Since ancient times, due to health benefits of honey people used honey for food and medicine. This sweet and sticky substance produced by bees is a pantry staple used as an ingredient for various dishes and as a spread on bread. People also use this to sweeten different beverages. Aside from being a superfood, people also consume honey for its medicinal properties. It contains high plant-based compounds that can help alleviate various illnesses. Some people even take natural cough syrup with honey to speed up their recovery. Aside from its healing purposes, there are other advantages of consuming honey.
Here are some of the best health benefits of honey for your body.
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1. Suppress Cough In Young Children
Doctors advise against giving over-the-counter cough medicines to children under the age of 18 months old. According to the US FDA, some cough and cold medicines have adverse effects on young children like slowed breathing, which can be fatal for young kids and infants.
To help ease the symptoms of cough, some parents give their kids a tablespoon of honey before going to bed. A study even claimed that honey works better compared to dextromethorphan, a known cough remedy ingredient.
Aside from giving children raw honey, you can also use a natural cough syrup with honey to help recovery from the disease. However, you need to avoid giving honey to kids younger than one year due to the increased risk for infant botulism.
2. Speeds Up Burn And Wound Healing
In ancient Egypt, honey is widely used as a topical treatment to heal burns and wounds all the time. This treatment is still used today in different countries all over the world. Based on several studies, using honey is highly effective for healing partially thick burns and other wounds that already have an infection after undergoing surgery. The reason for this is because honey has high antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. It is also an efficient cure for treating diabetic foot ulcers to avoid significant complications like amputation.
3. Helps Improve Cholesterol
People with elevated Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are at risk of having severe heart disease. This kind of cholesterol can cause serious conditions called atherosclerosis, the fatty buildup that clogs your arteries. It can lead to fatal heart attacks. But according to various researches, consuming honey can help improve your cholesterol levels. It can also lessen your body’s total and bad LDL cholesterol levels while increasing the excellent High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.
4. Improves Overall Health
High-quality raw honey naturally comes with plenty of essential antioxidants like flavonoids and other organic acids. Experts link this natural superfood to reduce various medical conditions like strokes, heart attacks, and several types of cancer. Honey can also reportedly lower a person’s blood pressure. It can also improve eye health.
Also, using honey as your daily sweetener is more beneficial for people suffering from diabetes. You can use it as a more nutritious substitute to table sugar to sweeten your oats, coffee, tea, and other beverages and meals.
While there are plenty of benefits that your body can enjoy by using honey regularly, you still need to keep in mind to consume it in moderation. After all, this natural golden liquid is still high in calories and contains lots of sugar. So make sure that you will not go overboard with your honey consumption to avoid significant complications.
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