Using Honey to Promote Better Health in Unique Blends
When one thinks of honey, it is no surprise that most imagine using a spoonful in their tea or oatmeal while others think about drizzling it on their scones. However, beyond the delicious taste of honey in our diets, there are many unlikely combinations of honey with other ingredients that are proving to have immense health benefits. As a nation focused on improving health and a longer life span than ever before, finding resources in our own backyards that serve as immunity boosters is not a bad idea. Leave it to local beekeepers to experiment and find new ways to use local honey, and here are some of the most popular beneficial honey combinations. Combining honey with garlic (yes, garlic), vinegar, and cinnamon is not only good for your insides but also your mind’s health.
Honey-Infused Soaps
Honey is a treasured natural ingredient in soap making, revered for its hydrating and antibacterial properties. When incorporated into soap, honey acts as a natural humectant, drawing moisture into the skin, making it ideal for those seeking a softer and more supple complexion. Its rich antioxidants also help protect the skin from environmental damage. Honey pairs wonderfully with a variety of other natural ingredients to enhance its benefits. Cinnamon, for instance, can be added for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, creating a soap that not only soothes the skin but also offers a gentle exfoliation. Lemon, with its high vitamin C content and natural astringent qualities, can brighten and clarify the skin, making it a popular choice for a refreshing, invigorating soap. Other fruit juices, like orange or apple, are often incorporated for their acids and enzymes, which help to gently exfoliate and rejuvenate the skin. These combinations not only boost the soap’s skin-nourishing properties but also create delightful, natural scents and textures.
Cinnamon and Local Honey Together to Improve Health
Individually, cinnamon is known to have health benefits. Honey, as well, has its own reputation for improving health. So, it only makes sense that this combination has become a popular one that not only sounds the most palatable but also has health benefits as a combination of ingredients. Honey is an effective cough suppressant and also shows signs of helping with sleep and boosting memory. Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory, so it is being researched for its benefit to neurodegenerative diseases. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatories reduce the free radicals in the body and may decrease the risk of heart disease.
How to Join Garlic and Honey into a Health and Immunity Booster
Garlic and honey do require some preparation, but the process is simple, and anyone can do it with successful results. The fermentation process requires only three things that most people have in their pantries — some garlic, local raw honey, and a jar. Garlic preparation is the most time-consuming part of the process, but cleaning the cloves is an essential first step, and everybody has their own tried and true way of achieving this. Once cloves are clean, put them in a jar with some delicious and local honey, which alone has health benefits for asthma and colds. Local honey ensures that the good bacteria and wild yeast are still present in the honey and will help in the fermentation of the garlic. Once cloves are in the jar with the honey, the released garlic juice naturally begins the fermentation process. Those adventurous enough to make their own should cover the jar loosely so gasses can escape. The jar should be turned over every day, but remember to tighten the lid on the days the jar is upside down!
Although the combination of fermented honey and garlic can be used at any time during the fermentation process, it is recommended to allow the cloves and honey to sit together for about a month. The longer the combination ferments, the milder the taste of the garlic and the yummier the honey. Discolored cloves should not be a concern and are a natural reaction to fermentation. Although the garlic and honey combination offers many health benefits, including the individual benefits of honey and garlic alone, honey is not recommended for consumption by babies under a year.
Vinegar and Honey are an Ancient Combination
This unlikely duo has been used for thousands of years as a syrup that can be added to other liquids and drunk. Honey and vinegar combined and added to other liquids is known to help with symptoms of fevers, infections, and constipation, to name only a few. Vinegar and honey are rich in vitamins and minerals, and the vitamins this combination provides the human body are B-12, C, and K. Vitamins in this unlikely combination boost immune systems, have been shown to improve bone health and heart health and promote memory cell production.
The fact is that if you enjoy honey as a natural sweetener or are a beekeeper yourself, these combinations may not seem unusual. However, with honey being such a well-known health booster, it makes sense that it, mixed with vinegar, cinnamon, and garlic, would enhance the new combinations’ health benefits. Have you ever visited a local beekeeper? If not, it is quite a treat. Finding out more about your local bees and the fantastic products they provide raises awareness about these essential pollinators and may be able to help with some of your personal ailments.
If you take vitamins and supplements purchased over-the-counter at your local drugstore, using organic local honey is a purer approach to boosting your health and treating some common cold conditions. Do your research, but know that choosing honey is an excellent alternative to mass-produced vitamin and mineral supplements. Your local beekeeper may have other unlikely honey combinations that they have found and will be willing to share with those interested.
