Types of honey and their properties. Natural bee honey

Honey is a beekeeping product with a rich content of glucides (glucose, ozans, glucosides). It consists of: water, levulose, mineral salts, maltose, sucrose, glucose. Any honey is an energy food product. The therapeutic value of this product is due to the effect of the antibiotic from the bee body, the nature of the sugars and the presence of pollen with royal jelly. But honey is different. Therefore, today we will talk about the types, varieties of honey and its medicinal properties.

honey classification

Types of honey. There are three types of honey: mixed, flower, honeydew.
Flower honey is classified according to its composition: monofloral and polyfloral.

Monofloral flower honey is processed by bees from the nectar of flowers of one variety of plants (white locust, sunflower, linden, buckwheat). Absolutely monofloral honey varieties are rare. Polyfloral is made from flower nectar collected by honey bees from various plants. Polyfloral varieties: meadow, forest, mountain, fruit, steppe.

Honeydew honey is produced by bees in a dry summer from the excrement of insects (worms, psyllids, aphids), i.e. not from nectar, but can also be obtained from the nectar of sugary substances of plants (honey dews). In the first case, honeydew honey is obtained of animal origin, in the second - of vegetable origin. It was known about honeydew in ancient times, it was valued on a par with honey. Modern chemical analysis has shown that pad has more minerals than honey. But its bactericidal properties are low.

Varieties differ in taste, aroma, composition, color. But most importantly, each variety of honey has certain medicinal and beneficial properties. Light honey is easier to digest, and therefore more suitable for nutrition and treatment of children. Dark varieties have high medicinal qualities, which have a strong effect due to the large amount of mineral salts. These varieties are suitable for the treatment of many chronic diseases due to the content of copper, manganese, iron.

Varieties of honey, properties

meadow honey

The color of meadow honey is light yellow, sometimes yellow-brown. It is also called "forbs", "team". This variety of bees is made from the nectar of meadow plants, and therefore it is classified as polyfloral. Honey has the aroma of meadow herbs and a pleasant taste.
Main medicinal properties
. Calms the nervous system.
. Helps with indigestion caused by nervous overexcitation.
. Effective for headaches, palpitations, insomnia.

Acacia honey

This variety has a transparent, almost colorless color. It becomes white as milk in the process of crystallization, and the consistency resembles cottage cheese with grains.

Medicinal properties of the variety
. It has a general strengthening effect, increases the body's resistance, reduces the side effects of drug therapy.
. It has a calming effect on neurasthenia, insomnia; induces deep sleep. Acacia honey is a harmless sleeping pill.
. Regulates bowel function, eliminates constipation, is an antispasmodic for flatulence, intestinal spasms and antiseptic for diarrhea.
. Useful in diseases of the genitourinary system. Honey water solution treat urinary incontinence.

Buckwheat honey

The color varies from brown-green to dark brown, a reddish tinge is possible. It differs from other varieties with a characteristic and easily remembered aroma, as well as a pronounced taste. At the time of crystallization, it resembles a mushy mass. Buckwheat honey is superior to acacia honey in terms of enzyme activity, the amount of amino acids, iron, and vitamins.

Medicinal properties of buckwheat honey
. Strengthens the heart muscle.
. It helps with cholelithiasis, a tendency to stone formation, with kidney failure, colic, liver diseases.
. Replenishes the deficiency of iron, folic acid in anemia, chronic blood loss, vomiting, diarrhea, monotonous and irregular nutrition, dieting.

Linden honey

The color of linden honey is white, sometimes completely transparent, or light amber, less often greenish or yellowish. It has a strong and delicate aroma of linden flowers and a recognizable specific taste. Within 2 months, it crystallizes, turning into a pasty mass with large or small grains. Linden honey is one of the best honey varieties.

Medicinal properties
. It has a healing effect in the treatment of burns, purulent wounds.
. Has bactericidal properties.
. Used in the treatment of laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, asthma.
. Helps with weakened heart muscle.
. They treat gynecological disorders, kidney disease, kidney failure.
. Effective in liver diseases.

sunflower honey

The color of honey is rich golden, the aroma is sweet, the taste is harsh. Crystallization quickly sets in, during which large amber crystals appear, sometimes with a greenish tint.

Medicinal properties
. Surpasses other honey varieties in the content of vitamin A.
. Pronounced bactericidal properties.
. Helps with first and second degree burns, has wound healing properties.

barberry honey

The color is golden yellow, the taste is delicate. It is produced by bees from the flowers of the common barberry berry bush.

Medicinal properties of barberry honey
. Valuable hemostatic agent.
. Stimulates appetite, helps in the secretion of gastric juice.
. A good antiscorbutic and vitamin remedy.
. It has antipyretic, choleretic, diaphoretic effect, as well as hemostatic, blood-clotting properties.
. It is a uterine remedy that causes contraction of the muscles of the uterus. Pregnant women do not take!
. Treats sore joints, ligaments, menisci. Used for gout.

Budyakovy honey

Colorless, greenish or light amber. Fine-grained during crystallization. Budyak honey is collected from pink flowers of a weed that has prickly stems and gray-green leaves - budyak, or thistle.

Medicinal properties
. Helps with colds, affected respiratory mucosa, temperature.
. Prevents the occurrence of convulsions caused by fever, acts as an antipyretic.

Cornflower honey

The color is greenish-yellow, the aroma of honey resembles the smell of almonds, the taste is peculiar, bitter. Cornflower honey is processed by bees from blue cornflower (field) - a beautiful honey plant.

Medicinal properties of cornflower honey
. It is used for inflammation of the urethra. It has a choleretic, diuretic effect.
. Antipyretic, diaphoretic, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory agent.

heather honey

The color is dark yellow or red-brown, the aroma is weak, the taste is tart, bitter. This variety is very viscous and crystallizes slowly. The bees make heather honey from the nectar of pink small flowers of common heather, a branchy evergreen shrub.

Medicinal properties
. Used for gout, they are good for treating joints.
. Compensates for the lack of vitamins, helps to get rid of dystrophy, malabsorption of vitamins, loss of vision. Useful during pregnancy.
. Relieves angina attacks.

mustard honey

Usually golden in color, at the time of crystallization becomes yellowish-cream. Collect mustard honey from yellow large flowers of white mustard.

