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Honey

• Medicinal and therapeutic uses –Aside from its nutritive value, raw, unfiltered honey may be applied topically to dress wounds and burns. Honey is hygroscopic and absorbs water, creating an environment in which disease-producing microorganisms are deprived of moisture and cannot live. Topical application of honey is also an effective treatment for erysiplelas, an inflammatory bacterial infection of the skin. The affected area should be generously covered with honey and then covered with cotton for 24 hours. Small amounts of honey eaten off a teaspoon may help soothe a sore throat, and a tablespoon of honey dissolved in warm water along with a tablespoon of lemon juice is effective at loosening phlegm and easing a cough. A small amount of honey taken at bedtime can act as a sedative for the nervous system, allowing for peaceful sleep.

• Prevent split-ends and frizzy hair - Mix one tablespoon honey and two teaspoons olive oil. Warm the mixture (but don’t get it too hot), dip your fingers into it, and rub it into the strands of hair. Soak a towel in hot water, wring out completely, and wrap around your head for twenty minutes. Then shampoo as usual, lathering well to remove the olive oil.

• Facial treatment - Mash a banana and add one tablespoon honey. Cover your face with the mixture, let sit fifteen minutes and then rinse with warm water.