Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

Ancient Concepts, Sciences & Systems

HONEY

madhuvaathaa rithaayathe madhu ksharanthi sindhavaha

maadveernssanthvoshadhih madhunakthamuthoshasi

madhumat partivagam vrajaha

Let the Breeze be as beneficial as Honey, the Rivers flow with

Honey like water.

Let the Vegetation abound with Honey; both night and day be

filled with sweetness and the entire Earth obtain the qualities of

Honey.

This hymn from the

Rig Veda

written nearly 3000 years ago, is

a prayer that the entire earth be imbued with the qualities of honey.

The sky is asked to give the people honey in the form of rains. The

prayer further asks for honeyed fruits in all trees and cows to give

honey-filled milk. The sun, it was prayed, should give us honey

through its rays. The hymn shows that the properties of honey were

well understood.

Honey was not just a sweetener. Along with milk, ghee, yo-

ghurt and sugar, honey formed the five elements which were of-

fered to the goods in the Hindu religion.

In India honey was usually collected from the wild bee colonies

found in forests. The bees were driven away by smoke and the

honey collected from the honey portion of the hive. Bee keeping

was introduced in India only in the beginning of this century. It was

organised into a regular industry 30 years ago, when the Khadi and

Village Industries Commission came into being in 1953.

COMPOSITION OF HONEY

Honey chiefly consists of sugars and water. An analysis

shows the following content:

Water

17%

Levulose (d-fructose)

39%

Dextrose (d-glucose)

34%

Sucrose

Dextrin

0.5%

Proteins

Wax

Plant acids (malic,

formic, citric etc.)

0.5%

Salts (Calcium, Iron, Phosphates,

Magnesium, Iodine)

Undetermined residues (Resins,

gums, pigments, violatile oils,

pollen grains)

Levulose and Dextrose are sugars. These sugars link togeth-

her to form Carbohydrates. These Carbohydrates are of three

types :

1. Sugars

2. Starches

3. Cellulose and related materials.

The amount of proteins in honey is very less. When honey is

repeatedly filtered to remove its cloudy appearance, the proteins

too, are removed.

It was only in 1943 that the presence of Vitamins in Honey

was discovered. Haydex, a scientist from the University of Minne-

sota proved that there were at least six Vitamins in honey. These

include:

Thiamin (Vitamin B)

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)

Riboflavin

Pantothenic acid

Pyridoxine

Niacin.

Heart patients are advised to take a glass of warm water in

which a teaspoon of honey is dissolved before going to bed. Lemon

juice may also be added. This may also be taken when awakening in

the night. It is unwise to leave such a hard working organ like the

heart without energy for long intervals in the night.

Honey can be taken with milk, cream or butter. It is a restora-

tive after serious illness. It is used in

chayaran prash

and other

kalpas. As soon as the child is born its tongue is smeared with

honey. This is the first food which the child takes. A tablespoon of

honey in warm water taken when tired acts as a restorative. A

regular intake of honey goes a long way in maintaining good health.

Honey unlike white sugar does not ferment in the digestive

tract. Fermentation creates ideal conditions for the growth of

harmful bacteria.

One of the most ancient antiseptics used by man was honey.

The strong hygroscopic nature of honey is mainly responsible for its

antiseptic properties. Germs require moisture for life. By depriving

them of moisture germs are soon killed. Honey can be used to treat

boils and external sores. Mixed with soap and applied on the boil

the mixture draws out the pus and the moisture and thereby

cleanses the body.

An immediate application of honey on the burnt area prevents

the formation of blisters. In severe burn cases scar formation can

be avoided through regular use of honey.

Persons with bronchial ailments like asthma can obtain relief by

breathing the air over a jug of honey held under the nose. The relief

is often instantaneous. Honey contains a mixture of "higher"

alcohols as well as ethereal oils. The vapours given off by these are

imperceptible to the healthv but are apparently soothing and bene-

ficial to asthamatics.

Chromotherapy is one of the branches of Nature Cure which

utilises the healing properties of colours. Red supplies energy to

the body. The diseases which it cures include anaemia, blood ail-

ments, colds, paralysis and tuberculosis. Blue has soothing proper-

ties. It also acts as a sedative and astringent. Blue colour controls

fever, cholera, jaundice, typhoid, scarlet fever, dysentery and head-

aches. Yellow strengthens the nerves and adds vitality to the

mental and reasoning abilities. Diseases benefited by yellow col-

our treatment are digestive and liver ailments. Green is the colour

of nature. It has a soothing influence upon the nervous system.

Honey is poured in a bottle of the desired colour and exposed to

sunlight for a week. It is now solarised and can be used as

medicine. Source:

"Honey"

Published by Institute of Naturopathy

and Yogic Sciences, Bangalore.