I Love You, Honey
When you call your significant other "Honey" you really have said a mouthful of something special. Honey is so much more than a sweet treat, you could call it a life saver!
Here in Yakima we rely on bees to help pollinate our multi-million dollar fruit crops. In fact, honey bees are the single most important pollinator contributing to a healthy global food supply. As great as that is, there's more!
"Honey's healing properties are legendary and part of the reason why it is able to remain unspoiled… literally forever. Raw honey never goes bad. As Even Aristotle, who recognized bees as having divine qualities, wrote of raw honey’s medicinal benefits during his time"
Urban Beekeeping Growing In Popularity
Consider that A honey bee's visit to a Yakima Valley apple tree blossom to collect sugar-rich nectar is the beginning of a process that will end when the bee's tummy breaks down the nectar into a couple of substances including hydrogen peroxide. "Hydrogen peroxide ... known fondly as one of the most powerful substances on the planet for preventing infections and killing pathogens like fungus, mold and harmful bacteria. ....raw honey is a top-notch wound healer and has been used by physicians for thousands of years. In fact, many hospitals worldwide now use honey- infused bandages to help accelerate wound healing."
Beekeeping in Washington"ranges from hobbyists with a hive or two to large commercial operations with 10,000 hives or more. In 2014, 983 apiarists (beekeepers) from across Washington, plus 5 from out-of-state, registered a total of 81,588 colonies with WSDA. About 73 percent of registrants had 5 or fewer colonies, and only 27 registrants had more than 300 colonies."
So why this informational focus on honey now? Because even as we still deal with the Coronavirus, it's important to remember that the coughs and sore throats that come along with cold and flu season are just around the corner.
Rooftop Beekeepers Produce Honey In Center of Tokyo
University of Oxford researchers reviewed 14 studies and found that honey was more effective than usual care when it came to improving cough symptoms, particularly the frequency and severity of coughing. As a result of the findings, the scientists are urging doctors to recommend honey as an alternative to antibiotics, which are often incorrectly prescribed for viral infections adding. "Honey is a frequently used lay remedy that is well known to patients. It is also cheap, easy to access and has limited harms.”
Aristotle, thought bees had divine qualities. We know them to be organized, busy hardworking, mini-miracle makers who pollinate our fruits and vegetables and then make healthy honey for dessert. How divine!
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