Medicinal properties of the variety
. Natural pain reliever: reduces muscle pain, involuntary muscle contractions; relieves joint pain, muscle spasms.
. Mustard honey is useful for indigestion, as well as bloating.
. Mustard honey is used for colds, it has a warming effect.
. It is also effective in female inflammatory diseases, cervical erosion.

sweet clover honey

The color is light amber or white. Melilot honey is first-class. It has a very subtle, vanilla-like aroma. This variety of bees is harvested from the bright yellow flowers of the sweet clover.

Medicinal properties
. Female and male inflammatory diseases, functional disorders of the genital organs, sexual neurasthenia, mastopathy are successfully treated with it.
. Sweet clover honey helps with sprains, tendons.
. It has a curative effect on inflammation of the respiratory tract.
. An aqueous solution of sweet clover honey will relieve restless sleep.

blackberry honey

It has no color, as water is transparent. This variety is very tasty. Produced by bees from the flowers of the blackberry bush.

Medicinal properties of blackberry honey
. It has a general strengthening effect.
. Useful for diseases of the stomach, liver, kidneys, bladder, colitis.
. Used for diabetes.
. It has a disinfecting, disinfecting, anti-inflammatory effect.
. It is a cleansing agent for dropsy, liver diseases, jaundice, skin diseases.

snakehead honey

Light, transparent, pleasant taste. Honey bees produce snakehead honey from the purple flowers of the essential oil annual plant of the snakehead (motherwort), which grows wild in large quantities in the Crimea. The snakehead is a valuable honey plant containing high-sugar nectar with a lemon smell.

Medicinal properties
. It is used for paralysis, trauma, nervous disorders, the consequences of a stroke.
. It cures various infectious diseases, the consequences of poliomyelitis.

willow honey

The color is golden yellow, during crystallization small grains with a creamy tint are formed. Bees produce this variety from the flowers of trees and shrubs (about 100 species of willow).

Medicinal properties of this variety
. Remedy for the treatment of feverish conditions, neuralgia.
. Astringent for diarrhea.
. The healing properties of willow honey include its choleretic, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory effect.

clover honey

Transparent, colorless. One of the best honey varieties. Crystallizing, it turns into a white solid mass.

Medicinal properties
. It is recommended to use clover honey for rheumatism, lung diseases, anemia, gout, atherosclerosis.
. The anti-cancer effect of clover honey was revealed.
. Relieves coughing fits, whooping cough symptoms.

Lavender honey

Golden color, delicate fragrance. Lavender honey belongs to the category of first-class. It is collected by bees from light blue or bluish-violet flowers of the essential oil perennial lavender plant.

Medicinal properties
. Relieves headaches, symptoms of insomnia, nervous tension.
. It has simultaneously analgesic, antiseptic, soothing effect.
. Treats skin diseases, prevents the penetration of bacteria.
. Regulates the functions of organs.
. It is used for amenorrhea, hormonal disorders, restores the menstrual cycle.

Burdock honey

The color is dark olive, the smell is sharp spicy, very viscous. Produced from small dark pink flowers of hairy burdock.

Medicinal properties
. It has a choleretic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, wound healing effect.
. Stimulates mineral metabolism.
. Improves the insulin-forming function of the pancreas.
. It is used for gastritis, mild diabetes, constipation, rheumatism.

alfalfa honey

Shades are various - from amber to colorless. Quickly crystallizes to the consistency of thick cream, turns white. It has a specific taste and pleasant aroma. Collect alfalfa honey bees from purple flowers of alfalfa.

Medicinal properties
. Helps cleanse the colon of toxins, has an anti-inflammatory effect.
. Helps with disorders of the respiratory system, bronchial and asthmatic conditions.
. Effective in diseases of the arteries, most heart diseases.
. Useful for menopause.
. Increases the body's resistance.

Raspberry honey

Light, has a pleasant aroma, the taste is very delicate. Bees collect raspberry honey from flowers of garden and forest raspberries.

Medicinal properties of the variety
. Useful for anemia, atherosclerosis, diseases of the kidneys, stomach, hypertension.
. Phytoncides of raspberry honey are detrimental to staphylococcus, bacteria and viruses.
. It has an antipyretic effect.

So we talked about the types and properties of honey. Medicine, and especially traditional medicine, actively uses its pharmacological and biological features. However, honey as a medicine and vitamin product is recommended for people of all ages. So eat it to your health!

You can buy Honey of any variety in our , as well as,

Natural bee honey differs in several ways: botanical (origin), floristic (from which flowers), regional (where it is collected) and technological (pumping method). Depending on these features, honey has different taste and healing properties and differs significantly in color, aroma and taste.

Varieties of honey - origin

By botanical origin natural honey can be flower, honeydew or mixed. Flower honey is a product of processing plant nectar by bees. He happens monofloral(from one plant species) and polyfloral(with several types of plants). Honeydew honey is formed when bees process honeydew and honeydew, which they collect from the stems and leaves of plants. mixed honey varieties are made from a natural mixture of flower and honeydew honeys.

Monofloral honey is called according to the type of nectar-bearing plant: linden, heather, etc., polyfloral honey is designated as a flower collection or according to the lands on which bees collected nectar: ​​meadow, mountain taiga, field, etc. Monofloral honeys are less common than polyfloral ones.

Regional feature defines the republic, region or region where honey plants grow. Distinguish honey varieties obtained, for example, from the Bashkir or Far Eastern linden.

Technological sign means a method of extracting and processing honey: centrifugal, honeycomb, sectional, pressed. So, centrifugal honey obtained by pumping it out of the honeycombs on the honey extractor, cellular– in natural packaging, perfectly clean and ripe. Sectional cell- honey enclosed in special sections made of thin plywood or food-grade plastic, the section holds about 500 g of honey. pressed- obtained by squeezing: the honeycombs deteriorate in this case.

The variety of honey can be judged by its appearance, aroma and taste, however, for a more accurate and reliable determination of the variety, it is necessary to use laboratory methods for determining the organoleptic and physico-chemical characteristics of honey.

Acacia honey

One of the valuable varieties of honey. It is collected by bees from two types of acacia - white and yellow. Honey collected from yellow acacia has a light yellow color, and honey from white acacia is almost colorless.

Acacia honey has a delicate floral smell and mild taste, it does not have that honey bitterness inherent in other varieties of honey (for example, buckwheat or chestnut). One of the distinguishing properties of acacia honey is its ability to stay in a liquid state for a long time, it begins to sugar about a year after its collection. The main collection area of ​​acacia honey is the south of Russia, the Caucasian foothills.

Medicinal properties. Due to the high content of fructose, acacia honey is easily absorbed by the body and is suitable for diabetic and baby food. Because of a number of properties, it is also called "baby" honey - it does not cause allergies. Contains a large amount of carotene and enzymes that improve digestion.

