Flower honey: useful properties, contraindications, benefits and harms. Variety of flower honey and its benefits for various diseases
Each of us has heard about the benefits of such a product as honey.
But a different variety of this natural product contains different medicinal substances in its composition.
Therefore, when choosing honey, you should study the properties of this delicacy and only after that acquire one or another variety.
Each type of honey has its own advantages.
What is useful flower honey, what properties it has, as well as how to choose it correctly, we will consider in this article.
Features of flower honey
The taste and aroma of flower honey is quite complex. After all, bees collect nectar for him from different plants. And because the fragrance is mixed into one or another flower bouquet.
Therefore, the taste and smell of honey depends entirely on what flowers were used by the bees to prepare it.
Often, beekeepers make sure that the bees collect nectar from a particular flower or plant.
Despite the variety of aroma and taste of such honey, it is worth remembering that it will always be sweet and flowery.
Also, this nectar is very soft and delicate in taste.
Flower honey crystallizes quite quickly due to the high content of fructose in it.
The calorie content of this variety of honey stopped at around 322 kcal per 100 grams.
Useful properties of flower honey
The valuable properties of honey and how it looks directly depend on the honey plant. Usually it is thyme, sage, chamomile, acacia and geranium.
In addition, it copes well with stress and tones the body. It is very useful to eat honey before going to bed. Then he will be strong and calm.
Flower honey has a whole range of useful and valuable substances. These are manganese, phosphorus, iodine, molybdenum, as well as vitamins of the K, E, C and B groups.
Honey collected from raspberry flowers copes with colds and has a special usefulness, which is manifested by an expectorant effect.
Therefore, it should be used for difficult coughs.
Flower honey - indications for use
Benefits of honey from flowers:
- Flower honey is recommended for women for the prevention and treatment of various gynecological diseases.
- It is especially useful for women who have problems with reproductive function.
- This type of variety has a beneficial effect on blood vessels and the heart. Therefore, its benefits are appreciated by the elderly.
- Flower honey is incredibly useful for colds. It can be used to cure a cough or sore throat.
- It can be given to children.
- It supports the immune system, and also promotes the rapid healing of wounds and abrasions, which is quite common in babies.
- Also, real flower honey has antibacterial properties.
- Daily use of flower honey improves digestion and normalizes metabolism.
- Representatives of the stronger sex suffer most from heart disease.
Doses and rules for the use of flower honey
Natural flower honey can be added to tea, but it should not be too hot, otherwise the honey will lose its beneficial properties.
Children can be given honey with milk from the age of five to 0.5 tsp
Contraindications to the use of flower honey
Of course, honey is useful, but you should know that there are some contraindications.
- You should not consume honey if you have an allergic reaction to it and other types of bee products.
- The second contraindication to the use of this variety of honey is diabetes mellitus. However, with diabetes of the second degree, honey can still be taken, but in very small quantities and under the supervision of a doctor.
- Also, in acute forms of pancreatitis, ulcers and gastritis of the stomach, it is best to refuse honey.
- Do not give honey to children under two years of age.
- With caution, you can take it to pregnant and lactating women. Excessive use of this product can cause allergies and adversely affect the health of the child.
How to choose flower honey?
Keep this honey in a dark, cool place. But the most important thing is to choose it correctly and know how to identify a fake.
Flower honey is very difficult to distinguish from a fake. Its color is similar to the color of other varieties of honey.
However, it is worth smelling and feeling its aroma. Flower honey smells like a bouquet, very gentle and soft. Its aroma will never be harsh.
And the taste of such a delicacy should not be very sweet.
If you feel cloying honey offered to you by the seller, then you should refuse to buy.
Flower honey is not that sweet.
This product is best purchased from trusted sellers, as well as in specialized stores. Then the probability of buying low-quality honey or a fake is incredibly small.
Flower honey is rightfully considered one of the most fragrant and delicious varieties.
