There is a wealth of difference between synthetic processed foods and raw natural foods. Honey is no exception. This video clip reviews the raw organic honey produced by Tropical Traders, and gives a short summary on the difference between raw and processed honeys.

The bottom line is that natural raw honey is a living food. Just like vegetables and fruit. It is full of beneficial enzymes and phytonutrients that help digestion and can help to heal the gut too. Other benefits of raw honey include antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties as well. Pasteurisation (sterilisation through heating) kills the majority of these enzymes. This is what you get with commercially produced honeys. The sweetness remains but many of the nutritional benefits have been destroyed. Raw honey has not been heat treated, and is bottled as harvested so that all its nutritional benefits are intact.

Raw honey can be used as a sweetener instead of using processed sugars in drinks or with food. What is less well known is that raw organic honey has been used for healing skin problems such as eczema sores, burns, cuts, scrapes and localised infections for thousands of years. It can help with digestive problems such as ulcers and colitis, and is also good for colds, coughs and sore throats.

Note, no honey should be given as a food to babies under 18 months. Honey naturally contains botulinum spores which aren’t harmful to children and adults, but can be for young babies as their immune systems are more immature.

Is raw honey the same as organic honey? Well no. Commercial honey producers and beekeepers may use synthetic drugs and antibiotics to prevent bee disease, or calcium cyanide to kill the bees to harvest the honey, or carbolic acid as part of the extraction process. Flowers from which the bees collect nectar may have been sprayed with pesticides. Conventional honey that is not certified organic may have been produced using some or all of these practices. To ensure the honey you consume is free from all of these, choose honey that is certified organic by one of the approved certification bodies.

So you have found your jar of certified organic honey. It may or may not be raw honey – that depends on whether it has been pasteurised or heat treated. Raw organic honey can be purchased from some health food shops, or reputable local beekeepers – it is not usually sold in supermarkets. Alternatively you can buy online.

I’m not alone in thinking raw organic honey is one of the treasures of our world. It’s taste, its nutritional benefits and its healing properties make it special. It’s a wonderful thing to keep in your kitchen both for eating and healing. My children’s eczema has been controlled by manuka honey when nothing else has worked. It’s a very valuable asset to have as part of an organic lifestyle.

Filed under: Organic Kitchen

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