that is available on a global scale. There are over 100 compounds on average  in the honey whose benefits are being discovered. 

It is remarkable to see a natural substance produced by bees showing the capacity to inhibit microbial activity, promote tissue repair, arrest tumour cell growth and protect against UV induced DNA damage. 

Research by scientists have identified various bio-compounds which exhibit  Phytochemical, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The main classes of biomolecules found in honey come under Flavonoids and Polyphenols, which exhibit antioxidant nature. 

 

LIMITATIONS OF NATURAL HONEY

Honey is indeed an amazing product, but it has several limitations. For instance, honey has high viscosity which makes it difficult to use for topical ointment unless it is diluted. However, the diluting also reduces the antibiotic and antioxidant qualities. 

Secondly, the commercial honey available is diluted while packaging for a variety of reasons like costs, taste, stability or for preservation. This makes the honey lose its efficacy resulting in getting a very different result if it were in pure form.

AGELESS BEE VENOM FACE CREAM

The issue has been a real problem which is why our team spent over 2 years to have a solution which could provide the best benefit of honey in the topical cream. The Ageless Bee Venom Face Cream from Bee Elite Essentials is one of my best formulations. It is the result of a combination of over 20 ingredients in a perfect balance. One of the hallmark features of this cream is the presence of two different types of honey:

1. Manuka honey: This honey is unique  as it comes from the honey who forage exclusively on Manuka bush  which is indigenous to New Zealand. In fact, Manuka honey is only a few of the honey which has been clinically proven and validated by the FDA for wound dressing and for healing.
2. Coffee honey : This honey comes from Guatemala. This honey comes from the bees who forage on the coffee flowers. This imparts a unique flavor and with antioxidant properties which is the result due to flavonoids and polyphenol compounds which are present in the nectar of coffee flowers.

 

The best thing is that this cream uses certified monofloral Manuka honey with UMF 24+ rating. The UMF rating is a logarithmic scale of standardisation of purity and the effectiveness. It is interesting to note that Manuka honey with UMF value of 10 and above is considered as the medical grade. 

 

The Ageless Bee Elite Essentials is also available on Amazon US and Walmart Online. To buy you can click the links below:

 

 

 

So, in the end I can say that honey is a unique natural compound that you must consider adding in your routine, unless you are allergic to bee products. To determine if you are allergic or not, you can do a patch test on the back of your palm to make sure you do not get allergic breakouts.

 

Honey is considered in various cultures as the food of the gods. While it may not hold true in the modern world, but you can definitely count on getting a really healthy skin with regular use.