Its antiseptic properties are used in the treatment of conjunctivitis and other eye diseases, as well as in the treatment of neurodermatitis and eczema in the form of aqueous solutions and ointments. With regular use, acacia honey helps to lower blood pressure, has a mild sedative effect and has a beneficial effect on mental disorders and nervous breakdowns. Acacia honey is recommended to use at night for insomnia. Its healing properties have also been noted for various gastrointestinal diseases, diseases of the kidneys and liver.

Recipes:

To reduce the secretory function of the stomach. In a glass of milk or kefir, stir a tablespoon of acacia honey, consume in the morning an hour and a half before meals, if honey is taken immediately before meals, then, on the contrary, it promotes the secretion of gastric juice.

With peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. It is useful to take acacia honey by dissolving it in warm water, one and a half to two hours before breakfast, lunch and 3 hours after dinner, plus 40-60 drops of 5% propolis tincture in 1/4 cup of warm water or milk.

With diarrhea. 1 st. l. bird cherry fruit is poured with a glass of boiling water, boil over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Insist, strain, add 30 drops of 20% alcohol tincture of propolis and a tablespoon of acacia honey and drink 1/3 cup 20-30 minutes before meals.

For various eye diseases. Dilute acacia honey in warm water (up to 45 g) in a ratio of 1: 2, use as drops and lotions.

Altai honey

It is honey of the widest taste spectrum. It is the embodiment of the tastes of the herbs of the Altai forest glades, the foothills of the meadows, the taiga-coniferous massifs of Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia. This is the most fragrant variety of honey because summer flowers give it the flavor of the taiga. Honey plants are such herbs as: meadowsweet, sweet clover, angelica, Ivan-tea, raspberry, forest geranium and many other plants of the forest zone. There are Altai angelica and Altai taiga. Altai honey has high taste and preventive qualities, has a light or dark brown color, contains a lot of pollen and settles quickly.

Medicinal properties. It has a general strengthening effect, soothes, is recommended for headaches, insomnia, vegetovascular dystonia. It has a high therapeutic effect in colds and pulmonary diseases, gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, liver diseases. Useful for heart diseases: promotes the expansion of coronary vessels, reduces edema of cardiac origin, stabilizes blood pressure. Very effective in gynecological practice. Removes toxins from the body, is used as a diuretic.

Recipes:

Peptic ulcer of the stomach, duodenum. Pour 50 g of marsh cudweed herb with 500 ml of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes in a water bath, strain. Take 1/3 cup 2-3 times a day with 1 teaspoon of Altai honey after meals.

Hypertensive heart disease. Rinse 1 glass of cranberries, dry, crush in an enamel bowl with a wooden pestle, mix with honey in a ratio of 1:1. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals, drinking 0.5 cups of boiled water. The course is 1-1.5 months.

Prevention of gynecological inflammatory diseases. Mix 200 g of Altai honey, 10 ml of 20% propolis tincture, 50 g of pollen, 500 ml of boiled water. Heat the mixture to 40-45 ° C. Use for a sitz bath 3 tbsp. spoons of the mixture per 5 liters of boiled water. The temperature of the water in the bath is 40 ° C, as it cools, add hot water. In the bath, you can add an infusion of St. John's wort, chamomile at the rate of 30 ml per 1 liter of water.

hawthorn honey

High quality honey, dark in color with a slightly reddish tinge. The taste of honey is slightly bitter. Bees collect nectar from the hawthorn tree, which gives honey its characteristic taste and aroma.

Medicinal properties. Hawthorn honey is an excellent heart remedy. It can be used for a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases. And first of all, it is necessary to say about the effect of hawthorn on the senile heart - it revives, strengthens, supports it. It is also recommended for those who experience constant overload and who, as a result, show early signs of wear and tear of the body. Hawthorn honey is able to alleviate such conditions, and, perhaps more importantly, act as a prophylactic. It also helps with cardiac arrhythmias, as well as in cases where the normalization of high blood pressure is required, it is a good aftercare after myocardial infarction.

Recipes:

With myocardium, cardiac asthma, arrhythmias. Mix hawthorn honey with pomegranate juice: one tablespoon per glass. Use this honey for 1-2 months, 100-150 g per day.

With hypertension. Mix 200 ml of carrot juice, 200 ml of beetroot juice, 100 g of crushed cranberries, 200 g of hawthorn honey, 100 ml of alcohol. Insist 3 days in the dark. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals for 1-1.5 months.

heather honey

Heather honey is dark or red-brown in color, with a weak aroma and a slightly bitter taste. It has an amazing property to turn into jelly after pumping. If it is disturbed, it becomes liquid, in a calm state it thickens again.


Heather honey is difficult to extract from the combs in the honey extractor, and therefore it is pumped out immature or subjected to loosening before pumping with brushes with steel needles. It has a high diastase number - about 50 units. which indicates a high content of enzymes in it. It crystallizes poorly, often remaining in a state of action or jelly. In microscopic examination of crystallized honey, it differs from other honeys in the presence of needle-shaped crystals.

Medicinal properties. It is used in the absence of appetite, has anti-inflammatory, diuretic and diaphoretic properties, it is recommended for colds, urolithiasis, cystitis, as well as functional disorders of the nervous system.

Recipes:

For the prevention of urolithiasis. 3 art. pour spoons of lingonberry leaves in a thermos with boiling water, leave for 3 hours. Drink 1/3-1/2 cup with the addition of 1 teaspoon of honey 3 times a day for 20 minutes. before meals.

To remove sand, small stones from the kidneys. Prepare the collection: the roots of the stolnik, juniper fruits, young birch leaves, great celandine, goose cinquefoil - 20 g each; 4 tbsp. l. mixture pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain and add 2 tbsp. spoons of heather honey and drink for an hour, trying to delay urination as long as possible. When urinating, take a warm hot bath.

mountain honey

The Altai Mountains hold the secret of longevity and prolongation of vitality. Mountain honey is collected from wild honey plants - the rarest herbs and flowers of Altai such as acacia, blackthorn, bird cherry, wild rose, honeysuckle, clover, goldenrod, Bogorodskaya grass, sage, mint, oregano, snakehead, sow thistle and many other mountain plants. The bribe is not as great as with herbs - therefore, mountain honey is highly valued. It has a dark, dark yellow and red-brown color, very viscous, slowly crystallizes, tart and bitter in taste.