Thanks to the valuable substances contained in its composition, the delicacy is not only tasty, but also useful for all family members, including children, and knowing how to take it, you can not only protect yourself from seasonal colds and infections, but also cure many other diseases.
Nature has given man a wonderful delicacy and the most valuable medicinal product - honey. This is a unique pantry of useful substances necessary for the life of the human body.
All varieties of honey have healing properties, but even our ancestors knew that different honey copes with diseases in different ways: for example, linden helps with colds, dandelion - with jaundice, and clover is good for women. But there are many types of honey. Therefore, today on www.site we will talk in more detail only about buckwheat, linden, flower honey, useful properties.
Varieties of honey
There are a lot, and they all differ in taste, aroma, appearance and color.
You can absolutely determine which variety a particular honey belongs to in the laboratory by examining the pollen that is necessarily present in it, and establishing which plant it belongs to.
If more than 50% of nectar is collected by bees from one type of flowering plants, such honey is called “monofleric” (“mono” - one, French “fleur” - flower). It is less common than polyfloral honey - from nectar of different colors.
It turns out that in our time, based on the studied reflex behavior of bees, beekeepers easily learned to direct their flight to fields with the right plants. Thus, they were able to increase the amount of monofloral honey on the market.
Scientists have determined that each type of honey has differences in chemical composition, contains more or less certain medicinal and antimicrobial properties.
Linden honey and buckwheat honey (monofleur varieties) are very popular among the people.
Useful properties of linden honey
Valued for its pleasant taste, linden flower aroma and high quality (one of the best varieties). It is light amber or colorless in color. After about five to six months, it crystallizes and becomes light yellow, with a fine-grained structure (less often with coarse crystallization).
This honey has strong antibacterial properties. Therefore, among the people it is known as a wonderful "doctor" for colds, coughs, runny nose, sore throats, bronchitis and asthma, as well as skin diseases. It is a good expectorant and diaphoretic.
Linden honey is also used in the treatment of the stomach and intestines, gallbladder and kidneys. Only it contains crystals of calcium oxalate.
It is very effectively used as a tonic for heart and vascular diseases.
Often such honey is used topically: in case of inflammation in the mammary glands, eczema, burns, etc. It helps to soften, anesthetize, disinfect, and speed up the healing process.
This honey is distinguished by a high content of vitamins and minerals, essential oils, biologically active substances, it contains farnesol used in perfumery.
In folk treatment, honey collected from linden flowers is recognized as an effective remedy against measles, mumps, childhood convulsions, and, in combination with goat's milk, against tuberculosis.
Why is buckwheat honey better?
This honey is easily identified by its darkest color (dark yellow to brown to deep red). It also ranks among the best varieties of honey and is considered the most healing.
Crystallization occurs quickly (both large and small). Buckwheat honey has a specific spicy aroma and taste, which can even make your throat tickle.
In comparison with light varieties, it is twice as high as their content of essential amino acids. Also high in protein and trace elements (especially iron, copper and magnesium).
Buckwheat honey collected from buckwheat by bees is chosen for the treatment of anemia and anemia in order to normalize the composition of the blood. This is an excellent general tonic. Due to the increased composition of minerals and vitamins, they are treated with beriberi, recommended for preventive purposes and in the treatment of various kinds of hemorrhages, hypertension (together with drug therapy), nervous diseases, as well as in diseases of measles, scarlet fever, radiation sickness.
This honey is also considered a wonderful antiseptic, therefore it is used for purulent wounds, trophic ulcers, etc.
The range of application of buckwheat honey for the purpose of treatment is wide: blood vessels, nervous system, skin and joints, gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract.
Properties of flower honey
Flower honey (polyfloral) is more common. It has a beautiful golden yellow or yellow-brown color, pleasant taste, aroma. Unlike linden honey and buckwheat honey, it does not crystallize much longer.
