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Honey in TCM

Posted on: Oct 24

Filed under energy, food, Food and Medicines, food energy, healthy, herbs, honey, immunity, natural way, nature, sweet

Honey in TCM

Honey is more than a sweet treat or the nickname you call the one you love. In traditional Chinese medicine, honey is an important ingredient chosen for it energetic effects when used in herbal combinations. In TCM, honey is known as Feng Mi and has the ability to nourish yin energy. That means it soothes, moistens and nourishes lungs, large intestine, spleen and stomach, helps restore qi energy and prevents dryness.

Honey is considered sweet, neutral (not too hot or cold, but just right) and can be added to herbal preparations to make them taste better. Apart from its widely recognized nutritional value, honey is considered “scattering” which means it moves qi energy outward. For that reason it is useful to help clear mucus congestion in lungs and improve breathing. It spreads the effects of other herbs in an herbal combination.

Honey Nutrition

The January 2015 edition of “Natural News”, documents honey’s ability to heal wounds when applied topically and treat infections. Honey is known for its antioxidant, antibiotic and antiviral capabilities. Specifically, “honey contains monosaccharides glucose and fructose and vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, K and beta-carotene, as well as minerals and enzymes. Raw, unprocessed honey has the most medicinal and nutritional value. (The fructose in raw honey does not, in any way, have the same negative effect as fructose from corn syrup.)”

Honey an herbal ingredient in TCM

Honey is a very important and valuable component of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the “Compendium of Materia Medica,” the TCM classic by pharmacist Li Shizhen written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), “Honey can help dispel pathogenic heat, clear away toxins, relieve pain and combat dehydration.” Li Shizhen suggested that eating raw honey regularly resulted in clear sight and rosy cheeks. He also wrote that eating honey every morning can help prevent constipation and it is a good choice for those who suffer chronic cough. It’s moistening and nourishing.

Honey vs Cane Sugar

The March, 2016 “Serious Eats,” recommends drinking a cup of warm honey water is good for the body and will keep you warm. But everyone’s body condition is different, so you need to choose the most suitable honey for yourself.” What that means is not agonizing over which honey to buy –organic, unfiltered, or a myriad of flower and herb honey selections--but choosing a honey that suits your energy needs. Honey is considered more warming and “scattering” than cane sugar. Cane sugar is used in anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and liver cleansing herbal combinations such as Banlangan –Isatis cold/flu remedy. Isatis treats infections, headache, dizziness etc. Whereas honey is used when a moistening, nourishing herb is required so that honey’s energetic action ties together and coordinates the actions of other herbs. Honey may be added to remedies that soothe a smoker’s cough, enhance digestion and act as laxative.

Raw vs. Cooked Honey

Raw honey is pure, unheated, unpasteurized and unprocessed. It provides the best health benefits because the final product contains all of the natural vitamins and enzymes and other nutritional elements. It is composed of roughly 200 substances such as amino acids, flavonoids, minerals, and enzymes that make it an energy-packed nutrient bomb. Honey has been scientifically linked to help with certain allergies, sleep problems, and poor nutrition. Some people have enthusiastically used raw honey with raw apple cider vinegar and hot water as a pre-breakfast drink to ease chronic aches. The sour fermented vinegar is a liver and blood cleanser and the honey, a laxative, augments the cleansing action.

Honey Improves Health Tonics

Sometimes herbs like licorice, which has side-effects, are roasted in honey which changes the character of the original herb. Honey, used as an adjuvant, enhances the efficacy and reduces the toxicity of crude drugs and herbal ingredients. For example, when tonic herbs like astragalus are processed in honey, good things happen. The immune-enhancing action of astragalus is increased and spread throughout the body.

Properties of Honey In TCM

Honey is used in TCM herbal processing to achieve these functions:

To moderate the harshness of certain herbs.
Reduce volatile oil content of certain herbs.
To moisten the Lungs.
To boost Qi-nourishing potential.
Manuka – a potent medicinal honey acts as a broad-spectrum antibacterial against 60 species of bacteria.

Most Honey is Pasteurized

Most of the honey we see on store shelves is pasteurized, i.e., heated to the point where no microorganisms, beneficial or otherwise, can survive. In essence, cooking honey leaves us with a sugar syrup void of enzymes and vitamins, no matter how pretty the packaging. Wing Hop Fung pays special attention to quality ingredients and careful processing at the source.

Raw Honey Benefits

Antiviral, Antifungal and Antibacterial
Stabilizes Blood Sugar
Rich in Enzymes and Promotes Digestive Health
Anti-Inflammatory
Boosts Immunity
Lowers Cholesterol
Exhibits Anti-Cancer Activity

Other Benefits

The list of the benefits of honey is extensive and is backed by research. In addition to the benefits above, it has also been shown to be effective against respiratory ailments, measles, chest pain, male impotence, cardiac disorders, and high blood pressure.

WING HOP FUNG has lots of Honey varieties to suit your tastes and needs. Here are some of our most popular brands. Comvita honey, propolis and related products insure the highest quality and natural processing to preserve health benefits. Po Sang Yuen Honey includes the honey comb, which is as natural as it gets.

https://winghopfung.com/products/comvita-multiflora-honey-1kg?_pos=1&_sid=8d880bf58&_ss=r#

Comvita Multiflora Honey (1000g)

Multiflora Honey is a distinctive blend of pure honey from New Zealand's forests and pastures. Comvita Multiflora Honey is created using our world-renowned 'creamed' honey process to create honey with a beautiful smooth texture and superb spreadability. Studies suggest that honey might offer antidepressant, anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety benefits. In some studies, honey has been shown to help prevent memory disorders. (mayoclinic.org)

Comvita Multiflora Honey (1000g)

Comvita

$35.00

WHF Kamahi Honey - Liquid (500g)

Wing Hop Fung

$18.99

WHF Rewarewa Honey - Liquid (500g)

Wing Hop Fung

$18.99

WHF Tawari Honey - Liquid (500g)

Wing Hop Fung

$18.99