Mountain honey is considered the most environmentally friendly.

Medicinal properties. Mountain honey is useful for stress, endocrine system disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and is effective in treating diseases of the kidneys, liver, and stomach. Removes salts and toxins. It is useful in atherosclerosis and also as a sedative in nervous diseases, it is used for increased thyroid function. The high content of carotene and vitamin A give mountain honey very strong healing properties.

Recipes:

As a tonic vitamin remedy. Mix mountain honey with pollen 1:1 and take 1-2 tsp. a day, but not at bedtime.

Hypertonic disease. Pour 1 cup of viburnum fruit with 1 liter of hot water, boil in an enamel bowl for 10 minutes, strain, cool, add 3 tbsp. spoons of mountain honey. Drink 0.5 cup 3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals. Course - 2 months. Repeat the treatment after 15 days.

With diffuse goiter. Mix 1 kg of honey, juice of 10 lemons, 10 crushed heads of garlic. Insist 7 days. Take 4 teaspoons 1 time per day. The course is 1-1.5 months.

Buckwheat honey

Buckwheat honey is confidently referred to as high-grade honey with pronounced medicinal properties. Honey itself is made from buckwheat nectar, which is rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, boron and other useful trace elements.


The color can be from dark yellow to dark brown, with a slight reddish tint. It has a unique tart taste and pleasant aroma, by which buckwheat honey can be immediately recognized among other varieties. When it is used, it is very characteristic to "tear the throat." Buckwheat honey crystallizes faster than all other varieties of honey, literally in one month. During crystallization, it turns into a mushy mass, from fine-grained to coarse-grained crystals.

Medicinal properties. The rich mineral and vitamin composition allows the use of buckwheat honey for the treatment of hypo- and beriberi, in the treatment and prevention of hemorrhages in the brain, heart, retina, to improve capillary permeability, in hypertension, in combination with drugs that lower blood pressure, in the treatment of rheumatism, scarlet fever, measles, as well as for the prevention and treatment of blood vessels. In addition to hematopoietic properties, buckwheat honey is a pronounced antiseptic, it is used to treat purulent wounds, furunculosis and other skin diseases.

Recipes:

With anemia. Linden flower tea with buckwheat honey with 2 tbsp. l. red wine for 1 glass of tea. Adding buckwheat honey to milk is always good for anemia. 1 st. l. honey contains 100 calories, 1 glass of milk - 124 calories. Thus, a high-calorie drink is obtained.

With anemia. Crush 20 g of dry ginseng root into powder, mix with 2.5 tsp. honey, leave for a week, stirring 3-4 times a day, then take at the tip of a teaspoon 2 times a day.

With hypertension. Try to eliminate high-protein, low-carb and salty foods from your diet. From fruits, you need to eat apples, grapes, cranberries in an amount equivalent to 4 glasses of juice. Buckwheat honey taken with every meal, it removes excess moisture from the blood, reducing blood pressure.

sweet clover honey

Belongs to the number of excellent first-class honeys and has a high taste. Fresh honey has a watery-transparent color and quickly crystallizes. Crystallized honey has a light amber or white color with a very subtle pleasant aroma reminiscent of vanilla. Bees collect it from yellow and white sweet clover, which is distributed throughout the European part, except for the northern and northeastern regions, in the Caucasus, Western Siberia and Central Asia. It is very rich in glucose. It has very high taste qualities.

Medicinal properties. Due to the fact that sweet clover is a medicinal plant in itself, it is believed that honey from sweet clover has special medicinal properties. It contains substances that have a beneficial effect on the central nervous system. It is especially recommended for insomnia, hypertension, migraine, neuroses, respiratory diseases, all manifestations of atherosclerosis, diseases of the kidneys, bladder, has analgesic and antibacterial properties.

Outwardly, this honey is used to wash purulent and non-purulent wounds, cuts, and also as a patch for furunculosis. It is used to prepare warm baths for rheumatic diseases, with myositis in children and adults. Sweet clover honey stimulates lactation in lactating women.

Recipes:

For insomnia. 1 st. dilute a spoonful of honey in 1 glass of warm boiled water, drink for 30 minutes. before going to bed.

For hemorrhoids: Taking sitz baths, introducing melilot honey through the rectum with an enema.
For baths - pour 4-5 liters of warm water into the basin, add 50 ml of infusion of chamomile, mint, coltsfoot or St. John's wort, 50 g of sweet clover honey.
For an enema - a 20-30% solution of sweet clover honey is warm.

For varicose veins: Mash 250 g of peeled garlic in a mortar and mix with 350 g of sweet clover honey, insist for 7 days, take a tablespoon 3 times a day for 40 minutes. before meals.

Goldenrod honey

Honey is collected from common goldenrod, a perennial herbaceous medicinal plant. The individual flower heads of goldenrod are very small, but they most often form large, bright yellow panicled inflorescences.


The honey bee visits the flowers so quickly that it is impossible to count the number of flowers from which it takes nectar in a minute. Goldenrod honey has a dark yellow or light brown color and may have an unpleasant bitter taste and aroma.

Medicinal properties: goldenrod honey has firmly taken its place in the treatment of inflammation of the bladder and kidneys, in the treatment of painful urination. In addition, it can have a stimulating effect on metabolism, be effective in skin diseases, as well as liver diseases.

Recipes:

With kidney disease. It is recommended to use 80-120 g of honey with lemon juice and rose hips (infusion), which improves diuresis and reduces intoxication. In the treatment of kidney diseases, honey is administered orally with mineral water recommended by a doctor, preferably warm.

With liver disease. Mix goldenrod honey with blackcurrant 1:1, consume 1 tsp each. 30 minutes before meals.

With a disease of the bladder. Dissolve a teaspoon of goldenrod honey in boiled water (half a glass). Drink half a glass 2 times a day before meals. The remedy is effective in the treatment of urinary incontinence.

chestnut honey

It is a monofloral variety of honey, i.e. collected from the flowers of a particular plant species. To prepare this honey, bees collect nectar from the flowers of the chestnut tree, which grows mainly in the Crimea and the Caucasus. Edible chestnut honey is dark in color, with a faint aroma of chestnut flowers and a pleasant, slightly bitter aftertaste.

It crystallizes very slowly, remains liquid all winter, and only in spring turns into a dark brown mass. Horse chestnut honey is thin, clear and usually colorless. It should not be left for the winter, as it easily crystallizes.

