Honey has so many healing properties- it is anti-viral, anti-antibiotic, and anti-fungal. Honey can also be a very effective treatment for burns. I always use organic raw honey produced by local beekeepers; I feel it is a much more nutritious product, plus the taste is far superior to store-bought honey.
I also trust small-scale beekeepers to take much better care of their hives than those involved with large-scale honey production.
Herbal honey is one of the best honey home remedies- it is delicious for adding to teas or other recipes, but when made with herbs that have medicinal properties, it's especially good to have on hand when cold and flu season strikes. Children love this, but make sure not to give honey to infants under 1 year old due to the risk of botulism.
You don't have to wait until you are sick to use it though- herbal honey is delicious in it's own right- try it on some homemade bread!
Herbal Honey with Lemon Balm and Ginger
This herbal honey blend features lemon balm, which soothes the nerves, promotes good digestion, and appears to have some anti-bacterial effects, as well.I love the lemony flavor together with ginger, which soothes the tummy and helps to fight colds.
Ingredients:
1 cup honey (wildflower works well, but you can use any type; I prefer to use raw honey)
1/4 cup fresh chopped lemon balm
2 Tb. peeled minced ginger
Directions: Heat honey in a small saucepan until liquified. Add the herbs and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour into an appropriate size glass jar (there is no need to strain out the herbs before doing so) and cap tightly.
There are many other herbs you could use to make medicinal honeys- try hyssop or thyme (these are both good for congestion), lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, rose hips...the list goes on! For each cup of honey, use about 1/4 cup fresh herbs (or 1/8 cup herbs if they are dried). If you don't feel like measuring, you can just fill a jar with your herbs of choice and then pour the honey in- label and allow to infuse for 6 weeks before using.
Store your herbal honey in they refrigerator or in your cupboard- it should keep about a year or a bit more (put a label on it with the date you made it so you know when it's been around too long).
Garlic Honey Remedy
Garlic is an amazing cold and flu fighter, but it's best for this purpose when taken raw, and this is tough for most of us to do. When infused in honey, the garlic becomes much more palatable, (plus the honey is soothing for sore throats and good for you, too), so this is another awesome honey home remedy to have on hand for the winter.
Ingredients:
3 heads of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves (about 24 cloves)
raw honey to fill your glass jar of choice
Directions: Fill jar with garlic cloves and then pour the honey over the garlic. Allow mixture to infuse for several days before using, then store in the refrigerator or cupboard where it will keep for a year or more.
Take by the teaspoon several times a day when ill with the cold or flu. You could also mix a teaspoon of this with some raw apple cider vinegar and hot water and drink this as a daily tonic; feel free to add a dash of cayenne pepper, too. Many people swear by honey home remedies like this for all sorts of health issues- from fatigue to arthritis to weight problems.
