Add honey to your preps. It fights infection, even MRSA. Read report at WIRED magazine.
So right, InKy - got gobs of it. But I’m also getting some raw, unprocessed. Much of ‘store bought’ has tons of syrup. (Also plan to make mead - only wine that doesn’t give me a headache:)
Honey is a great prep item but you may want to check and see if it is one of those items to avoid giving someone who is actually ill with avian flu. Seems like I remember it being one of the things to avoid due to potentially increasing potential for cytokine storm…help here? Sometimes my brain gets on overload and I have been kmown to be wrong - once or twice (first husband…second husband…LOL).
Sorry, brain is on overload, now. Grammar, spelling… :>)
only thing I have heard about honey is that you should not give to infants? Something about a few spores of botulism which would be harmless in adults could be harmfull to a young baby with undevelolped immune system. Can someone comment on this?
You are right - you do not give honey to infants less than a year old because of a risk of botulism.
There is such a stuff as medical honey - sources I’ve spotted so far are in Australia and the UK. I was just planning to buy the real stuff, with the comb.
Wolf - I’m such a goose - I didn’t realize that mead is made from honey. I’ve read Beowulf in Anglo-Saxon, meadhalls and all, but I didn’t know that.
ICP - I’ll look into that. I was really just wanting the honey to deal with other things. MRSA has popped up at the academy where my son goes to school, for instance.
InKy – at 21:26 You’re not a goose! I’d start Beowulf.. but I’m tired and it’s such ‘troth … ;)
Wolf - Hwaet! Save Beowulf for reading during SIP, with mead to warm your bone-locks ;-).
Here’s a U.S. source for medical honey - Manuka Honey USA. The company carries a variety of honey products to treat ulcers, allergies, wounds - the list goes on and on.
Honey can store indefinitely if properly stored - it is a great sweetner prep item. We try to avoid processed foods - particularly sugar - so honey is the product of choice in our household.
Large buckets properly sealed will last a very very long time. :)
Well, we encourage bees to make honey here. Almost any kind of honey, if it is pure and raw (i.e., never heated), has some anti-bacterial value. However, the antibacterial activity may not extend into the lungs. It is excellent for use on surface wounds and burns, and I have heard of it possibly helping with bacterial ailments in the stomach (need to double-check on that).
Raw honey contains an enzyme that when it contact with tissue, ends up creating peroxide which will kill bacteria. It is so effective, that burn centers are using it on their patients. However, if the honey is heated, the enzyme is destroyed. A lot of commercial honey in grocery stores has been heated, or possible extended with other sweet syrups. Try to purchase direct from beekeepers, small local markets, or farmers markets to get the real stuff.
Beehiver:
I heard a world class burn doctor say honey and aloe on burns is a crime in this decade. Our burn center doesn’t use it. Are you sure about the facts for burns?
In case anyone is interested, I have used clay (not dry powder; clay mixed with water - I always keep some on hand) and lavender oil on burns for years. In fact, a few years ago I got a very bad burn - poured boiling water all over the top of my left hand. I immersed it in cold water while I looked for my lavender oil and clay (had no electricity at the time, amidst other serious difficulties). After immersion in cold water for about 1/2 hour, (changing the water frequently to keep it cold), I sprinkled lavender oil neat on the burned area, then some immersion. It was so painful that I could only keep it out of the cold water for a split second before unbearable pain kicked in.
Did that for an hour, then packed the whole hand in clay. Kept that on (and put in cold water when it dried a little) for about three hours. Finally had to go to bed (it happened in the middle of the night.
In the morning, there was only a little pinkish slightly shriveled spot and no pain whatsoever. It surprised even me, and I’ve used clay, lavender oil and cold water for burns before.
It was the worst burn I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of burns, being a cook for years. The lavender oil, cold water and clay work wonders and also take the pain almost completely away when used properly.
(My natural remedies/survival basics website will be up soon; if anyone wants the url, gmail me: MayAllBeWell@gmail.com. It’s not a huge website, kind of personal, stuff I’ve used and/or researched over the years.)
Ah, Beowulf! My dog’s name is Wiglaf, and he’s going to stay with me until the end.
maryrose - Wiglaf means “remnant of valor” :-).
Beehiver - Beekeeping has piqued my interest in recent months; yours is a valuable skill. I read somewhere that buying honey with the comb is best - is that so?
