Honey is our favourite natural sweetener. Originally bees make honey to feed themselves, although since humans discovered it, it became a delight for humans as well. In addition to its exceptional taste, certain health benefits have been attributed to honey, although the evidence supporting its medicinal applications remains limited in some cases.
Honey is the natural, sweet and viscous substance produced by bees of the species Apis mellifera from the nectar of plants or from secretions of plant parts or secretions of plant-sucking insects found on the living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by mixing with special substances of their body, deposit, dehydrate, store and keep in the honeycombs of the beehive, in order to mature. Bees make honey to feed the young larvae and also to eat themselves during the winter when there are not many flowers and blossoms.
The nectar collected by the bees from the blossoms and flowers is first stored inside their body in a special sac, called the prolobus or protostomach or social stomach. Arriving at their home, the hive, they extract the nectar and share it with many of their sisters, remove the moisture (water) from the nectar and eventually make, our beloved, honey. There, it is stored to mature inside their hive[2].
Not only humans love honey, it is also consumed by different animals such as bears, badgers and even ants. Βees produce honey in excess and humans take advantage of this fact. European bees of the genus A. mellifera can collect, produce and store large quantities of honey, far more than they can eat during the winter, so humans actually take this surplus[2].
Ancient paintings on rocks have shown that humans have been collecting honey at least in the last 8000 years. Writings dating back to 2100 BC from Sumerians, Babylonians, Indians and ancient Egyptians mention the use of honey. It is characteristic that during the excavations in the area of Egypt near the pyramids and inside the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Tutt, quantities of honey and wine were found in clay vessels that were still unchanged 3. Written records from ancient Egypt mention the use of honey as a sweetener for food and as preservative in mummification [4].
In ancient Greece honey was already collected since the Archaic period (800 BC). In ancient Athens, beekeeping was so widespread that Solon had to pass a law to regulate the distances between hives. In ancient Greek mythology, the food of the twelve Gods of Olympus, that made them immortal, was honey, nectar and ambrosia.
The bee (Melissa) in Greek Mythology was the daughter of the king of Crete, Melisseus, and the sister of Amalthea. Melissa was the nurturer of Zeus, when he was an infant and his mother Rhea hid him in the Dikteian Andron in Crete, in order to save him from Saturn, who was eating his children. According to one tradition, when Zeus' father, Saturn, discovered this, transformed Melissa into a worm, but Zeus later turned her into a queen-bee out of gratitude for saving his life [3].
Natural honey's chemical composition differs based on the floral source that the bee utilized. Table 1 shows the typical natural honey composition. Natural honey contains more than 200 different substances, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Generally, honey is mainly composed of fructose (about 38%) and glucose (about 32%), with remaining sugars including maltose, sucrose, and other complex carbohydrates. Its glycemic index ranges from 31 to 78, depending on the variety. Vitamins found in honey are thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid, folic acid, nicotinic acid, and pantothenic acid. Notably, potassium is the main mineral found in honey, followed by calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, and phosphorus, respectively [5,6].
Around 320 distinct types of honey derived from various flower sources are known to exist in the world. Each sort of honey has a distinct flavor, appearance, and aroma depending on the flowers and plants the bee uses to produce it [2].
Thyme Honey
It belongs to the flower honeys and stands out as a category for its strong aromatic and flavor properties. So strong that when mixed with other types of honey, it has a decisive influence on their aroma and taste. Its production accounts for about 10% of the total honey production in Greece.
Properties: Antiseptic, healing, strengthening. It is considered preventive of cardiovascular disorders and contributes to the prevention of diseases of the urinary and digestive systems, as well as infectious and respiratory diseases. It helps to cope with insomnia.
Characteristics: Flavor, very pleasant. Sometimes a burning sensation in the mouth is due to the high natural fructose content. Aroma, intense and clear. Color like amber, slightly lighter. The thyme honey of Attica and the Aegean islands is lighter than the thyme honey of Crete, which reaches darker tones, almost orange. It crystallises in 6-18 months.