Medicinal properties. It has the most pronounced bactericidal properties and is therefore used in the treatment of wounds and sore throats. It has a beneficial effect on the entire vascular system, has anti-edematous and anti-inflammatory effects, promotes the release of bile (improves appetite). In folk medicine, chestnut honey is used as a remedy for bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Recipes:

With bronchitis, hoarseness, cough. Mix radish juice with chestnut honey in a ratio of 2:1. Take 1-2 tbsp. l. every hour.

With angina. Gargle with chestnut honey or propolis (alcohol tincture) dissolved in water, 3-4 times a day. 5-6 times a day for 10-15 days (one teaspoon per procedure) keep honey in your mouth until completely dissolved, honey in combs is better.

When treating wounds, ulcers. Chestnut honey - 80 g, fish oil - 20 g, the ointment is applied to the wound in the form of a bandage.

With purulent otitis media and sinusitis. With inflammation of the middle ear and paranasal sinuses, it is good to use bee honey. To do this, take a sterile glass rod, remove honey from the honeycomb cell with it and instill 1-2 drops every 3-4 hours into one, then into the other nostril or inside the ear.

fireweed honey

This is transparent honey with a greenish tinge, crystallizing, it becomes white in the form of delicate grains or resembles a creamy (fat-like) mass, turns yellow when heated. It has a delicate aroma and pleasant taste, melts easily in the mouth.

Honey is produced by bees from a perennial plant - fireweed, also known under a different name - narrow-leaved willowherb. This is a strong summer honey plant, especially in burnt areas and clearings in Siberia and Altai. Blooms from late June - early July for 30-40 days. Its productivity in a favorable year reaches 10-15 kg per day. The honey productivity of a hectare of continuous thickets of willow-herb (fireweed) is about 300-600 kg.
Medicinal properties. It has a calming and anti-inflammatory effect. It is prescribed for gastritis with high acidity, with peptic ulcer, they successfully treat constipation, diseases of the throat and internal organs. Honey stimulates blood formation, increases the body's defenses, helps with insomnia and headaches, and is useful for nursing mothers. It is recommended for various diseases of the prostate gland.

Recipes:

With prostate adenoma. 5% alcohol infusion with fireweed honey take 1 teaspoon (keep in the mouth until completely dissolved), at the same time take bee bread in a teaspoon 1.5 hours before meals 3 times a day. In addition, use suppositories containing 0.1 g of propolis and 2 g of cocoa butter - they are injected deep into the rectum 1 time per day in the evening. At the same time, drink an infusion of herbs: horsetail - 35 g, nettle - 35 g, lingonberry leaves - 40 g. 2 tbsp. l. collection, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water in a thermos, leave for half an hour or an hour, strain and drink? glass 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. 1 st. dilute a spoonful of fireweed honey in 0.5 cups of boiled water. Take 1.5-2 hours before meals with increased acidity of gastric juice. With low acidity, take 5-10 minutes. before meals. With heartburn, use honey with milk, cottage cheese, porridge. The course is 1.5–2 months.

clover honey

Clover honey is light, almost colorless, has a delicate aroma and a pleasant peculiar taste. Quickly crystallizes into a solid white crystalline mass. Recognized as one of the best varieties. If the nectar is collected from red clover, then the color of honey is pink or red-yellow. Contains 40.24% fructose and 34.90% glucose.

Medicinal properties. Like linden, it is recommended for colds as a diaphoretic, for lung diseases as an expectorant, very useful for poor appetite, loss of strength, anemia, joint tumors, and in combination with propolis - for the treatment of burns, furunculosis and abscesses.

Used for diarrhea, blood loss, atherosclerosis. It has analgesic properties, so it is used for rheumatic pains inside and for the preparation of baths.

Recipes:

For the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. Add to 100 g of water 2-3 tbsp. l. clover honey and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Place in a glass dish with a tight lid and refrigerate. Take a teaspoon with? a glass of warm water or tea 2-3 times a day before meals for 3-4 weeks.

From cough. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a glass, 2 tbsp. l. glycerin and top it all with clover honey. If the cough is weak, take a teaspoon during the day, if strong, then a teaspoon in the morning, before lunch, at night, at night.

General strengthening effect.
Mix 100 g of honey and 1 g of adsorbed royal jelly. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals, keep the mixture in your mouth as long as possible. After half an hour, drink 1 glass of rosehip infusion.

Coriander honey

This honey is also called kolyandrovy. Honey is transparent, color - from light brown to amber, bees collect it from white or pinkish flowers of an annual plant - coriander, which grows in many regions of the South of Russia (where it is specially cultivated for this purpose), in Central Asia and Transcaucasia. The honey productivity of coriander is 60-120 kg per 1 ha. In favorable weather, nectar production reaches 200-500 kg per 1 ha. Coriander honey crystallizes within one to two months into a coarse-grained mass.
Different varieties of honey differ in aroma, on the basis of which one can judge the quality of honey and, to some extent, the origin. Coriander honey contains a large amount of essential oils, so it has a specific, rather sharp spicy aroma peculiar only to it, a specific medicinal-caramel flavor and wonderful medicinal properties.

Medicinal properties. Coriander honey is used for various diseases and disorders, such as diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (coriander honey has a choleretic effect, increases secretion, improves digestion and is also useful for loss of appetite, so coriander honey is successfully used for various diseases of the stomach, duodenum, liver , pancreas), activates mental and physical activity due to mild stimulation of the central nervous system (help with stress and chronic fatigue), has an antiseptic, analgesic, bronchodilator effect (useful for bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis), slows down the heart rate (can be used for tachycardia and extrasystole), and also increases potency - it is not for nothing that it is considered "male" honey.

Recipes:

To stimulate mental and physical activity. Mix coriander honey with royal jelly in a ratio of 1:1000, apply in the morning 1-2 tsp.

Treatment of impotence. Mix honey with pollen in a 1:1 ratio. Take 1 teaspoon. spoon - 1 des. spoon 2-3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals. The course is a month. After a 2-week break, repeat the treatment. At the same time, take a pharmacy tincture of Rhodiola (golden root) 10 drops 3 times a day. The course of taking Rhodiola is up to 1 month. Do not exceed the dose.

Linden honey

This is one of the most valuable varieties of honey. Bashkir and Far Eastern honey are distinguished at the place of honey collection. Bashkir linden honey, the so-called Lipets, is colorless, becomes white upon crystallization, with a golden hue, coarse-grained mass. Far East linden honey of light yellow or light amber color. Linden honey has an excellent incomparable aroma and a wonderful, strong, intense taste. This honey is very fragrant.

