Raw honey has a long history of medicinal usage and offers several health advantages. Numerous health advantages are exclusive to raw or unpasteurized honey.
Maximum honey sold in supermarkets has also been pasteurized. High heat destroys undesirable yeast, enhances color and texture, removes any crystallization, and prolongs shelf life. But Maximum advantageous nutrients are lost throughout the entire process.
How Is Raw Honey Made?
The simplest way to describe raw honey is as honey “as it occurs in the beehive.”
To remove the honey from pollutants like beeswax and dead bees, it is manufactured by extracting honey from the hive’s honeycombs and pouring it through a mesh or nylon fabric.
After being strained, raw honey is packaged and ready for consumption.
However, regular honey must go through additional processing stages like pasteurization and filtration before it can be bottled.
High heat is used in the pasteurization procedure to kill the yeast found in honey. This makes it smoother and increases shelf life:
- An effective antioxidant source
Numerous plant elements which function as antioxidants can be easily discovered in raw honey. In some cases, honey contains the same amount of antioxidants as fruits & special vegetables.
Free radicals can have a role in the onset of chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and the aging process. According to Research, the anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols, antioxidant substances in raw honey, may help prevent various illnesses linked to oxidative stress.
Bee pollen and bee propolis may also be present in raw honey, which may have additional advantages. According to a 2017 assessment of studiesTrusted Sources, raw honey may have possible protective effects on the neurological, circulatory, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems as well as have application in the treatment of cancer.
- Nutrition of raw honey
By the place of its origin and other circumstances, raw honey’s nutritional value differs. In general, sixty-four calories and seventeen grams of sugar are discovered in one tablespoon, or twenty-one grams, of raw honey. More minor levels of the following micronutrients (or vitamins and minerals) are also present in raw honey:
Niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin, zinc
Different levels of amino acids, enzymes, and other healthy substances can also be found in organic raw honey.
- Possibilities for fungus and bacteria resistance Research
Propolis in raw honey has been found to have antifungal and antibacterial activities by Trusted Source.
The effectiveness of honey against bacteria or fungi varies depending on the kind; however, some varieties are being investigated for specific medical uses, such as against disorders associated with Candida.
- Heals injuries
Remember that the honey utilized in research settings is of medical quality, which means it has undergone inspection and been sterilized. Using store-bought honey to treat cuts is not an intelligent idea. A doctor should always be consulted before using honey for any medical conditions.
- Plant-based powerhouse
Plants contain substances known as phytonutrients, which aid in defending plants against harm. Some, for example, deter insects or protect a plant from ultraviolet light.
The antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal honey capabilities are all due to the phytonutrients in that substance. They are also believed responsible for raw honey’s immune-boosting and anticancer effects. These essential components may be destroyed by heavy processing in regular honey.
Lastly,
Some commercial jars of honey also go through ultrafiltration processing. It undergoes more refinement during this process to make it more transparent and smoother, but it can also lose healthy ingredients like pollen, enzymes, and antioxidants.