The Honey Trail

Food Ingredient
Honey has been used as a food product for thousands of years. Because of its purity and exquisite taste, it was considered sacred by ancient civilizations. 

In India too, its amazing medicinal properties have been recorded by Charaka as far back as 2000 BC (Charaka Samhita, the definitive treatise on ayurveda) and Sushruta in 1500 BC. 

Honey is considered a Satvik food, and is often included in traditional or auspicious preparations.

Bees collect nectar from flowers and mix this with enzymes to make honey. This gives honey a wide range of properties, depending upon the nectar it is made up of. Its color could vary from white to red, and amber to almost black. Forest honey (Makshika) is considered most nutritious.

Modern science is rediscovering new facts about the beneficial effects of honey. Spoon for spoon, honey is more energy rich and sweeter than sugar. It provides more carbohydrates and is even considered an ergogenic aid (enhancing athletic performance), a fact known to ancient Olympians who included honey and dried figs in their diet.

Raw honey has also been seen to be an effective wound healer, especially burns, with its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. But most importantly, daily consumption of honey raises levels of anti oxidants in the blood that protect us from several chronic diseases.


Ayurveda values honey for its ability to carry and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of medicines given with it. It is used in treating kapha related diseases. Here are some other ways honey enhances our health:
# As a scrapping agent, it reduces excess fat
# Its iron and mineral-rich composition enhances haemoglobin in the blood
# Enhances skin texture by helping shed dead cells and aiding cell renewal
# Reduces excessive body heat and burning sensation
# As a therapeutic agent in treatment of cough, diabetes, piles and constipation
Food Ingredient