Just a spoonful of…liquid gold?

It goes with pretty much everything, from toast to tea and even stir-fry; this ingredient can be used to add extra flavour to all types of dishes.

You may be thinking that something so sweet can’t be all that good for you. Well you’d be wrong. In fact there are medical reasons why honey can improve your health. Don’t believe me? Sit back and read on to see why you should be having at least a teaspoon full of honey everyday.

Honey contains an abundance of both nutritional and medicinal benefits that have been used for centuries. There are records to show honey being included as a kitchen staple dating all the way back to the ancient times. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians have shown to document the healing properties of honey as early as 384 BC. when Aristotle mentioned it and it’s powers.

Honey, particularly in its raw form, offers numerous unique health benefits that many people are unaware of. Raw honey is the unpasteurized version of the common honey you find on your supermarket shelves. According to the National Honey Board, one tablespoon of raw honey contains 64 calories, and is cholesterol, sodium and fat free.

With this in mind, here are some of the numerous ways honey can be used to benefit your health everyday.

It can alleviate allergies

Have you ever wondered why when you’ve got a cough people tell you to take throat lozenges or drink warm tea both of which usually have honey? No this isn’t to make them sweeter, (although that’s an added bonus) it’s because honey has anti-inflammatory effects. Do to this, researches have found that a similar outcome occurs when using it to treat allergies as well as the common cold. This is because honey acts as a natural vaccine as it contains small amounts of pollen within its make. Exposing the body to small amounts through eating honey allows for a tolerance to be built up and allowing the body to become accustomed to its presence and therefore resulting in less of an allergic response.

It can treat wounds and burns

Honey is a natural antibiotic that can be used in the treatment of wounds and burns by disinfecting them from large species of bacteria. Manuka honey is the most common to be used with the intention of treatment with studies showing that over 250 strains of bacteria can be cured by Manuka honey.

This type of remedy has been used since the before penicillin was introduced in the early 20^th century as honey was used regarded as a type of infection fighting therapy.

Helps fight dandruff

No body likes an itchy sculp. Researches have found that applying a diluted solution of honey and water to the scalp and leaving it for three hours can result in bringing temporary relief to your head and transforming it to its former self within a week. They even noted that patients didn’t have a relapse within six months of the treatment, with skin lesions healing and an improvement in hair loss evident.

Helps with sleeping

If you find yourself tossing and turning unable to get to sleep when your head hits the pillow, don’t stress because honey is the natural remedy you’ve been looking for.

Like sugar, the sweetness of honey causes your body’s insulin levels to rise and in turn triggering the release of the neurotransmitter that improves mood and happiness called serotonin.

The body then converts this serotonin into melatonin, which is a chemical compound that helps to regulate the length and the quality of sleep.

So if you’re fretting about being up all night, remember that having honey before jumping into bed could mean that you have a longer and more quality sleep.

It’s a natural memory booster

Antioxidants are important to feed the brain so that it has enough nutrients to thrive. A recent study has shown that honey can help with this as it may help postmenopausal women stay sharp and improve their memory by eating one spoonful a day.

Furthermore, honeys ability to help the body absorb calcium has been shown to aid brain health and help it process thought and decisions.

With such a useful affordable natural remedy available, it is important to acknowledge the true effects of honey for your body’s overall well-being.

Before turning to man made treatments, why not try giving mother natures natural remedy a go first.

With increasing popularity, its uses are endless and the taste is so sweet.

Forget a spoonful of sugar; it’s a teaspoon of honey all the way for me.