For flower honey, which is also called meadow honey, bees collect nectar from different meadow flowers: dandelion, thyme, clover, alfalfa, thyme, sage, bedstraw and many others. Each of the medicinal plants, together with nectar and pollen, gave the bees a particle of their beneficial properties, and they transferred them to sweet fragrant honey. It really contains a bouquet of aromas.
As we can guess, the medicinal properties of flower honey for will depend on which honey plants were more. If sage blooms profusely, which heals skin inflammations, ulcers, purulent wounds well, then such honey will also help with various skin diseases. The nectar of flowering thyme will add diuretic, diaphoretic, astringent, and antiseptic properties to honey. Chamomile will enrich honey with anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to geranium, honey has beneficial properties that will help with diseases of the intestines, stomach, kidneys, gout and back pain.
Honey harvested from flowers by bees has a healing effect on the activity of the heart, and on the respiratory tract, and on the liver. It perfectly strengthens the immune system and rejuvenates the entire body.
Flower honey collected from flowers in May is called May honey. It is especially useful in atherosclerosis, liver disease. Perfectly soothes, relaxes, helps with insomnia and nervous ailments.
Everyone knows about the great variety of beneficial properties of honey. Now you have learned a little more about how different types of honey differ, and you can choose the right one for yourself that suits you best.
Honey, like any product, has its own varieties: forest, honeydew, flower, etc. All of them are good and useful in their own way, all have a lot of useful properties. In this article we will talk in more detail about the flower form, find out its characteristics and features.
What is honey and how does it happen
From the name of sweet nectar, it is clear that bees collect pollen from plant flowers in fields, meadows, and gardens for its production. Its qualities and properties determine the plants from which the bees collected raw materials for production. If the collection is dominated by one plant, then the product is called monofloral, if several or a whole bunch - polyfloral.
monofloral
Monofloral varieties are not as common as forbs, because it is difficult to find an area planted with a sufficient amount of one species of flowering plants. In addition, this plant should bloom at a certain time, when the bees are not distracted by other fragrant flowers. A variety is called monofloral when it contains at least 50% pollen from one crop., for example, acacia, heather, buckwheat, linden, raspberry, sunflower. 
polyfloral
Polyfloral honey or forbs is a combination of pollen from many fragrant flowers. Such varieties are distinguished by the time of collection, by place or external characteristics. Its external qualities (aroma, taste, color) determine the plants that prevail in the pollen collection area. Useful properties will also be determined by the properties of the crops that served as pollen suppliers. 
What does flower honey look like?
Flower nectar is usually less dense, although viscous, mostly light in color.
Color
From golden and rich yellow to brown.
Aroma
Saturated, playing with many shades: fruity, floral.
Taste
Tart, sweet, with a long aftertaste.
Crystallization time
Polyfloral varieties are usually candied by winter, monofloral varieties can crystallize later.
Collection period
The beginning of the season - the beginning of spring; collection ends in autumn. 
Did you know? There is poisonous or drunk honey - this is a product for which pollen and nectar are collected by bees from plants that contain toxic substances. Since not all poisonous plants produce nectar, the poisonous variety of honey is extremely rare. Mass poisoning with such a product was described by the commander of Ancient Greece Xenophon, he wrote about the sudden illness of Colchis warriors after drinking honey sweetness.
What is useful and how it affects the body
Flower nectar in its composition contains a huge amount of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, essential acids and antioxidants. Possessing a high calorie content, it nevertheless does not burden the stomach, is easily and quickly absorbed, and even improves digestion, thanks to the enzymes necessary for this process.
Since ancient times, honey has been used as a preservative, keeping food in it for a long time. This feature indicates high antimicrobial, antiseptic properties, in addition, the product has anti-inflammatory and wound healing effects.
Ascorbic acid, essential oils and tannins in the composition determine the therapeutic effect for colds, diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, facilitate the thinning and discharge of mucus and sputum from the lungs and bronchi, create an unbearable environment for the life of microbes and viruses, strengthen the immune system. 
