Tag Archives: herbal remedy

Honey, I love you!

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Do you remember the time you fell in love? Wasn’t it magical? You felt like you just couldn’t get enough.  Then after awhile, you took your relationship for granted. But then it happens again, your eyes sparkle every time you think of your love. Well, it’s happening to me all over again. Sometimes I just cannot get enough of honey. I love honey! Yes, I love my husband too, but right now, I am talking about that beautiful amber sweetness that bees work so hard to make.

Call me cruel, a heartless person but this is one slave relationship that I can live with. Slaves? What do I mean by slaves? Bees are our slaves, they work extraordinary hard to create this lushes sweetness and we simply steal it. Sure, sustainable beekeepers let them keep some honey so they have enough energy to retrieve more nectar. But really, they are our slaves. In order for bees to produce one pound of honey, they must travel over 55,000 miles (that’s more than twice around the earth) visiting at least two million flowers. Now I love to travel but that is simply too much, even for me. Making honey is hard work.

Besides being delicious, there are so many health benefits to regularly eating honey. I think Stephen Buhner does an excellent job in noting why it is rich in so many medicinal and nutritional ways. 

“Honey is the nectar of the herbs and flowers that grow wild in the fields and woods. The benefits of hundreds of herbs are carried in the form of nectar in the stomach of the bee where it is subtly altered by the bee’s digestive enzymes in ways that modern science has been unable to explain. New compounds are created by this process before the honey is regurgitated in the hive, concentrated by evaporation, and stored in honeycomb.

Honey contains (among other things) a complex assortment of enzymes, organic acids, esters, antibiotic agents, trace minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, hormones, and antimicrobial compounds. One pound of the average honey contains 1,333 calories (compared with white sugar at 1748 calories), 1.4 grams of protein, 23 milligrams of calcium, 73 milligrams of phosphorus, 4.1 milligrams of iron, 1 milligram of niacin, and 16 milligrams of vitamin C, and vitamin A, beta carotene, the complete complex of B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, iodine, sodium, copper, manganese, high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, and formic acid… and the list goes on. Honey contains more than 75 different compounds! Many of the remaining substances in honey are so complex (4-7 percent of the honey) that they have yet to be identified.

Because of the high natural sugar content, honey absorbs moisture in wounds, making it hard for bacteria to survive. Many honeys contain large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which is regularly used to disinfect cuts and scrapes. Most raw honeys contain propolis, a compound that can kill bacteria. In laboratory tests, honey put on seven types of bacteria killed all seven.”

Basically it is great for everything, honey boosts your energy and immune system, it is antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, an expectorant, antiallergenic, a laxative, antifungal, cell regenerator as well as great for respiratory ailments. What more can anyone ask for?

However, there is a difference between raw honey straight from the hive, and processed honey, which can be bought in grocery stores. Any honey is good for you, but raw honey is by far the best because it has not been through a heating process (over approx. 120 degrees) that melts the sugar, this process kills the wonderful enzymes and bacteria that are so rich in healing properties. Raw honey can be purchased from local bee farmers, health food stores and co-ops. If you are buying national brands, try to stay away from clover and alfalfa, since they tend to be more heavily sprayed with pesticides. Commercial honey growers often supplement the bees with sugar water, which dilutes the medicinal qualities of the honey.

Lately, I cannot seem to get enough, I put it on everything and sometimes I just eat it off the spoon. Moreover, there are so many different types of honey to try. At our house, we are big fans of apple blossom, linden, bamboo, and buckwheat honey.  What are your favorites?

 These are some of my favorite ways to enjoy honey:

  • I love toasted honey and peanut butter sandwiches, very messy but oh so delicious
  • In my oatmeal
  • On buttered toast
  • In my coffee, yes most people put honey in tea but I don’t sweeten my tea
  • On plain yogurt
  • Herb infused honey
  • I take a spoonful, right before bed when I have a cough. It promotes a restful and quiet sleep.
  • Apples dipped in honey

How do you enjoy honey? Please share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Plantain to the rescue

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As summer rolls around, the earth is alive in all her glory, decorated with many shades of green, flowers and critters taking care of business. Unfortunately, some of the critters, i.e., wasps, mosquitoes, bees, and gnats are out too. One of my favorite remedies for the pain of a sting/bite is plantain. No, I am not referring to the banana’s relative. The plantain I’m referring to is a low growing herb found throughout North America but is not native. In fact, Native Americans called it “white man’s footprint,” because wherever white men went, it was left behind. Plantain grows in soil that has been heavily compacted by feet or other traffic. Frankly, it is everywhere. Just take a look at your lawn, sidewalk, or driveway; it is almost impossible not to find it in your travels. You can identify it by its five parallel veins running the length of each leaf. (Most leaves have a central vein with smaller ones branching out from it). You may find broad leaf plantain (Plantago major), with wide leaves and a tall seed head, or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), with long thin leaves and a small flower head that looks like a flying saucer. You can use either but I am more partial to the broad leaf variety.

Narrow leaf Plantain

Broad leaf Plantain

Plantain is best known for its ability to draw. That may come from its ability to draw up minerals from the soil in disturbed areas. It also draws things like dirt, stingers, insect venom, and infectious materials out of wounds. It’s amazing how fast it works when you apply it after a bee sting.

 

 

How to use plantain for bee stings?

  1. Remove stinger.
  2. Pick a few leaves of plantain from a clean source. Try to gather it away from the side of the road, away from places where chemicals are sprayed or areas that animals may relieve themselves (i.e., walkways).
  3. Make a fresh leaf poultice: Pick a few leaves and chew it well in your mouth, you want it to mix with your saliva.
  4. Put the poultice on the bite.
  5. Hold it on the sting site for a few minutes until you feel relief. Repeat if necessary. Like magic, the pain, heat, and swelling — even allergic reactions — disappear fast!
  6. Of course, if the person is allergic to bee stings. Seek IMMEDIATE medical attention if the person’s tongue swells, has difficultly breathing, you observe a sudden rash, or the person complains of nausea or blurred vision. Plantain is good but cannot ameliorate a severe allergic reaction.

Mathew loves how well it works (sadly, he has received his share of yellow jacket stings) and enjoys telling adults how to make a poultice. Unfortunately, while at camp last summer, he got stung and the counselors never heard of this remedy (they thought he was talking about the banana’s relative) and wouldn’t let him treat himself. They were too scared of the liability of putting a chewed up piece of weed on his skin. Therefore, they opted for putting a chemical on his skin. He was quit upset about their lack of knowledge or belief. Later, I simply instructed him to take care of his needs when faced with a similar situation in the future. Mathew knows plantain and is well versed in how to use it. I also told him not to instruct other children about it as their parents need to make the decision about whether to use it and besides other children may not have the same eye for herbs as he does. He agreed.

So before you need plantain to rescue you, get your field guide and go out and identify it. You will be grateful that you did. You never know when a bee or wasp may decide to sting you.

Peterson and Audubon have excellent field guide series.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.