World Honey Bee Day – 10 Ways to Use Honey
Beekeepers, and honey enthusiast are abuzz, for this Saturday’s World Honey Bee celebration. August 15th is marked as an awareness day to celebrate honey bees and recognize their huge contributions to our everyday lives. Did you know that bees have to travel 55,000 miles to produce one pound of honey? For that one pound of honey, bees have to gather nectar from over two million flowers! Their hard work is definitely something to appreciate!
From pollinating almost all our crops and trees, to producing our favorite sugary liquid treat, honey, bees deserve a special day of recognition. This year, we’re celebrating by sharing ten ways honey can be used in our daily lives, that goes beyond adding the sweet treat to a muffin or bread.
1. Treat minor cuts and scrapes
Honey not only tastes good, but it’s actually a natural antibiotic ointment. After washing the infected area, simply apply a drop of honey to the cut and cover with a bandage. The area will heal quickly, and soothe the irritation.
2. Relieve anxiety with a dollop of honey
Anxiety and nervousness have been treated with honey for years. Adding a dollop of honey to tea will calm your nerves and can help settle an upset stomach. A teaspoon of honey can reset your stress hormones and help you to get back on track.
3. Treat itchy mosquito bites
Summertime mosquito bites are the worst! Thankfully, honey’s antibacterial components, can soothe irritation and prevent further infection with just a small dab on the mosquito bite.
4. Relieving a cough and sore throat
Drinking hot tea with honey is a great way to soothe a sore throat, but did you know honey can also suppress coughing? Medical research has shown that honey thirty minutes before bed was more successful in suppressing a cough, than dextromethorphan, which is a component of cough medicine.
5. Make a sweet and soft hair treatment
Honey makes a wonderful hair conditioner. Add a handful of honey to your hair and leave it in for ten minutes. After washing it out, you’ll notice your hair is much softer and highly moisturized.
6. Use as a healthy sweetener over sugar
Honey is a really great natural sweetener. It is better for you than processed and refined white sugar, plus I think it’s even more delicious! Use honey to sweeten fruit, cakes, cereal and tea and I am sure you’ll feel better and notice a big difference.
7. Use honey for a facial treatment
Honey is a really great moisturizer for skin. Massage honey onto your skin and simply rinse with warm water. You will notice a natural glow and a reduction in redness from acne or blemishes. It’s simple, smells great and will leave you with softer skin.
8. Treat canker sores
Turmeric and honey help to heal painful canker sores in your mouth. Mixing the two together and applying three times a day also help with antibacterial and antiviral processes
9. Treating allergies and helping relieve sinus congestion
Eating a spoonful of local honey can help a person become less sensitive to local pollen, which could result in fewer seasonal allergies. Honey also helps kill bacteria and calm nasal passages to clear mucus.
10. Increase your energy levels
One tablespoon of honey can increase your energy levels. The glucose is absorbed by your body quickly, which gives immediate energy. Include honey as a pre-exercise snack or for an afternoon pick-me-up!
It's clear honey is a great treat with a lot of amazing qualities. Could you imagine a life without honeybees? The Healthy Hive Foundation is dedicated to increasing bee awareness and creating safe environments for bees to survive and thrive. Join our mission!