, glycosides, have a beneficial effect on cardiac activity and blood pressure, strengthen and give elasticity to the walls of blood vessels, thin the blood. Natural sweetness has a calming effect on the nervous system, normalizes sleep. Thanks to antioxidants and, E, the health and beauty of the skin, teeth, hair and nails is maintained.
Important! Please note that honey is not used as an independent therapeutic drug, the product can serve as a powerful, but auxiliary tool. The maximum effect will be given by a comprehensive treatment determined by a specialist doctor.
How not to make a mistake when buying
When buying, given the differences in the varieties of a flower product, it is easy to make mistakes, but there are unifying properties that will help you avoid these mistakes:
- real honey has a slight mucosal irritant effect; after tasting, a sore throat will be felt;
- the structure of natural nectar is viscous, but plastic - it is easy to wrap it around a spoon, it will not immediately spread;
- aroma and rich taste: neither one nor the other will have one characteristic note, and the smell and taste will be multifaceted and rich;
- natural sweetness begins to crystallize by winter.
Rules of use
Many have heard the names "Honey cake", "Honey gingerbread" and know that sweetness is added to the dough for cakes and gingerbread, cookies to give an unusual taste to the product. There are other advantages of a natural sweetener: firstly, it is healthier than sugar; secondly, it keeps the dough fresh and soft longer. However, keep in mind that honey is sweeter than sugar, so you need to add less of it, otherwise the dessert will turn out to be too cloying.
The product is often used in various marinades and salad dressings. It is most often combined with citrus peel, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, garlic, ginger and coriander. In addition to the marinade, they are coated with meat during frying, which gives a unique spicy-sweet crust.
Honey is added to various desserts: fruit salads, mousses, puddings, cream for cakes and pastries. It is used to make marshmallow and nougat with nuts.
Did you know? Honey is often mentioned in the religious texts of Islam and Christianity: in the Koran there is a separate sura "Bees"; in Christian texts, honeycombs are called the food of John the Baptist during his hermitage in the desert; mentioned in the book of Solomon's parables, and in the Bible itself.
Storage conditions
Honey is not stored in metal containers, it quickly oxidizes in such an environment and loses its properties. In a glass, ceramic or clay container with a tightly closed lid, preferably at sub-zero temperatures, without moisture and light, honey products last longer. It is not recommended to change the storage temperature, otherwise the nectar will crystallize unevenly.
Application in other areas
For preventive purposes, many people eat a spoonful of natural sweets every morning before breakfast, and a drink to maintain immunity is also popular among the people - tea with lemon and honey.
Important! When preparing, you need to know that honey should be put in warm, but not hot tea: at temperatures above +60°С it loses most of its useful properties.
In folk medicine
Natural medicine helps in the prevention and treatment of such diseases:
- influenza, SARS, acute respiratory infections;
- throat diseases (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tracheitis);
- diseases of the lungs and bronchi;
- anemia;
- avitaminosis;
- endocrine diseases.
The product is useful for digestive problems; heavy physical exertion; various inflammatory processes, including skin diseases. Its use is shown in the recovery period after surgery, with nervous disorders, insomnia. In cosmetology
Beekeeping products are actively used in cosmetic products: cream, scrub, mask, milk. The tool helps to restore the elasticity of the skin, nourishes, cleanses and rejuvenates the skin, relieves inflammation, whitens, heals cracks in case of excessive dryness.
Honey is used in massage treatments, body wraps and other spa treatments. It is known for its beneficial effect on hair, in case of damage and dullness, loss. Hair masks nourish the hair follicle, restore the structure of the hair along its entire length, and help get rid of dandruff.
Contraindications and possible harm
Polyfloral varieties usually have a more saturated composition, therefore, a product of this kind should be used with caution for the following health problems:
- pancreatitis;
- gastritis;
- enterocolitis;
- gastrointestinal ulcer.
