03/11/2026
Honey: An Old-Fashioned Remedy with a Long History
🍯 There is more to honey than its sweetness!
For generations, people have turned to honey for more than just something delicious to eat.
Our grandparents and generations before them often prepared warm honey drinks to soothe a scratchy throat, settle down at the end of a long day and make bedtime a little more comforting.
And there's some interesting science behind one of these old traditions: research suggests honey can help ease coughing, particularly when associated with an ordinary cold. A warm drink with honey and lemon is still a popular way to soothe an irritated throat.
Honey also has a fascinating history in wound care.
Generations prepared hot honey drinks to soothe sore throats, calm frayed nerves, ensure a good night's sleep. Asthmatics often swear by honey's ability to help them breathe easier. Honey wipes out bacteria that cause diarrhea and may eliminate such disease-causing bacteria as salmonella, Shigella, E. coli and cholera. The Bible implies a strong influence of butter and honey on brain function (Isaiah 7:35). The brain is made of mostly fat (which butter provides) and it runs on glucose (of which honey is an excellent source). Ancient Egyptian medical texts describe honey being mixed with other ingredients and used in wound dressings.
Nutritionally, honey is mainly a source of natural sugars, which provide energy. It contains some minerals, B-complex vitamins, vitamins D, C and E. It is a natural antiseptic and makes a good salve for burns and wounds
A few things worth remembering:
- Buy only unfiltered, unheated, unprocessed honey and never give honey to an infant younger than 1 year. In its natural form honey contains spores of the bacteria that causes botulism.
- Honey is still a form of sugar, so moderation matters.
- Medical-grade honey is different from the honey we buy for our kitchens.
It's amazing how something so familiar can have such a fascinating history!
Do you enjoy a warm honey drink or a freshly baked slice of bread with butter and honey when the weather turns chilly? 🍯