Medicinal properties. Honey has a pronounced anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antipyretic, diuretic, sedative and tonic effect. It is used in the treatment of colds (runny nose, tonsillitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis), bronchial asthma, heart disease, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and gallbladder diseases, gynecological diseases. In folk medicine, linden honey is recognized as an anti-measles agent, it is given for mumps, convulsions in children. Honey is indicated for the treatment of purulent wounds and burns, for eczema, mastitis, cystitis, urethritis, and with goat's milk for tuberculosis.

Recipes:

With stomatitis. Prepare an infusion: 25 g of dried chamomile flowers (6 tbsp.) Pour 500 ml of boiled water in an enamel bowl, close the lid and put in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Then let the infusion cool, strain it, and squeeze out the remaining raw materials and bring the volume of boiled water to 500 ml, dissolve in it 2 tbsp. l. lime honey. Rinse 3 times a day after meals, and it is also useful to chew linden honey in combs.
The decoction can also be used as a lotion for ulcers, eczema, burns.

With the flu. Mix dry flowers and raspberries in equal weight proportions. 2 tbsp. l. brew the mixture in a porcelain teapot with a glass of boiling water, leave for 12-15 minutes and drink warm, dissolving linden honey to taste, 1/2 - 1 cup 3-4 times a day for influenza, as well as for respiratory diseases. Honey, especially lime, has a strong diaphoretic effect. Its effect is enhanced when combined with teas, infusions and decoctions of linden flowers, raspberry fruits and leaves, coltsfoot grass and other medicinal plants.

With a cold.
2 tbsp. l. lime honey in a glass of hot milk. Take at night.

Meadow honey

In meadow honey, there are odor carriers of dozens of different types of flowers, which compose it in a unique overall bouquet of aromas. Bees collect it from the nectar of meadow flowers - dandelion, clover, savory, sage, bedstraw, orchis, etc. The color of meadow honey varies from light yellow to brown. The most fragrant meadow honey in Russia is collected from Rosaceae in Central Russian meadows.

Medicinal properties. The beneficial properties of meadow honey are determined by the melliferous plants that predominate in it, for example:
Savory - has an astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic and antiseptic effect. It is recommended to take with diarrhea, catarrh of the intestines, indigestion and vomiting.
Thyme - used for colds, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract and indigestion.
Sage - used for inflammatory skin diseases, treatment of festering wounds and ulcers, light burns and frostbite.
Geranium - used for diarrhea, dysentery, kidney disease, rheumatism, gout, as a good hemostatic and dissolving kidney stones remedy.
It is characterized by high nutritional and medicinal properties. Differs in antibacterial action. Meadow honey has a softening, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, perfectly regulates the functioning of the liver, intestines, and has a tonic effect. Due to its composition, it is widely used in the treatment of diseases of the nervous system and the cardiovascular system.

Recipes:

Ointment for wounds. Prepare the powder of cudweed marsh, then take it in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. and carefully grind in a mortar with? a glass of unsalted butter and the same amount of honey. Use the ointment in the treatment of burns, hard-healing wounds and ulcers.

With the flu. Take a tablespoon of linden flowers and raspberry fruits, place in an enamel bowl and pour 2 cups of boiled water and boil for 5 minutes. After cooling to room temperature, strain the infusion and dissolve in it 2 tbsp. l. honey, taken warm glass 3-4 times a day.

With a cold. Pour 1 cup of dry fruits of viburnum with 1 liter of boiled water, simmer for 10-12 minutes, leave for 1-1.5 hours, strain. Add 3 tbsp. l. bee honey, stir until dissolved and drink 0.5 cups of decoction 3-4 times a day for colds accompanied by severe headaches, coughing and loss of voice.

May honey

May honey contains the aromas of blooming gardens of the very first spring flowers and trees. Therefore, the taste of honey is formed by willow, maple, oxalis, bird cherry, wild strawberry, sage, currant, cherry, apple tree and many other plants blooming in May. Gathered in mid-May or in the first or second decade of June. The color of honey can vary depending on which plants or trees the bees collect nectar from, ranging from yellow to brown.
May honey returns cheerfulness, cheerfulness and good mood.

Medicinal properties. It has the most valuable and medicinal qualities: a pronounced anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic and hemostatic effect.

May honey is rich in fructose, which allows it to be absorbed by our body faster than other varieties. Fructose itself has a beneficial effect on the hematopoietic processes of the body. May honey is used for atherosclerosis, insomnia and nervous diseases, colds, eye diseases.

Recipes:

With the flu. Heat peeled garlic on a small plate and mix with May honey in a ratio of 1: 1, take before going to bed with warm boiled water.

To soften hair. Take 30 g of pharmacy chamomile, pour 100 ml of boiling water and insist with the lid closed for an hour. Strain the infusion of chamomile, squeeze out and dissolve a tablespoon of May honey in it, moisten the hair with the resulting solution (after preliminary washing and drying with a towel), and rinse with warm water after 30-40 minutes. For oily hair once a week, for dry hair - once every 10-12 days.

Remedy for many diseases- viburnum on May honey. Scald the berries with boiling water and wipe through a colander. Mix the resulting mass with honey in a ratio of 1: 1. A week later, the medicine is ready. One tablespoon on an empty stomach is a supply of vitamins for the day, if you suffer from hypertension, you can not use more than one spoon per day.

Dandelion honey

Dandelion honey is golden yellow in color, very thick, quickly crystallizing, with a strong smell and a peculiar sharp taste. In the spring, it is eaten mainly by bees, and also serves as feed additives for feeding adult bee brood.

Recipes:

With hypertension. Prepare a mixture of a glass of table beet juice, a glass of horseradish juice, the juice of one lemon and a glass of dandelion honey, take a tablespoon 3 times a day before bedtime for 2 months.

With hepatitis. Prepare a mixture consisting of one glass of red carrot juice, a glass of table beets, a glass of dandelion honey with the addition of 30 ml of vodka and juice of 2 lemons, take a tablespoon 3 times a day 20-30 minutes before meals for 30 days, after 2 months repeat the course.

For insomnia. Prepare the collection: wild rose, fruits - 35%; blackberry, leaves - 30%; St. John's wort, grass - 10%; motherwort, grass - 10%; valerian, root - 5%; plantain, leaves - 5%; thyme, grass - 5%, prepare an infusion (1:20), dilute it in 1 glass with 1 tbsp. l. dandelion honey and take according to? glass 2-3 times a day, the remedy also helps with severe irritability, fatigue.