Dry Mead Recipe……
all purpose wine yeast starter
4 pints water
pinch epsom salt
1/2 oz. citric acid
2 yeast nutrient tablets
1/4 teaspoon marmite
1/4 teaspoon grape tannin
3 lbs white honey
1 campden tablet
cooled boiled water
making mead is similar to wine making,quite a process of mix and wait.You need a hydrometer to check the gravity(or sugar content)a fermentation cap,fermentation buckets,glass jugs and wine bottles.All of the ingredients are available at wine or beer making shops.If people want me to write out the directions I will but it will be quite a long post and I can’t take the time right now.You could download the directions online I bet.Mead is best matured a year before drinking.
If you use honey or have stored it as a prep item and have infants, please read this article on infant botulism from the Mayo Clinic.
I bought a case of honey (6 5 lbs jugs) this spring that was someones left over y2k honey.It was granulated but still fine.I didn’t bother to get it to liquid again cause I like it granulated.It was from Alpine Aire.We have used 4 jugs since I bought it and have loved every bit of it.I recently found a source for raw local honey only 9.99 for 6lbs jugs.When I get the cash I intend to buy at least 10 jugs.It was thru the amish community in my area.
Leo7 at 1:57, I have heard that honey is being used at burn centers, but will need to find documentation of that. In the meantime, doing a PubMed search with the search term “burn AND honey” will bring up a number of research articles on the subject. I will try to post some specific links about this over the weekend…need to run off to work for now! I would be curious to know why the world-class burn doctor felt so strongly about using honey to treat wounds and burns.
Its put on surface burns so that the wound does not get a bacterial infection. The idea is that its such a concentrated isotonic solution (only 3%water) that bacteria cant survive in it. Descent medicinal use with some solid logic behind it.
As a side note I to used to raise bees and make honey/mead. There is a parasite that has killed off most of the bees in north America though. Honey prices have gone through the roof in recent years. Talk to any local bee guy and either they have treated their bees $$ or have started new hives with imported bees. Its a neat hobby if you have the time to invest but its not cheap to really get into it correctly. One screw up and all your work is lost.
Max…Does that treatment come out in the honey?
Speaking of honey..my Mother used to make a cough/sore throat syrup out of honey, lemon juice and brandy. Good stuff if I remember correctly. >;)
It is not legal in the U.S. to sell honey with the any chemicals or antibiotic treatment bleed-through. That’s why Chinese honey was pulled off the market a few years ago. Then they started trans-shipping through a third country. Long story…
The treatment against the mites is put in during the fall, after the final honey take has been finished. A number of beekeepers are working on projects without use of the chemical, because the mites are becoming resistant to it. At our location, we have been off the chemical for 3 years now. Problem is, there is a group of viruses that are being transmitted by the mites, and they are taking their toll on the hives also. We are working with various methods including careful sanitation and other methodology, to develop a genetically stronger line of bees that are holding up against these problems. Definitely a long-term type of project that needs dedication and attention. But the payoff is important and necessary for pollination, honey, medicinal uses. We are in no way a large commercial operation, we just believe in what we are doing wit the bees, and are dedicated to environmental health and balance in the process. We have seen numerous amazing results using honey on wounds, by the way, in particular diabetic ulcers. So personally I have no doubt that honey could be a valuable item if folks need to care for themselves in a deeper way during a pandemic.
snowhound1 that’s what I call a hot toddy. was given that as a kid when I had a bad cold. don’t know what it ever did for he cold, but boy did I sleep good. still use it to this day, as I don’t use over the counter stuff. i’m not a health nut, just don’t use that stuff for myself.
When I was a kid, my mum used honey and borax on boils & ulcers, gum problems, I loved it!!!
Hmm, I still remember trying to choke down the honeycomb, which my parents wanted me to eat due to my multiple allergies and, specifically, extremely bad asthma. I still have asthma today, so I guess it wasn’t a “cure.” Thankfully, I still use honey regularly and it always goes in the tea (along with some lemon juice) for anyone who is sick in the family. But I think I’d still have a hard time choking downt he actual honeycomb.
I bought some unpasteurized apple cider. I was going to experiment by putting some in small glass bottles with honey to see if it would turn into apple jack. Anyone tried it and have a recipe? I would toss out anything that tasted off. Will have to stop at a local apple orchard, as their neighbor is a large honey producer. I have all sorts of honey, but I’m always experimenting with tea mixtures. When I feel nauseated I use ginger teas.I probably never drink the same mixture twice as I never note what I use. Probably should, but I like variety., and drink stronger teas than most people, with complex flavours.