Check our thyme honey here
Pine honey
Honey of high nutritional value, thanks to the large number of substances it contains, such as minerals and trace elements. Additionally, it is rich in carbohydrates, organic acids, proteins, amino acids, mineral salts, enzymes, vitamins, sodium and potassium. 65% of the total honey production in Greece comes from the pine tree, which is considered the most important beekeeping tree in Greece.
Properties: Antiseptic, antimicrobial. It has tonic and antiseptic properties, fights throat diseases and softens cough. Clinical data show that helps in the treatment of ulcers, while research shows strong action against gout, and also anti-estrogenic action on breast cancer cells. Thanks to its high choline content, it treats constipation. Pine honey has fewer calories than other honeys.
Characteristics: Taste with a mild sweetness due to the low concentration of sugars. Quite distinctive aroma. Color from dark yellow to light brown (lighter in color when produced in spring compared to autumn). As its natural glucose content is low, it crystallizes slowly. In fact, pure pine honeys do not crystallize for at least 1,5 years.
Heather honey
It is among the elite of Greek honeys, thanks to its dozens of natural nutrients as well as its taste. It is a very good choice for strengthening the body, children with anemia and the elderly.
Properties: Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, especially for the urinary and digestive system. Acts as an lly against prostate and kidney colic. Additionally it may contribute to the reduction of cholesterol and the removal of free radicals (important in the prevention of aging). Thanks to the high content of phenols, it helps the cardiovascular system.
Characteristics: Taste, strong, reminiscent of caramel. Aroma, delicate, characteristically intense from the scent of heather flowers. Color, reddish, turns into caramel after its crystallization, which happens in just 1-3 months from its collection, due to its high natural glucose content. Heather honey is divided into spring (from spring heather) and autumn (from autumn heather or, otherwise, susura). Autumn is considered more nutritious and particularly stimulating for the human body.
Check our heather honey here
Strawberry-tree (Koumaria) honey
Strawberry-tree is a very good beekeeping plant, while it possesses a uniqueness in Greek nature: it has buds, flowers and ripe fruits simultaneously. Strawberry-tree honey is a source of food for the bees during their maintenance months – a fact that beekeepers imitate and store it in the hives, so bees can eat it during winter. It is said, in fact, that "successful flowering" of the strawberry-tree, means a successful beekeeping year and healthy bees. This honey is an ideal choice for strengthening the body. It contains the lowest percentage of glucose (thus fewer calories) compared to other honeys and fructose at a low level. Therefore, it is considered the best honey for diabetic people (as long as their doctor allows it) and it is ideal for those who wish to keep a low-calorie intake.
Properties: Rich in trace elements and vitamins. Thanks to the coumarin it contains, it acts as a blood anticoagulant. It has diuretic and antimicrobial properties, helps in the maintenance of a low blood pressure, protects kidneys and prostate, regulates cholesterol, soothes stomachaches and headaches.
Characteristics: Taste, almost bitter. That is why it was once considered food for bees. Today, however, it is distinguished for its "aromatic notes" of bitter caramel. After some time, the bitterness begins to fade, at a rate of about 30% each year. Aroma, intense, earthy. Color, dark yellow, tawny, brown. Crystallization in 2-4 months.
Fir honey
With its characteristic "thick liquid" texture, it is considered one of the top honeys of our country!
Properties: Rich in trace elements, metals, amino acids & trace elements, organic acids. Vitamins are only contained in small amounts, which, however, are to contribute to the better assimilation of sugars by the human body. Nowadays, is considered as a superfood with protective properties for immune system and the skin. Fir honey is recommended for all ages, for athletes and, strictly on the advice of a doctor, for people with a predisposition to diabetes mellitus or diabetes in the initial stage.
Characteristics: Taste elegant sweet with an interesting forest aroma. Fir honey is quite thick and its color has a range between dark brown to yellowish.
Properties: Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory action. It is used as a typical Greek home remedy to sore throat (especially with warm water and lemon). With chamomile or warm milk, it treats insomnia. Improves endurance, exercise performance, reduces muscle fatigue. It helps bowel movement, cleans toxins, while the choline it contains helps with constipation problems.