Thistle honey

It is white or light yellow in color, fragrant, pleasant in taste, belongs to first-class honey. Bees produce honey from a perennial plant of thistle field, growing along the banks of rivers and lakes, in vegetable gardens and crops in many regions of Russia. Sow thistle is the worst weed and where there are thickets of it, the bees provide themselves with a productive bribe. Field thistle blooms from mid-summer to September.

Recipes:

When exhausted. Crush 20 g of dry ginseng root into powder, mix with 2.5 liters of honey, leave for a week, stirring 3-4 times a day, then take 1 tsp. 2 times a day.

During surgery. Mix honey with pollen in a 1:1 ratio. Take 1 teaspoon. spoon 2-3 times a day for 2-3 weeks before surgery and 2-3 weeks after surgery. After 7 days from the start of taking the mixture, the dose can be increased to 1 des. spoons 3 times a day.

sunflower honey

This kind of honey is very pleasant to the taste in the liquid state, but it quickly crystallizes, becomes light amber during crystallization, sometimes even with a greenish tint, has a weak aroma and a pleasant, somewhat tart taste. The crystals are large, yellow or light amber in color, reminiscent of melted butter.

Medicinal properties. Sunflower honey has the highest enzymatic activity. It has valuable dietary qualities, pH-3.5. It is used for colds, flu, for any febrile conditions, as well as for atherosclerosis, heart disease, bronchial asthma, neuralgia, and gastrointestinal diseases. It is used as a tonic and diuretic. Promotes the release of toxins from the body.

Recipes:

For colds and flu. Take sunflower honey with lemon juice (100 g of honey and juice of one or half a lemon).

As an expectorant.
Useful infusion of plantain leaves. Pour 6 g of plantain leaves with a glass of water and boil for 10 minutes, add 30 g of sunflower honey. Take 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day.

With lung diseases. Take a glass of red carrot juice, table beets, horseradish, 30 g of vodka, a glass of sunflower honey, juice of 2 lemons. Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula in an enamel bowl for 30 minutes, then take a tablespoon 20-30 minutes before meals.

propolis honey

To give special healing properties, propolis is added to honey. Propolis honey outwardly differs little from ordinary honey - it has a yellowish-lemon hue, a bitter-sweet taste and a pleasant balsamic smell.

Medicinal properties. The practice of using honey with propolis shows that almost any disease can be overcome by this drug, since it has a pronounced biological activity and a powerful bactericidal effect. The addition of propolis to honey significantly increases the antioxidant, antimicrobial, wound healing and immunological effects of honey. It is used as a remedy for malignant neoplasms of the skin, treatment of tuberculosis, pneumonia, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.

Recipes:

With pulmonary tuberculosis. Mix 100 ml of aloe juice, 500 g of crushed walnut kernels, juice of 4 lemons, 300 g of honey. Take 1 dec. spoon 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.

Badly healing wounds. Trophic ulcers. 1 st. pour a spoonful of cudweed grass with 1 cup of boiling water, hold in a water bath for 10 minutes, cool, strain and add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of propolis honey. Lubricate wounds 2 times a day.

Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.
Add to 1 glass of milk at a temperature of 40-45 ° C 1 tbsp. a spoonful of propolis honey. Drink 1 glass 1-3 times a day 30 minutes before meals. The course is a month. After a 2-week break, repeat the treatment.

Rape honey

This honey has a whitish, yellowish color and hue. A special aroma conceals a truly sweet, almost cloying taste. The honey is very thick and quickly turns into specific whitish crystals with a special, tart taste and persistent aroma of a flower field. Sometimes it begins to crystallize even in the honeycomb cells. The taste of rapeseed honey leaves a slight pleasant bitterness on the tongue, slightly reeking of mustard.

Rapeseed honey is produced from the nectar of yellow rapeseed flowers, a fodder plant famous for its essential oils. Bees are able to collect about eight kilograms of this fragrant substance in a whole day.
Rapeseed honey should be stored carefully - it tends to turn sour quickly. It also dissolves poorly in water, which should be taken into account when creating all kinds of medicinal mixtures on water with an admixture of rapeseed honey.

Medicinal properties. Rapeseed honey has an increased glucose content, more than 51%, which has an excellent effect on mental activity, penetrating into the vessels of the brain. Also, rapeseed honey is quickly absorbed in the intestines, and, due to the ability to remove heavy metals from the body, is highly valued by specialists. Rapeseed honey also has a positive effect on the liver and bile ducts when taken in a warm liquid form. Like any honey, rapeseed honey promotes skin regeneration and can be used for burns. The high content of boron in this type of honey restores bone tissue and helps the thyroid gland in women after menopause.

Recipes:

General strengthening effect. Mix rapeseed honey with crushed walnut kernels in a ratio of 1:1. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals with half a glass of boiled water. It is especially useful for pregnant women, nursing mothers, patients with anemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension.

For ulcers. Lubricate the surface of poorly healing ulcers and wounds with rapeseed honey and apply it in bandages. In addition, you can also take local baths from a 30% honey solution at a temperature of 32-34 ° C and a duration of 20-30 minutes. Take 1-2 baths daily until complete recovery.

Bruising honey

Refers to first-class honey. Has a light or light amber color. Possesses weak aroma and pleasant taste. Usually thick in consistency. It crystallizes slowly, forming a fine-grained cage. Bees extract this variety of honey from the nectar of blue-violet or bright blue flowers of the common bruise, or blush.

Medicinal properties. It is used as an excellent remedy for cardiovascular diseases and as a sedative for neuroses.

Recipes:

With neuroses. Accept by? tsp a mixture of royal jelly with bruise honey (in a ratio of 1:100) 2-3 times a day for neurasthenia, vegetative neurosis, heart neurosis, menopausal neurosis, hysteria, etc. Keep the drug in the mouth until completely dissolved. The course of treatment is 3-4 weeks. After a 2-3 week break, it can be repeated.

With atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Pour 250 g of peeled and chopped garlic on a grater with 350 g of liquid honey, mix well and insist in a dark place for a week. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for 30-40 minutes before meals.

fruit honey

Fruit honey is obtained from the nectar of flowering fruit trees such as apple, pear, and cherry. Fresh honey is transparent in color with a yellow-red tint, after crystallization it becomes light yellow. It has an extremely pleasant fruity aroma and a delicate sweet taste.

This honey has a pleasant aroma and sweet taste, contains 45% fructose and 31% glucose, crystallizes finely. Medicinal properties. Has antimicrobial properties. Recommended as a general tonic, as well as for the treatment of diseases of the stomach, kidneys, liver. It contains a large amount of vitamin C, rutin, carotene, relatively many salts of manganese, sodium, potassium and calcium.

