Benefits of Honey in Ayurveda

[prasanna]

Benefits of Honey in Ayurveda


All of you are well aware of honey. It has been considered very beneficial and auspicious in mythology, ayurveda and botanical science. Honey is used as medicine as well as for worship of God. One of the five elements used for preparing 'Panchamrita' (a sacred drink prepared with milk, curd, ghee, sugar and honey) is honey. Honey is included in all auspicious ceremonies and has the power of curing all diseases. It makes us sweet both internally and externally.

Judging the Quality of Honey

When we purchase honey, we are not sure whether it is pure or impure. There are few simple tricks, with which we can clearly judge its quality.

   * Pure honey pours down in the shape of a serpent whereas the impure honey falls flat on the plate. Apply a little honey on a stick and light it on fire, if it starts burning consider it to be pure.
   * Pure honey is transparent. A dog will not lick it. Pure honey has a good smell. It melts in heat and frosts in cold season.

Which regions produce the best honey? Honey found in Kashmir and Himachal is of the best quality and is very beneficial. It gives instant relief in the case of eye problems. The quality of honey found in these regions is extremely good because it is obtained from the lotus flowers grown in the lakes of Kashmir. This type of honey containing a lot of medicinal values is not found in any other place.

Medicinal Effects of Pure Honey

New honey removes phlegm and is a purgative. One or two year old honey reduces fat and is good for digestion.

Honey gives strength and power to the intestines. Regular consumption of honey stops the accumulation of toxic elements in the intestines and also kills worms. It is equally beneficial for chronic diseases, chronic constipation, dysentery and diarrhea.

Honey removes phlegm accumulated in the lungs. It gives relief to the patients of asthma and cough. Honey is also beneficial in cases of tuberculosis. It keeps the mind fresh and healthy. It is especially beneficial for those who do more mental work. Honey increases the humors of the body. Consumption of honey is good for strengthening the sperm, physical strength and gives good shape to the body. Soak one almond twice a day, rub it nicely on a grinding stone in the night and keep it in a bowl. Add one spoon of honey and drink it with cold milk without adding any sugar, half an hour before going to bed. This is beneficial for mental strength, masculinity and physical fitness. This medicine should be taken regularly for two months during the winter season. It is extremely beneficial.

Honey cures phlegm disorder. Take half a spoon of honey and half a spoon of ginger juice to get rid of cough. Add onion juice and honey in equal quantity and take this medicine to get rid of accumulated phlegm. Simply licking honey is also good for curing mild cough. Honey also cures skin problems. Honey cures skin diseases and makes the skin healthy. It also kills worms and stops decay.

Honey improves the eyesight. If lotus honey of Kashmir is available, it should be applied in the eyes like kajal (eye liner). This cures all problems related to the eyes and increases the eyesight.

Drink one glass of cold milk added with a few drops of honey before going to bed. Do not add sugar or sugar candy. This reduces physical weakness. This should be taken regularly for two months. It is necessary to brush the teeth after drinking this milk.

Consume honey with fruits like jelly. It is beneficial for students, doctors, lawyers, intellectual people, elderly persons, pregnant women and children.

Take one glass of clean water with two spoons of honey in the morning before passing bowels. This gradually reduces the fat accumulated in the body. This should be taken regularly for two months. This is beneficial for reducing fat and increases the shine of the body.

Honey has medicinal values; it takes the qualities of the substance which is added to it. This is the special quality of honey. This is the main reason for calling it 'Yogvahi' (medium for mixing medicines).

What should be the quantity when consuming honey?

In the beginning honey should be consumed only in small quantities. Give four to five drops to an infant, half a spoon to young children and one spoon to old people. Increase this quantity gradually and then it can be taken four times a day. Honey can be taken with chapattis, fruits, fruit juice, or almonds. Consume it for two months regularly and discontinue for a month. One can start taking honey after a gap of one month. One or two spoons of honey should be taken everyday.

Useful Tips

Do not take honey with hot food or in the summer season because it is not suitable in hot weather and hot conditions.

Honey creates negative effects when taken in hot conditions.

Honey causes adverse effects when consumed with hot fluids.

Honey turns into poison when it is heated. Honey is equal to poison when it is taken with hot conditions, hot weather or hot food. According to Ayurveda one should not take honey with hot milk, hot water and in hot weather.

