Honey has gotten a lot of press lately for it’s healing properties, and it’s all well deserved. (There are several formal research studies on the multifarious healing powers in the last decade, and here is an easy to read summary of some of them from Medical News Today.) http://www.
In summary, honey is amazing for digestive cells, and it’s major effects are in the gut and on the skin, as skin is a digestive organ.
On the skin, honey is renown for wound and burn healing, and preventing skin infections.
In the guts, it’s actions also aid in immunity and the balance of gut flora as it is a prebiotic.
Honey’s pre-digestive effect is moisturizing, so it’s soothing for dry skin (e.g. face masks) and dry throats. However, it’s post-digestive effects are warming and drying, which is why it helps to resolve mucus and balance vata and kapha.
Honey is so great for colds and allergies because:
-dries up mucus
-soothes the throat
-helps the immune system not react to local pollens
-helps to balance acid in the stomach
-helps to maintain healthy bacterial balance in the gut
-supports immune functions
Herbal honeys use honey as the vehicle to deliver the properties of other herbs that also play similar roles in alleviating cold and allergy symptoms.
They are also great to give kids because they are sweet.
You can use any herbs to make an herbal honey, but the honey should be raw and local as much as possible to be effective.
1/2 cup raw honey
4 tablespoons of sitopaladi (available here in our online store)
-other optional additions:
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup of fresh brewed elderberry syrup
Mix together and it will get darker and bubbly, and that’s normal. No need to refrigerate, but make sure you only put clean dry spoons in the jar if you don’t.
I recommend 1 tablespoon daily for prevention and 3-5 spoons (just what you can handle size spoons) during acute symptoms.
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