Allergy sufferers are advised to test for a possible negative reaction. Diabetics should not get carried away as bee products contain sugar. Excessive consumption with excess weight is undesirable - there are a lot of calories in sweets (302-330 kcal, depending on the composition). It is undesirable to use nursing mothers and children under three years of age. The healing properties of bee products have been known since ancient times; the founders of medicine (Galen, Hippocrates, Avicenna, etc.) used it as a medicine in their time. Recognized its properties and official modern medicine, using as part of various medications.
Known as the most fragrant of all varieties. But this is not its only advantage. The variety of plants in the composition of bee nectar also makes it one of the most useful. What properties this honey has and why you should use it daily - read our article.
Bees work on collecting all late spring (sometimes even earlier summer), so flower honey is also called spring or May honey. This variety is called polyfloral. This means that its composition can be varied - it all depends on the climate and the location of the apiary.
In Ukraine, May-June is the period of flowering of the following honey plants:
- Apple tree
- cherry
- raspberries
- strawberries
- clover
- dandelions
- cornflowers
- alfalfa
- sainfoin
- sweet clover
- geranium
- valerian
- mint and others
Which of these honey plants will get into your honey is difficult to predict. Trust the bees - they will not collect bad things. Little workers always choose plants that have a more fragrant and alluring smell. This is what makes this variety so aromatic.
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Characteristics
The main "trump card" of flower honey is its persistent and rich aroma. This variety is considered one of the most fragrant and will surely please the receptors of sophisticated gourmets.
The external characteristics of a natural product also depend on which plants are included in its composition. It will be yellow in color, but may have impurities of different shades - from greenish to brown.
The "selection" of honey plants also affects the period of crystallization of bee nectar. As a rule, it hardens a little longer than other varieties - pumped out in May, it will thicken only by the beginning of autumn. In this case, the structure will be fine-grained.
Calorie content and daily allowance
The flower variety is considered one of the lowest calorie, along with acacia and linden honey. 100 grams of a natural product can contain about 310 kcal. While in other varieties - up to 400 kcal.
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Accordingly, it can be assumed that in one teaspoon of flower honey there are about 25 kcal. At the same time, more than 60% of the composition of the product is easily digestible fructose and glucose, and sucrose - up to 10%. In this regard, the variety is indicated even for those who are on a diet, as well as pregnant women and diabetics.
The only contraindication to the use of the product is individual intolerance or, more simply, an allergy. It's pretty easy to define. If you have previously eaten honey, you are out of the risk zone. If you are consuming bee nectar for the first time, eat a little and take a break. If within a few hours you do not show allergy symptoms, then you can safely indulge yourself with a sweet dessert.
How much flower honey can you eat per day?
- children under 12 years old - 2-3 teaspoons
- adults - 1-2 tablespoons
- pregnant women - 1 tablespoon per day
- those who suffer from diabetes - 1-2 teaspoons
- those who are on a diet - 2 teaspoons a day
You can just eat bee nectar or dilute 1-2 teaspoons in a glass of warm water. You can also add a few drops of lemon juice. It is believed that this method is effective for losing weight, cleansing the body and improving digestion.
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The composition of bee nectar is represented by a variety of vitamins (A, group B, C, D, K, E, PP), micro and macro elements (phosphorus, iron, manganese, iodine, etc.), amino acids, as well as other components necessary for the body. This composition is precisely the secret of the benefits of flower honey.
Beneficial features
Any kind of honey is good for humans. But the properties of flower honey are unique in nature. Natural bee product:
- strengthens the immune system; helps fight ARI
- improves expectoration when coughing; has an anti-inflammatory effect; helps with diseases of the respiratory system
- soothes; relieves insomnia; normalizes the activity of the nervous system; relieves headaches
- improves appetite; energizes; restores the body after operations, severe injuries, etc.
- improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract; helps with gastritis, ulcers, colic, pain in the liver
- acts as a diuretic
- improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system; normalizes pressure; improves lipid metabolism; helps with anemia
- improves the functioning of the thyroid gland; normalizes the activity of the endocrine system
- helps fight malignant tumors in the early stages of cancer
- promotes tissue regeneration and healing of skin lesions
You can safely get rid of your first aid kit by replacing it all with a jar of flower honey! The benefits that it brings to the body replaces numerous synthetic agents.
