The mysteries of the world's most expensive honey

Amazing Facts...About Honey

1. Honey never spoils. No need to refrigerate it. It can be stored unopened, indefinitely, at room temperature in a dry cupboard.

2. Honey is one of the oldest foods in existence. It was found in the tomb of King Tut and was still edible since honey never spoils.

3. Due to the high level of fructose, honey is 25% sweeter than table sugar.

4. Honey is created when bees mix plant nectar, a sweet substance secreted by flowers, with their own bee enzymes.

5. To make honey, bees drop the collected nectar into the honeycomb and then evaporate it by fanning their wings.

6. Honey has different flavors and colors, depending on the location and kinds of flowers the bees visit. Climatic conditions of the area also influence its flavor and color.

7. To keep their hives strong, beekeepers must place them in locations that will provide abundant nectar sources as well as water.

8. In the days before biology and botany were understood, people thought it was a special kind of magic that turned flower nectar into honey.

The miracle of honey as an alternative medicine

Introduction

Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers. "The definition of honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance. This includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners," according to the United States National Honey Board 2003 and other nations' food regulations. Honey is significantly sweeter than table sugar and has attractive chemical properties for baking. Honey has a distinctive flavor which leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners.

Liquid honey does not spoil. Because of its high sugar concentration, it kills most bacteria by crenation. Natural airborne yeasts cannot become active in it because the moisture content is too low. Natural, raw honey varies from 14% to 18% moisture content. As long as the moisture content remains under 18%, virtually no organism can successfully multiply to significant amounts in honey, though, importantly, enough bacteria survive to make honey dangerous for infants (especially Clostridium botulinum).

The study of pollens and spores in raw honey (melissopalynology) can determine floral sources of honey. Because bees carry an electrostatic charge, and can attract other particles, the same techniques of melissopalynology can be used in area environmental studies of radioactive particles, dust, or particulate pollution.

A main effect of bees collecting nectar to make honey is pollination, which is crucial for flowering plants.

Islam and honey

More than 1400 years ago Allaah and His messenger told us that honey can heal a variety of medical problems.

Allaah Says (what means): "And the Lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)'. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colors wherein is healing for men. Verily in this is indeed a sign for people who think." [Quran 16:68-69]

The Prophet has also told us of the healing found within honey for a variety of medical problems, including stomach ailments. It is reported by Al-Bukhaari that a man came to the Prophet because his brother had a stomach disorder. The Prophet said: "Let him drink honey." The man returned a second time complaining that no improvement happened in his brother's case, and again the Prophet responded: "Let him drink honey." The man returned again, and said: "I have done that but to no avail." Thereupon the Prophet responded: "Allaah has said the truth, but your brother's stomach has told a lie. Let him drink honey." He drank it and was cured.

It is also reported that the Prophet said: "Make use of the two remedies: honey and the Quran." (At-Tirmithi)

Modern medicine has only recently discovered the fact that honey is a remedy to many diseases. Traditional uses of honey have included honey mixed with lemon for sore throats. Honey coats the throat and reduces throat irritation. Research has already shown that honey blocks the growth of oral bacteria.

Honey has also been used for stomach pains and problems. Modern research shows that honey is effective when used in the treatment of gastric or peptic stomach ulcers. Research has also revealed that honey is effective in the treatment of various wounds and infections because of its antimicrobial (antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal) properties.

Researchers are not absolutely sure why honey heals but they are learning new things about honey everyday. As mentioned in the beginning, honey contains a variety of sugars and minerals. Honey is also considered an antioxidant. This means it allows the blood to circulate better and provide more oxygen to areas of the body such as the brain.

Honey can also be used externally to promote healing when applied to wounds, even postoperative wounds. Honey has also been effective in its use to treat burns. It has even been shown to be low in calories and useful as a sweetener for diabetics, people with heart disease or those overweight.

Although there is healing in honey for a variety of medical disorders, certain precautions should be taken:

1- Children under the age of one year should not be given honey due to the possibility of infant botulism. This type of food poisoning can be deadly, however, it only seems to affect infants under one year of age.

2- If you have any known allergies to specific plants, then you should make sure the honey you are using is not produced from that plant.

3- People with allergies to bee stings should be careful when using other bee-related products such as propolis or royal jelly.

However, if these precautions are followed, then honey may, Allah willing provide healing for you.

Conclusion

Muslims acknowledge and accept that Allaah and His Prophet know better and that our Creator Has revealed the truth. Therefore, we study the research that is available, not to confirm or deny the truth that has been revealed by Allaah and his Prophet but to learn of new ways we can use honey.