There is no benefit if honey and ghee are mixed with equal quantities and taken (they counter each other). In case of need, mix one part of ghee with three or four parts of honey.

Consuming honey in excess quantity is not good for health. It is also advised not to take honey with sugar candy, jaggery, jackfruit, fish, egg, meat, etc. Do not consume honey continuously for several months (pause for one month in between). This can cause a disease called 'Amajirg'.


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[swetha]

Hello Prasanna, thanks for the info..
I have started drinking one cup of milk with honey before sleeping..helps me get better sleep

[prasanna]

Dear Swetha,

  Iam glad that my post on Honey is helping You sleep well. I daily take honey and like Honey very much. Really it is too good and useful. I take it with Chapathies, Roties, fruits and fruit juices. U too can try Honey with them.



Lots of love,

[Evard]

I like most people consider honey as a bee's nectar..
including common clean honey and clover honey. . . .
The thought about lotus honey was interesting to me .
Ghee as a product reminds me about manna butter ..
Have you heard about 'honey berry' a golden berry./.

Evard

[prasanna]

Thanks for sharing your valubale views.

[Kimmee]

In New England there must be different types of honey than there are in India. The quality and traits of the honey takes on by the plants and blossoms the bees visited in order to produce the batch, and in New England (USA) the plants are very different from India.

We can get wild honey that is hypo-allergenic and helps with local allergies very much... Meaning, if the bees in your home area visit your local trees/flowers that you are allergic to, then you can gain a resistance to allergies developed from drinking/consuming the honey made from that pollen. It can build a sort of "pollen immune system" to that plant.

So everyone says you should try to buy local honey is the best, instead of just imported honey.

Also some people will sell fruited honey, meaning honey with fruits right in it (blueberry honey, chokecherry honey, raspberry honey, blackberry honey, etc.) with the exotic honeys from Maine just to try and get you to buy non-local honey LOL. It's because really, local honey is the best you can do for your health! The store is bribing you to buy the non-local brand hehe.

I'm going to try to look up a recipe with honey in it for here.  :)

[Kimmee]

Here are a couple (5) recipes from AllRecipes to demonstrate some ways to use honey in a beverage. I usually don't do more than add it to hot tea but here are some interesting ideas... hmm...

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste

Directions:
1. Pour water into a mug. Add honey and heat in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice, mixing until honey is dissolved, then stir in the sugar.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon honey
2 drops vanilla extract
1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Pour milk into a microwave safe mug and place into microwave. Cook on High until the milk is very hot and begins to foam, about 3 minutes. Stir in honey and vanilla, then sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

Ingredients:
2 oranges
8 whole cloves
6 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 cups pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stud the whole oranges with cloves, and bake for 30 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the apple juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the nutmeg, honey, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.
3. Serve hot in a punch bowl with the 2 clove-studded baked oranges floating on top.

Ingredients:
4 tea bags
2 cups boiling water
3 navel oranges
2 medium lemons
2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
1 liter ginger ale, chilled

Directions:
1. Place tea bags in a teapot; add boiling water. Cover and steep for 3 minutes; discard tea bags. Pour tea into a pitcher. Peel and section two oranges and one lemon; add to tea. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice and honey. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Cut remaining orange and lemon into slices; freeze.
2. Just before serving, strain and discard fruit from tea. Stir in ginger ale. Serve with frozen fruit slices.

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana, thawed for 10 to 15
minutes
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons flax seed meal
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2/3 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:
1. Cut banana into small pieces and place into the bowl of a blender. Add the soy milk, yogurt, flax seed meal, and honey. Blend on lowest speed until smooth, about 5 seconds. Gradually add the blueberries while continuing to blend on low. Once the blueberries have been incorporated, increase speed, and blend to desired consistency.

[srimathi29]

Hi prasanna

          Thanks for the tips you have given for testing pure honey.
 
          1. Mix warm water with honey,sprinkle cinnamon powder and drink before break fast and dinner. one can reduce weight.

[stevesmith]

Hi,
Thanks for sharing this unique information about honey.. Really very much informative..

[symulhaque]

Really a valuable post. I appreciate your post. thank you.