Tasting off wouldn’t be your problem as much as making a little glass hand grenade.Wooden casks are recommended for hard cider as a home brewer could easily have an issue with too high of fermentation.unless you have a way to pasturize the bottles.
From The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds:
“Some clinicians are under the impression that there is little or no evidence to support the use of honey as a wound dressing. To allow sound decisions to be made, this seminar article has covered the various reports that have been published on the clinical usage of honey. Positive findings on honey in wound care have been reported from 17 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1965 participants, and 5 clinical trials of other forms involving 97 participants treated with honey. The effectiveness of honey in assisting wound healing has also been demonstrated in 16 trials on a total of 533 wounds on experimental animals. There is also a large amount of evidence in the form of case studies that have been reported. It has been shown to give good results on a very wide range of types of wound. It is therefore mystifying that there appears to be a lack of universal acceptance of honey as a wound dressing. It is recommended that clinicians should look for the clinical evidence that exists to support the use of other wound care products to compare with the evidence that exists for honey.”
Thanks Malachai. No experimenting with glass hand grenades. Will just enjoy it hot and mulled with various spices.
Dennis in Colorado at 15:43. This is a great review article, thanks for posting it. The complete text is available free here. Pages 3, 4, and 10 specifically cite research using honey on burns, with additional research articles referenced; and other pages show similar research on wounds.
This site shows the results of using manuka honey on a large bedsore. Be warned - the first picture could short-circuit your appetite.
The author of the review article Peter Molan, has published extensively on the subject of using honey for anti-bacterial and wound healing purposes. A search under his name at PubMed will bring them up.
Forgot to relay that in the aforementioned review article, it states that honey was showing better efficacy than the commonly-used silver sulfadiazine on burns. Evidently honey not only has anti-bacterial capability, but also stimulates the healing process.
My son is allergic to sulfa drugs so Silvadene(silver sulfadiazine) is out of the question. I’ll have to look into honey.
I posted a few days ago that I had seen something somewhere about not using honey during suspected illness with avian flu symptoms. Just FYI so you don’t think I lost my mind…
Honey - Increases production of cytokines TNF-a and IL-6 (Pubmed PMID12824009).
Honey is a great thing and a part of my preps, just might want to consider avoiding giving to folks with flu symptoms during pandemic.
In NZ (the home of Manuka Honey - yum) we have a home ‘remedy’ for colds and flu. Some years ago, the ‘brew’ was scientifically tested and shown to give relief because of the combination of ingredients.
For an adult, in a heatproof mug or large cup, put 2 teaspoons of dark (manuka) honey, 1 or 2 crushed paracetamol, the juice of one lemon and a swig of whisky. Add boiling water to fill the cup and stir until everything is dissolved and well mixed. Sip hot, stirring occassionally. You will sleep like a baby and actually be able to breathe!
For those of you not familiar with Manuka honey, it is a dark honey with a rich flavour - you will never go back to pale ordinary honey again!
AnnieB;
Now we know where you get all your enegy to do the news threads !
Shhory, zat shuuda bin engerny. Bin drinkin the whiskey with honey….
Annie B Manuka Honey is exported to Aust and found in larger supermarkets and in Health Food stores. Have also used it out in the community on slow healing wounds. As an ex Kiwi I have used your hot toddy recipe many times! Makes having a head cold much more bearable. Panadol = Tylenol I think.
RobT, it is an ‘acquired taste’ the paracetamol makes it quite bitter. If my dear partner starts to sniffle I threaten him with the brew and it is an instant cure - actually I can tell when he rally does have a cold because he asks me to make it for him!
You will note the recipe says ‘swig of whisky’ - itsh tha sizshe of la swiig thaat makesh it wooork ;-~
AnnieB – at 03:26 --- My Dad used to make us kids drink that concoction when we were young and got the sniffles all the time (without the paracetamol). He said that his father told him about it…Dad was from Oklahoma and his dad from Texas. It must be a world-wide “cure”!
BB - between this ‘cure’ and your RW one, I think we have this flu thing licked ;-)
I think the hot honey/lemon/whiskey thing IS a universal cure-my Appalchian grandmother made it with honey/lemon and Jack Daniels- the ONLY alcholic beverage she’d allow in her house, kept in a locked cabinet.
My husbands Scandinavian family used Scotch. We live a couple counties over from the Maker’s Mark distillery so thats what we use.