The Highly Esteemed Sidr Honey

Sidr Honey of Yemen - The Highly Esteemed Sidr Honey

To appreciate this highly revered honey, one has to understand the story behind its tree.

The Sidr tree, (also known as Lote tree, Christ's Thorn, Jujube or Nabkh tree. Botanical name: Ziziphus spina-christi) is an ancient tree. The Jujube fruit was the first thing Prophet Adam (pbuh) ate when he was made to descend to earth. The tree was used during the time of King Suleiman (pbuh) and the Pharaohs to build palaces and temples.

This highly resilient tree is also sacred as it is mentioned four times in the Qur'an. In Sura Saba, it is mentioned as an earth tree while in other Suras, it is mentioned as a paradise tree (Sidrat al-Muntaha). Allah has mentioned this tree to emphasize its beauty, strength and grandeur (Saba 15,16; Waqia 27-33; Najm 7-18).

It is a sturdy and deep-rooted tree which has withstood the devastating floods of Eram at Ma'arib with two other trees: the Tamarisk and the Mustard Tree. (Saba 15,16).

All of its parts have medicinal values. Its leaves are used as a herbal shampoo, to treat dandruff, head lice, swollen eyes, abscesses, furuncles and counter obesity. Mixed with warm water the leaves are used to clean the body since they are a disinfectant and the oil from the resin is deodorant. Its wood ash is used for the treatment of snakebites. Its fruits are found to have a very high energy value. Its seeds are rich in protein; its leaves rich in calcium, iron and magnesium. The root, stem bark are also used in various medicinal preparations. Other known medicinal uses include as a stomachic, an appetizer, an astringent and also as a cough medicine.


Not many are aware that different honeys differ. They differ in their composition, they differ in their nutritional values and they differ in their therapeutic properties.

Research done on different honeys confirmed that floral source, climate when the honey is being harvested and soil composition are all key factors in determining not only its flavor, colour or aroma but also its quality and effectiveness for medicinal or health-promoting purposes.

Another important factor affecting a honey's curative qualities is purity. Only crude, unprocessed honey has shown to be effective.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Yemeni's Sidr honey is a hundred times more expensive than the other kinds of honey on the global market because of differences in their medicinal and nutritive benefits.

Some of the extraordinary qualities of the Sidr Honey

HIGHLY POTENT - Yemeni's beekeepers who are strict in ensuring the honeys purity and potency will allow their bees to die rather than feed the bees with sugary syrup. Typically, bees of a certain hive make 37,000 trips just to make half a kilo of honey but bees fed solely on the nectar of the Sidr flower die after making about 3 trips! The weaker bees cannot withstand the potency of the nectar of this remarkable tree.

ORGANIC - the Sidr trees are grown wild and uncultivated in the desert areas of Yemen.

RAW & PURE - in Yemen, the method of beekeeping has always been a traditional one. No chemicals or drugs allowed (in modern agriculture, chemicals and antibiotics are widely used to control mites and other bee diseases in the hives). No machinery used. All are done using their hands, a little smoke (from dried camel skins) and knives. The honey is then poured, unheated and raw, into containers, thus preserving its vital live enzymatic constituents.

NATURAL APHRODISIAC - mixed with carrot seeds, it becomes an aphrodisiac. A blend of the honey with certain combination of nuts, ginseng and herbs are claimed to be better than Viagra, with no side effects.

MEDICINAL - every drop of honey holds the spark of life. Our forefathers had understood honey's remarkable healing gift and had used it successfully in curing most diseases. Sidr honey has been reported to be good for liver problems, stomach ulcers, respiratory infections, diseases resulting from malnutrition, digestive problems, constipation, eye diseases, infected wounds and burns, surgical wounds (incl. caesarian), promote speedy recovery after childbirth, facilitates menstruation, (with various plants) it can be used against epilepsy, strengthened the immune systems, to promote general health and vitality.

ANTIOXIDANT - Some honeys are found to have as much as 75-150 mg ascorbic acid per 100g while others, less than 5mg per 100mg. Antioxidants are important in counteracting the damage caused to the body by free radicals which play a role in the aging process and in triggering diseases such as arterial disease and cancer. Research has found that darker honeys have higher antioxidant properties.

ANTIBACTERIAL - medical science is rediscovering the effectiveness of honey in the use of alternative therapies in areas where the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (the "superbugs") spreads. Honeys may differ in the potency of its antibacterial activity thus affecting its healing abilities. Some honeys are no more antibacterial than sugar, while others can be diluted more than 100-fold and still halt the growth of bacteria.

The honey that is harvested during winter is best, followed by spring, autumn then summer.

The Sidr honey of Yemen tastes delicious, different from those of other regions because the soil of Yemen is richer and this influences the flavor.