Raw Honey

We love Eisele’s Raw Honey from Westfield, IN.  We were out picking strawberries at Spencer Farm in Noblesville, IN and I went into the store to pay for our berries.  While in there, I walked around looking at all the goodies.  I love all their cookbooks and cute kitchen items.  I did not look at the ice cream.  I couldn't tempt myself because if I saw it I might want to haul Husband and the kids out of the van so we can enjoy some.  While diverting my eyes from the ice cream (and fudge, and who knows what else), I saw honey.  I've been wanted to get some local honey, so I was going to see where this was from.  Then I saw one bottle that said it was raw honey.  I immediately picked it up and decided as long as it was from Indiana, I would buy it.  It was, so off I went to pay for it and the berries before I saw anything else I couldn't leave behind.

I showed it to husband when I got in the van and asked it he had ever had raw honey.  I was curious.  Did I buy something gross that people choke down just for all the benefits?  He said he hadn't.  When we got home, we tried it right away.  It was the best honey I had ever had.  Well, forget the health benefits!  This is just as good as the ice cream I avoided.  This is definitely something I will have to  hide from myself.  I even love the buttery, creamy texture.  It is so different from grocery store honey.  So now I'm hooked on this honey.  I even made 2 jars of raw honey, no cook strawberry jam.  I gave one jar to my father-in-law.  Since this is so good, I had to do research.  Why do people make such a big deal of eating raw versus pasteurized?

What makes raw honey different from regular honey is that raw honey does not get heated or filtered and therefore retains more nutrients.  Raw honey is left in its natural state and contains pollen, enzymes, antioxidants and many other beneficial compounds that we are just now learning about.  It also contains some cancer-fighting phytonutrients, found in propolis, which is what honeybees make to seal their hive and protect it from bacteria. 

Some research supports the theory that local honey can help with seasonal allergies.  There is not a lot of research on this, but many users claim that local honey provides allergy relief.  Allergies are triggered by repeated exposure to the same allergen.  Even if you are not initially allergic to a plant, over time, you can become very allergic to it if you spend a lot of time around that plant.  Honey bees near this allergenic plant will make honey that contains small amounts of pollen from that plant.  This honey will then work as a natural vaccine.  If you start taking a small amount of it everyday, within a few months, you might notice relief from seasonal pollen related allergies.

Raw honey has been used to heal wounds as far back as ancient Egypt and Greece.  Raw honey has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties.  Some researchers believe honey has the ability to kill microbes.  Honey dressings reduce pain and decrease tissue damage associated with dressing changes.  The enzymes in raw honey can help some people digest food more easily.  It may also help treat ulcers and diarrhea.

Raw honey is a great natural source of energy.  It contains both glucose and fructose.  Glucose provides instant energy.  Fructose is more slowly absorbed and provides sustained energy.  Raw honey is also an excellent source for vitamins and minerals.  It contains calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.  Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, and C can also be found in raw honey.

One way that we love to use honey here is to treat coughs.  Especially for little kids.  I don't want to give my 2 year old a cough drop (AKA chocking hazard) so I'll give him a little spoonful of honey.  Not only does it tastes good, but it will coat his throat and reduce his coughing.  I have broken this out in the middle of the night several times.  It's so hard for my kids to sleep when they are coughing.  My 6 year old also loves honey for his cough.  He tells everyone who coughs to try some honey.  A 2007 study at Penn State College of Medicine  found that a small dose of buckwheat honey was more effective than an over the counter cough treatment for children.

Absolutely no honey should be given to children under the age of one.  It may contain botulism spores.  Children over age one and healthy adults have the mature digestive systems necessary to prevent botulism spores from thriving.