New Zealand Raw Honey 1KG Review

Image borrowed from http://www.goodnessdirect.com/

Rating: 10/10, available from Goodness Direct in 500g - 1kg jars, priced £6.20 - £11.39 (+ p&p).

Oh food reviews, how we have missed you! It feels like it's been so long! But for all you beauty focused readers out there, fear not for this honey is multi-purpose!

Honey is naturally antiseptic and antibacterial; Wound gels containing raw honey are used against drug resistant strains of MRSA. Honey's antibacterial properties are the result of low water activity, hydrogen peroxide, high acidity and methylglyoxal (a naturally occuring antibacterial).

Hydrogen peroxide might ring a few alarm bells with some, so let us explain: the hydrogen peroxide formed is slow-release. It can only become active when the honey is diluted and when the acidity of the honey is neutralised by body-proteins, it also  requires oxygen to be available for reaction, can be destroyed by the protein-digesting enzymes in wound fluids, oh yes and it's destroyed when the honey is exposed to heat or light.

Ordinarily, hydrogen peroxide is not a friendly substance but because of the wonder powers of honey it: 

chelates and deactivates free iron, which would otherwise catalyze the formation of oxygen free radicals from hydrogen peroxide, leading to inflammation. Also, the antioxidant constituents in honey help clean up oxygen free radicals present. (borrowed from wiki).

Magic.


The health benefits of honey are many; it has been found that topical application speeds up wound healing, is great on burns, can help soothe gastrointestinal ulcers and arthritis, can increase calcium absorption thereby warding off osteoporosis, can help treat respiratory infections and colds, and can help to boost the immune system. On top of that a teaspoonful can help ease you into sleep.

Because the Glycemic Index of honey ranges from 31 - 78, some diabetics are able to ingest raw honey without suffering from a spike in their blood sugar, Em hasn't been quite so fortunate, but she does list 1 tsp of honey mixed with 1 tsp of olive oil as her favourite 10 minute face mask! If you are interested in reading a preliminary assessment of the Glycemic Index of honeys click here.

Processed honey (the stuff sold in shops) is heated and filtered, and this processing ends up destroying the enzymes and nutrients that are so beneficial to us.

To the Review:

This honey is delicious, we use it for everything from minor burns to hair conditioner, face masks and as a yummy sweetener *ahem* we mean, superfood.

But seriously, this honey is smooth and lasts for ages! It's great value for money, the only down side is that we don't know what the Glycemic Index is for this product. Other than that it is a product that we have recommended to all of our friends, in total it is cheaper than the honey we get at our local store and we've had great results from it.

Uses:

• Burns: apply honey to the burn, this will cool the burn down and speed up the healing process.
• Hair conditioner: Mix 1 part honey with 1 part olive/jojoba oil, apply to the hair, leave for 20 minutes, wash out.
• Em's Face mask: Mix 1 teaspoon honey with 1 teaspoon olive oil, apply to the face and neck, leave for 10 minutes, wash off with warm water.
• Super Nourishing Face Mask: mix 2 teaspoons honey with 1/2 tablespoon of miso, apply to the face, leave for 10-20 minutes. Wash off with warm water.
• For colds: mix 1 cup of warm water with the juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of honey, drink.

N.B Do remember that you're not supposed to feed raw honey to young children because of the risk of clostridium botulinum - this is because honey can sometimes contain dormant spores of this bacteria, which
can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in a child's immature gastrointestinal tract leading to serious, and sometimes fatal, illness.