Bee Honey

Products

Bee honey is available in grocery stores and from beekeepers, among other places. Medicinal honey ointments and honey pads are available in pharmacies and drugstores (e.g., Medihoney).

Structure and properties

Bee honey is a variable natural product formed by the honey bee. The bees take nectar from plants or honeydew and mix it with digestive enzymes such as invertase. The honey matures and is separated into the honeycombs where it is thickened and stored. Honey exists as a thin or thick, creamy to crystalline substance. It usually has a yellow, beige, amber to brown or even white color and is characterized by its sweet taste. Chemically, it is a supersaturated sugar solution in water. Ingredients: Honey consists mainly of carbohydrates (>80%), especially glucose (grape sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar) and a smaller proportion of maltose. It thus corresponds approximately to hydrolyzed sugar (household sugar). The sucrose from the nectar is converted into the glucose and fructose by the enzyme invertase. The second most important ingredient is water (about 17%). Other ingredients include:

  • Vitamins, minerals
  • Few proteins, mainly enzymes: amylase, invertase, glucose oxidase.
  • Amino acids
  • Virtually no fat
  • Polyphenols: Flavonoids
  • Organic acids
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Fibers
  • Flavorings
  • Beeswax
  • Pollen

100 g of bee honey have a calorific value of over 300 kcal. Many different varieties are distinguished, such as alpine honey, buckwheat honey, rapeseed honey, dandelion honey, silver fir honey or lavender honey. Medicinal honey is a purified and sterilized honey used in the form of finished medicines.

Effects

Bee honey has antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and antitussive properties, among others. Is honey healthy? Honey is considered healthy (“Mother, give honey to your child”) and has some health-promoting properties (see in Bogdanov et al., 2008). It can be used for various applications (see below). However, it is important to remember that honey consists mainly of fast sugars and has a high calorific value. It should therefore not be consumed in excess. The amount of vitamins and minerals supplied by honey is rather low. As a dietary supplement, it is not suitable in our view.

Fields of application

Internally, bee honey is taken as a food, sweetener, tonic and stimulant, and medicinally for irritable cough and colds. Externally, medicinal honey is used for wound treatment.

Contraindications

Honey should not be given in case of hypersensitivity and to infants under one year of age, because they can get botulism. This is because honey may contain spores of. Ordinary honey and also purified honey Mel depuratum should not be used for wound treatment.

Adverse effects

Bee honey may cause allergies and may be contaminated with undesirable substances such as pesticides, microplastics, and heavy metals. In infants, it can cause infant botulism. Liquid honey can crystallize within weeks to months. It can be liquefied again by gently heating it up to a maximum of 40°C. It should not be heated too much. It should not be heated too much. Honey consists mainly of sugars and has a high calorific value (see above). Whether it causes caries is controversial, since honey also has antibacterial effects. Honey is considered less cariogenic than sugar. Very rarely, bees can collect nectar from poisonous plants, which can lead to poisoning if the honey is ingested. And finally, relatively often counterfeits enter the market. For example, bee honey is stretched with sugar solution.