Other types: Orange honey has cosmetic properties, anxiolytic, soothing. Sliver lime honey, has calming properties. Chestnut honey, treats gastrointestinal disorders. Lavender honey helps the nervous system and has antifungal and antioxidant action.
Honey has been used both as food and a medicine for centuries. A plethora of therapeutic properties have been reported, such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, wound healing, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antihypertensive, and antiarrhythmic properties [6].
- Antibacterial. The world's oldest medical texts have reported the medicinal use of honey, and since the ancient times it has been known to have antibacterial properties. Its inhibitory effect on the growth of a broad range of bacterial species has been tested, including pathogenic bacteria, oral bacteria as well as food spoilage bacteria. Honey contains the enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide, glucose oxidase, which is known for its inhibitory effect on the growth of bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, honey possesses hygroscopic properties, which means that it can absorb moisture (water) out of the environment, thus causing the dehydration of the pathogen microbial agent [7].
- Anticancer. Several in vivo studies have explored the effect of different honey types on cancer 8. The results have suggested a protective role that comes from the daily honey consumption by molecular mechanisms that still remain to be elucidated but have as a result the inhibition of tumor promotion. In a study testing the bioactive compounds of the three most widely consumed honeys of Greece (thyme, pine and fir honey), results showed that a thyme honey-enriched diet may prevent cancer-related processes in breast, prostate and endometrial cancer cells 9. More studies have suggested that honey have substances that may have a protective role in lung cancer, melanoma, renal carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer and leukemias 6.
- Cardio-protective. One of the most significant diseases for which natural honey is utilised for both preventive and therapeutic reasons is cardiovascular disease. The antioxidant, anti-ischemic, anti-thrombotic, and vasorelaxant properties of the phenolic chemicals found in honey are protective against coronary heart disease (CHD) [6]. The following three key mechanisms appear to be the main ways that flavonoids lower the risk of CHD: Improving the dilation of the coronary arteries, reducing the clotting of blood platelets and preventing the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins. Honey can also reduce blood pressure, which can consequently reduce the preload on the heart and congestion of the venous system. Researchers have shown the protective effects of natural honey as a preconditioning agent on ischemia/reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and infarct size in isolated rat hearts. In addition, the results of another study showed that chronic oral intake of natural honey (45 days) has effective antiarrhythmic and anti-infarct effects in rats [10].
- Wound-healing. The impact of honey on wound healing has been thoroughly studied. According to bibliography, honey has wound healing properties that stimulate tissue growth, improve epithelialization, and reduce the formation of scar tissue. These outcomes are attributed to the acidity, hydrogen peroxide production, osmotic action, nutritional and antioxidant contents, immune system stimulation, and undiscovered components in honey. Nitric oxide and prostaglandins are important players in the inflammation, germ killing, and healing processes. It was discovered that honey increases nitric oxide end products and decreases prostaglandin levels 11. Several data indicate that honey has positive effects on dressing of wounds, burns, skin ulcers and inflammations; Τhe antibacterial properties of honey speed up the growth of new tissue to heal the wound 5,7,12
- Anti-inflamatory. Inflammation has a key role in developing chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases which possess a huge challenge for treatment. Recent years an intensive interest has been developed in studying honey’s biological and clinical actions against inflammation-mediated chronic diseases
- Neuroprotective. Honey has neuroprotective properties and may be helpful in neurological diseases because it exerts antidepressant, anxiolytic, antinociceptive, and anticonvulsant effects. It also modifies the oxidative content in the central nervous system 1.
- Oral health. Due to its strong antimicrobial properties, honey, is protective agaisnt oral diseases, such as periodontal disease, stomatitis, and halitosis. In addition, it has also been applied for the prevention of dental plaque, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, and periodontitis. The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of honey can stimulate the growth of granulation tissue, leading to the repair of damaged cells 13.
You will be notified when the product is back in stock.
