Honey, i shrunk your body!

Let's talk sugar. Today, the most widely accepted sweeteners for the health conscious are raw agave nectar, organic maple syrup, stevia and, of course, raw honey. Honey is Ayurveda's sweetheart. It has been used for thousands of years as a vital medicine. It is also bee barf. There, i said it. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, bees are known to collect the nectar of flowers and store it in a special stomach where it is turned into honey with the help of enzymes. They then regurgitate it and store it in the honey comb. Whereas we have a negative opinion about vomit (after all, our bodies induce vomiting to get rid of toxins or spoiled food), bee vomit is actually quite nutritious and packed with minerals, sugars, protein, vitamins, etc. If i put this information into my little Ayurvedic calculator, it translates into:

Guna: Guru

Rasa: Madhura & Kashaya

Veerya: Sheetha

Honey aggravates Vata, balances Pitta and gets rid of excess Kapha. But there are different types of honey, based on different types of bees, nectar from different plants, etc, which all have a different effect on the body and different medicinal properties. Ayurveda is always very specific like that.

Honey is very energizing. It is healing and very good for the skin when taken internally or applied externally. I, for one, have never tried it. Although i've heard many times that it is very good for healing acne (it has anti-bacterial properties!) and works as a gentle exfoliant, i have always felt awkward with the idea of putting "sugar" on my skin.

Honey disinfects and heals wounds, but it also help quicken the healing process. It is good for coughing and asthma, eyesight, high blood pressure, open wounds, anemia, heart disease, among others, and it's safe for diabetics. And, because it is anti-bacterial, it will never spoil. I read somewhere that honey was found in the tomb of King Tut and because it was sealed in containers, it was still edible! How's that for a superfood?

Historically, honey has been used as medicine and food for thousands of years. Honey is mentioned in hieroglyphics and was used as a currency in different parts of the world. According to historical biologists, bees have been producing honey for 150 million years!

As i said before, honey decreases Kapha. It may be sweet, but it actually helps reduce body fat. Yes, i said "reduce". Basically, honey will help you lose weight. The trick is to drink a cup of warm water mixed with raw organic honey before bedtime every night. Not only will it get your body fat to start shifting, but it will also purify your blood, get your bowels moving and essentially cleanse your digestive system. Honey is the easiest food to digest.

The only precaution to take with honey is NOT to cook it. If you heat honey, it becomes toxic to the body. Therefore, i should not be baked into anything, cooked, or mixed with liquid that is too hot. If you want to put honey in hot water or tea, just make sure the liquid is not too hot to drink. If you're able to drink it, then the liquid is honey-safe.

In Ayurvedic medicine, honey is often mixed with herbs and ghee to create what is called "Rasayana", which is essentially a sort of tonic which has a paste-like consistency. It is absorbed at a deeper level than just herbs alone and can be stored for longer periods of time. Rasayana basically looks like tar. It's thick, black and viscous. If it gets stuck in your throat, your gag reflex will be awoken.
I once had to take a rasayana that smelled like "fish in a garbage can". It was... charming. It's still there, in the back of my cupboard. Sometimes i get all excited and brave and i reach for it, but i can never get myself to eat more that a quarter teaspoon. My trick is always to put it on my tongue, keep it moving in my mouth so it doesn't stick to anything, and then take a gulp of water like i would swallow a capsule.

I'm not sure if this post was more about honey or about vomit, but it was supposed to be about honey. Vomit will be the topic of a future post, as it is actually a helpful tool in Ayurveda.