Health Benefits of Honey
Honey has been used for literally thousands of years as a treatment to many ailments. The many biblical references to milk and honey show how these two substances, while incapable of delivering all the nutrients needed over a long period of time, were used as important supplements to a common diet. Honey also has distinct germicidal properties. This aids in its ability to last for long periods of time without the need of preserving.
Walk down the cold remedy aisle at your local drug store and you will see many products that use honey as a key ingredient to relieve the symptoms of coughs and colds. Honey also has hundreds of other uses; it can be used topically or taken internally and is known to have significant antibacterial properties. When honey comes in contact with an open wound, the high pH and sodium levels of human skin activate elements in the honey to break down into hydrogen peroxide. For years honey was used as a remedy for all types of burns or ulcers and internal disorders.
One of the greatest benefits of honey, beyond the previously mentioned, is its use as a sugar substitute. Even raw and under processed sugars contain many empty calories. This adds to ever increasing risks of obesity and diabetes. That paired with the fact that sugars are more often than not over processed rather than left natural it's not hard to see that sugar has few redeeming qualities. Honey, particularly raw honey, on the other hand is a very healthy and much overlooked sugar substitute. In fact with all the delicious flavors and benefits of honey we rarely use sugar in our house anymore.