What makes us different? Read our Declaration of Journalistic Independence Home | About Natural News | Contact Us | Write for Natural News
honey

Raw Honey: Exploring the Benefits of This Ancient Superfood

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by: Judith Fine-Sarchielli (see all articles by this author)
| Key concepts: honey, superfood and honeybees

Want stories like this e-mailed to you? Click here for free email alerts

Email this article to a friend Printable Version

Personal Health Solutions from NaturalNews

Replace your toxic laundry detergent with natural laundry soap that grows on trees! (Popular solution!)
This top "underground" natural health newsletter brings you amazing new natural cures each month. Save $100!
How to treat and cure over 100 health conditions using little-known health secrets
How to halt type-2 diabetes with nutritional therapy - over 50% cure rate proven in studies
End cravings with this guide to natural appetite suppressants (Download edition available.)
How to blend nutritious meals in minutes with Adams' Superfood smoothie recipes (Delicious!)
Breakthrough LED lighting technology prevents global warming, saves 90% on your lighting bill

Browse more health books...
Shop our eco-friendly products...

All sales help fund NaturalNews operations.
(NaturalNews) Winnie the Pooh had his “huny pot”. I stick my spoon, instead of my head, into the raw honey jar; my greed for this nutritious superfood is akin to Winnie’s. Honeybees gather nectar for their honey stomachs and pollen for the baskets they carry on their back legs, and don't notice me as I sit on my front porch in the Topanga Canyon winter sunshine.

Each day, I scoop raw honey from the jar and savor the taste and health benefits of history's oldest agricultural product that has existed for millions of years. The ancient Egyptians farmed honey 3,000 years ago, and considered bees the symbol of sacred femininity. They also used honey for healing wounds and as a preservative, due to its antibacterial properties. Commercial honey, which is heated and pasteurized, has fewer benefits.

Honeybees, Apis melifera, are disappearing in some regions of the U.S. due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which is rampant on the East Coast. Honeybees in the east are disoriented, not reproducing, and
dying. Pesticides, parasitic mites and viruses, and climate change have been suggested as a cause. However, some studies indicate that the electromagnetic field is being altered by our communication systems, such as cell phones and wireless computers. Scientists are currently trying to find the true cause of this potentially serious situation.

According to Maraym Heneis, producer of the documentary video, The Vanishing Bees, bees pollinate one-third of the produce in the USA. Without honeybees we could lose much of our fruits and vegetables. We
need the cross-pollination that our fuzzy friends provide from clover and alfalfa, to feed our livestock and poultry.

Delmar Lathers, a Topanga beekeeper since 1976, raises colonies with chemical-free feral hives. Delmar confides that under the right conditions, his bees will naturally overproduce 250 pounds of virgin
raw, organic honey in one year.

Delmar's Topanga honeybees gather their nectar and pollen from uncontaminated wild flowers such as chaparral, sage, mustard, and local tree blossoms, such as eucalyptus. He keeps his hives as a paying hobby and "to be nice to the bees." Luckily, CCD has not hit this area as yet, and Delmar attributes this disease to an immune deficiency disorder in the bees. One-quarter of North America's honeybee colonies out of 2.4 million have collapsed in 2007.

Raw, unprocessed honey is a superfood that provides antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. According to the National Honey Board (NHB), (http://www.honey.com) , 82 percent of households currently use processed honey, which has been heated and pasteurized, and can contain botulism and High Fructose Corn Syrup, (HFCS). Processed honey is not as antibacterial, as raw honey, and is dangerous for diabetics and infants under 12 months old.

May Berenbaum, Ph.D., a University of Illinois entomologist, shares that "Honey has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of medical problems like wounds, burns, cataracts, skin ulcers and scrapes," Various researchers worldwide are finding strong antimicrobial properties in some honeys. Raw honey is used by many cultures as a remedy for ulcers, digestion, bronchitis, and as an energizer, as well as many other answers to health problems. Recently, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, approved Manuka Tree honey as a medicine.

I can't wait to taste Delmar's honey this year. The flavor will be especially delicious now that I know that his bees are alive and well, and producing the honey flow raw, local, organic, and at it's highest golden standard.

We recommend that all wound infections and disease remedies be approved by an M.D. or homeopath.

For further information, and to help save the honeybees, contact Maryam Henien of Hive Mentality Films, maryamehein@hotmail.com , access the Los Angeles nonprofit fiscal sponsor of her film, (http://www.vanishingbees.com) , or mail to: info@empowermentworks.org .

About the author

Judith Fine-Sarchielli is a chef, food coach, a citizen journalist, and an independent researcher dedicated to spreading awareness about health news, proven alternative treatments, and unsafe mainstream products. She was recently food coach and cooking school director at Whole Foods Market in Woodland Hills, Ca. Check out her recently completed website at (www.topangatuscanyandbeyond.com) or call 310-482-9901 for an hour consultation at no cost.


###

Related Articles

The healing power of honey: From burns to weak bones, raw honey can help

Planning to Lose Weight This Year? Supplement With Honey

Knocking Out Superbugs With Antimicrobial UMF Honey

Debating Honey: Symbiotic Food or Unnatural Poison?

The Truth About Honeybees Provide Clues to Their Disappearance

Popular Topics:

honey, superfood, honeybees, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/022859.html

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE

Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber!
  • Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more.
  • Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.
Your Email Address:
Free Subscription Code:
Enter the numbers you see:
100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime.
Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.

Recommended Special Report:

Seven Words that can Change the World
by Joseph R. Simonetta

Read this special report now...

"Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com

More on NaturalNews.com:

Streaming Health Ranger Videos
CounterThink Cartoons
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts

Also Posted Today

Water Shortage Concerns: City Contemplates Going From Toilet to Tap

Mysterious Swarm of Earthquakes Detected Off Oregon Coast

Chemicals in Plastic Shown to Cause Reproductive and Neurological Disorders

Big Pharma: The Greed That Is Killing Innocent People

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Sues Estee Lauder and Others Over "Organic Cheater" Labeling

Beat Disease With Juice Feasting!

NEW 6-CD audio set reveals amazing new protocol for reversing cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and more. Click to learn more.

Own Health Ranger Report Podcasts on Audio CD

Own the first 8 Health Ranger Report audio programs on 6 CDs. Covers weight loss, ADHD, vaccinations, processed meats, bone health and more. Click to learn more.

Featured Videos

Short clip on Aspartame
A short clip on aspartame from the documentary All Jacked Up.
Click here to view now...

Exclusive video on Aspartame
The dangers of aspartame! Exclusive interview footage from Cori Brackett of Sweet Remedy.
Click here to view now...

Exclusive Footage from All Jacked Up!
See interview footage featuring the Health Ranger in the upcoming junk food film, All Jacked Up.
Click here to view now...

Drug Ad Parody
See the Health Ranger's satire parody of Merck's cholesterol drug ad.
Click here to view now...

Free Health Reports!

Amazon Herb Company review
The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance
Pet Food Ingredients Revealed! (shocking)
Medicine From Fish
The Water Cure
The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

Featured CounterThink Cartoons

Processed Meat for Christmas


Adventures of Vita-Man


The Corn Ethanol Biofuels Sham


Health Product Companies We Recommend

Read recommendations on supplement companies, health food manufacturers and personal care product makers that you can trust. Our 100% independent review list tells you who to trust and who to avoid in the natural health industry. Click to read.
This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2008 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. Truth Publishing sells no health or nutritional products and earns no money from health product manufacturers or promoters. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.