What is raw honey and how is it different from regular honey

Honey is nature’s best gift to mankind, this natural sweetener has been used for centuries as a potent nectar extracted from the honeycomb, which has been used for its medicinal properties as well as for its health enriching properties. In fact, honey is so pure that in some traditions it is the first sweet thing given to a new born baby.

This thick and sweet syrup is one of the healthiest and pure alternatives to sugar and has been an inseparable part of our day-to-day diet, but have you ever wondered what makes it so healthy? Well, here’s all you need to know about raw honey and what makes it so healthy as well as different from regular honey.

Raw is honey is the purest form of honey, which is unfiltered, unpasteurized and unprocessed.Honey is a sweet syrup extracted from the honeycomb, which is basically a nectar of flowers collected by the honeybees, which is further stored in the honeycomb by the bees.

The breaking of honeycomb extracted from the beehive results in pouring out of the nectar, which is called raw honey. However, the regular honey is filtered, pasteurized and processed with additives to increase its shelf life and make it fit for commercial purposes. The best thing about raw honey is that it has a much higher concentration of nutrients as compared to any other form of honey.

Of late, with a drift towards healthy eating people are moving towards more raw, organic and unprocessed alternatives, and raw honey has turned out to be a fad among the health enthusiasts. But did you know why raw honey is deemed as the healthiest form of honey and what makes it different from regular honey?

Raw honey as the name suggests is the absolutely raw and absolutely unheated or unprocessed. Raw honey is extracted after removing the bees wax, pollen and dead bees. Rest has no additives, which makes it the most natural form of honey.

In fact, raw honey is often confused with organic honey, which is filtered and heated, but what makes it different from regular honey is that organic honey goes through the minimum level of processing and thus no additives are added to enhance the taste, colour or texture. On the contrary the commercially processed honey undergoes layers of filtering, pasteurization and is processed to make it fit for a long duration of time and accentuate its taste. The pasteurization process increases the shelf life and kills the presence of any form of pathogens. It gives honey a clear texture, whereas raw honey has a thick cloudy texture. The processing of honey reduces the presence of nutrients and antioxidants in regular honey.

Raw honey is undeniably the most nutrient-dense form of honey. Raw honey is enriched with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants, which makes the nutritional composition rich. Apart from this raw honey has more than 30 bioactive compounds also known as polyphenols.These antioxidants help in improving the heart health, digestion and helps in reducing edema to name a few. Moreover, the active enzymes help in improving metabolism. However, it might not suit everyone because raw honey may contain a bacteria known as Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism in infants.

Raw honey may help in treating digestive problems like diarrhea and can heal stomach ulcers. Raw honey may also help in improving the other digestive issues due to its prebiotic components that help nourishing good bacteria and improving gut health.

Honey has been widely used as potent natural nectar for treating sore through, cold and cough. Since ages, honey has been a part of ancient medicines and home remedies. In fact, the cold suppressing properties as well as anti inflammatory properties help in curing cough and sore throat. Moreover, adding honey, turmeric, ginger and lemon to your green tea or black tea may help in keeping seasonal ailments at bay.

Easy remedy for cough: Take 5 peppercorns, crush them and add 5 holy basil leaves with one tablespoon of raw honey. Mix it well and have it early morning, this will keep could and cough at bay.

Honey is an essential component used in several beauty products and hair care products, this is due to its great antioxidant composition, which helps in nourishing the skin and well as hair and also helps in improving the elasticity of skin and regenerates the damaged cells caused due to the presence of free radicals.

A type of honey- Manuka works as a great healing agent for the body. In fact, it has been observed in several studies that Manuka, a form of raw honey may work as a potent anti-bacterial and germ killing component, which helps in reducing the infection caused due to germs. Moreover, the active components in honey helps in regeneration of tissues.

Honey can help managing weight effortlessly, you can add honey to your green tea or black tea to amp up the health quotient of your tea or detox water.

Take juice of half lemon and add one tablesppon raw honey in luke warm water and drink this blend on an emptry stomach, the fat buring properties in honey help in managibe weight easyil.