A natural product can retain its healing properties for years. Naturally, provided that you have purchased high-quality honey. You can store it anywhere, the only condition is not to heat it above +40 degrees.
Only the lazy have not heard about the benefits of honey. This nutritious product, which has undoubted medicinal properties, has been known to our ancestors for a long time, but does not lose popularity even now. But honey is a collective word, there are a huge number of its different types in the world. And each of them has its own merits. Here we will talk about flower honey.
About the origin
Many varieties can be bought on the market, however, many prefer to have flower honey on the table. Oddly enough, fans of this species often do not know much about it. Why is it remarkable, what is its use?
Let's start with the fact that there is no scientific classification of this product. If we remember that the bees get this sweetness from the nectar that the buds produce, then all honey can be considered flower honey. There are simply those varieties in which the nectar of one plant sharply predominates. Such varieties are called monofloral. These include, for example, the well-known buckwheat, sunflower, acacia or chestnut.
There are polyfloral or prefabricated. In such a product, nectar is present from many plants at the same time, and none significantly predominates over others. It is this species that is commonly called flower, although “folk” subspecies are also distinguished within it: for example, meadow or mountain. These names usually emphasize a certain feature of the product, the history of its origin.
The benefits and disadvantages of the product
There is an opinion that flower honey is perhaps the most useful of all, its merits are indisputable. Actually it is not. All natural and mature honeys have approximately the same calorie content and value, both medicinal and nutritious. Of course, they are slightly different, because in the nectar of flowers the peculiarity and benefits of the plant are preserved, which are transferred to the product.
Considering flower honey, the beneficial properties of which are determined primarily by its polyfloral nature, one can note its complex and pleasant aroma, rich taste. The calorie content of such a product is slightly higher than that of other honeys. But this honey usually has a lot of fructose, which is absorbed by the body quickly and without weight gain. Thanks to fructose, flower honeys quickly crystallize, and their consistency remains fine-grained, similar to butter.
At the same time, some flower honeys, on the contrary, remain liquid for a long time. For example, this will be a product with a large amount of nectar from rhododendrons (in the Caucasus). This once again confirms that honey cannot be “boxed in”, it has many faces.
Natural flower honey has undoubted benefits in the treatment of many diseases. Its calorie content allows the use of the product in the treatment of anemia. It is indicated during periods when postoperative recovery is underway. The calorie content of the product is also used in dietology, sometimes only it is allowed for people who are losing weight as a sweet.
The natural flower product is enriched with trace elements, amino acids, proteins and specific sugars. It contains hundreds of substances. It is used as a valuable, useful biological additive. It is recommended for beriberi, skin diseases, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and colds. Men use such a product as an adjunct to the treatment of prostatitis, with problems in the genital area. Calorie content and the ability to quickly digest is highly valued by athletes.
When buying a product, it is useful to know from which flowers the bees collected nectar:
- product from, cough, some women's diseases;
- from clover has good expectorant and diaphoretic properties;
- from sweet clover thins the blood, has analgesic properties;
- from the spring garden - an excellent pain reliever.
Admission rules
Despite all this, the benefits of floral sweetness are not absolute. Like any product or medicine, it has its contraindications.
Most importantly, sweetness should be taken in moderation. If you do not follow this rule, it can harm the body. For example, given the high calorie content, natural honey can contribute to the development of obesity, provoke diabetes.
It is best in the morning, on an empty stomach, with lukewarm water. But there is no point in using it with hot tea: due to strong heating, its benefits are lost, only calorie content remains.
Thus, flower honey, being polyfloral, is one of the most delicious and fragrant, can be used as a useful food supplement for many diseases. It works great as a valuable dietary and preventive product. At the same time, the product does not have significant advantages in comparison with other varieties.
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