Recipes:

For flu and colds. Mix freshly grated garlic slurry with honey in a ratio of 1: 1 and take with warm water, 1 tbsp. l. mixture at bedtime or 1 tsp. 2 times a day.

With gastritis, increased acidity of the stomach. Mix honey with butter in a 1:1 ratio. Take 1 tbsp. spoon an hour before meals in the morning and evening. The course is 1.5-2 months.

flower honey

Flower honey has a unique aroma and taste of honey, which is born from the nectar of wild flowers of a wide variety. The color of honey varies from colorless to orange-yellow and dark colors, depending on the place of collection, as well as the species composition of plants. Flower honey is collected in all honey-bearing regions of our country.

Medicinal properties. Flower honey contains the healing properties of many honey plants, so it is useful as a general tonic. Recommended for respiratory diseases, colds, headaches and insomnia, myositis (in the form of warm baths), is a strong diaphoretic.

Recipes:

Prevention of respiratory diseases and influenza. Take a decoction of wild rose (10 g per 200 ml of water) 0.5 - 1 cup with 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flower honey 3 times a day half an hour before meals for a month.

Treatment of cough, flu, colds. Cut off the “cap” of a large black radish, make a recess with a knife so that 2-3 tablespoons of honey can fit in it. Close with a “hat”, leave for 3-4 hours. Pour the resulting mixture of juice and honey into a glass. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for half an hour before meals. Last meal before bed.
With insomnia, sleep disorders. Mix 2 tbsp. spoons of beetroot juice, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flower honey, a glass of warm boiled water or milk. Drink before bed.

Sainfoin honey

Esparcet honey is considered first-class. It is made from the nectar of the pink or red flowers of Vicoleaf sainfoin. It has a pale pink or golden amber color, strong rich aroma and excellent taste. It slowly crystallizes into a white, creamy, greasy mass. Rich in vitamins and carotene.

Medicinal properties. The healing properties of sainfoin honey have not yet been sufficiently studied, but it is known that with regular use it improves blood circulation and strengthens capillary vessels. In folk medicine, sainfoin honey is known as a tonic, vitamin remedy, it is used for various gynecological diseases, uterine bleeding, and also as a means of enhancing sexual activity in men.

Recipes:

With impotence. Mix freshly squeezed carrot juice with sainfoin honey 1:1. Accept by? glass 3 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals. Take pollen in 1-2 tsp. in a day.

With uterine bleeding. 1 st. brew a spoonful of flowers and tops of nettles with a glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Drink 0.5 cup with a teaspoon of honey 4-5 times a day.

Honey comb

Comb honey is honey that has not been extracted from wax combs. In general, natural honey, and especially honey in combs, with proper storage, does not deteriorate for an arbitrarily long time. In an edible state, it was found even in the Egyptian pyramids. And all because honey has a powerful disinfecting effect that destroys bacteria, microbes and molds.
Comb honey contains more vitamin A than carrots, so chewing it is very good for the eyes. Honey in honeycombs is a recognized remedy in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system, which, as a rule, are associated with a violation of metabolic processes in the body caused by a lack of certain nutrients. Honeycomb allows the body to make up for this deficiency.

Honeycomb strengthens the immune system. Observations have shown that people who regularly eat comb honey are less likely to get colds. Propolis contained in comb honey has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, healing, bactericidal, antifungal properties. It normalizes the activity of the intestines, treats stomach ulcers, has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, and helps with various female diseases.
With prolonged chewing of honeycombs, phytoncides are released, which have a therapeutic effect on various human organs - they are enriched with vitamins, amino acids, proteins, enzymes. Flower pollen contained in honey has a rejuvenating effect, as it contains all the amino acids and vitamins necessary for the human body. Comb honey contains biologically active substances produced by both plants and bees. Bees help the nectar of flowering plants, wax and propolis to unite into one unit called HONEYCOMB HONEY and acquire such amazing properties as antimicrobial, antiviral, antileukemic, radioprotective, immunogenic.

Sweet and fragrant honey is loved by many, but those who are not well versed in the types of this product often choose it for color or taste. In fact, there are many types of nectar, and each of them has certain properties and unique taste qualities.

Varieties of honey are usually divided according to the type of plants from which the bees received nectar. However, there are many more types of this product - according to the type of pumping or the region of collection. The main types and their characteristics with a photo will be described in this article.

What are the types of honey

There are several criteria for determining the type of product. On a botanical basis, it is floral (collected from the pollen of flowering plants), honeydew (nectar obtained from the sap of trees and honeydew) and mixed. In addition, it is customary to divide the product by regional (collection place) and technological (pumping method) features.


Figure 1. The main varieties of nectar

But the most popular is the classification according to the floristic feature, that is, according to the type of plants from which the bees collected nectar (Figure 1). As a rule, you can determine the variety by color, taste and texture, but an accurate analysis can only be carried out in the laboratory. Therefore, if you want to buy a certain variety and are afraid of fakes, it is better to order the product directly from the apiary.

You will find more information about the beneficial properties of different varieties in the video.

Geographical Varieties

What are the geographic varieties? The answer to this question is very simple - the substance differs in the type of plants that grow only in a certain region. For example, Bashkir and Far Eastern are obtained from certain types of linden, which grow only in these geographical areas.

Since such plants have unique beneficial properties, the nectar from them is also considered special. Usually it costs more than usual and you can buy it only in certain farms.

Far Eastern Linden

The medicinal properties of the Far Eastern species are much higher than those of other varieties. This product is also expensive, since the nectar of the Far Eastern linden growing in the mountains is used for its production (Figure 2).


Figure 2. Features of the Far East view

In addition, such a product is considered environmentally friendly, since the nectar collected by insects does not contain dust impurities or harmful substances.

Altai: types

Altai, like other regional varieties, is of high value. The geographical region where it is produced is considered environmentally friendly, and a wide variety of medicinal plants from which bees collect pollen make the finished product very useful for the body.

The diversity of plants makes it possible to distinguish several types of Altai nectar(picture 3):

  • Field- the most common variety, since meadow and steppe grasses (crops, fireweed, raspberries, etc.) are used for its manufacture.
  • Lugovoi- obtained in the flat part of the region from steppe grasses.
  • Taiga Altai considered the most diverse. Most of the taiga varieties are considered unique, since the raw material for obtaining nectar is found only in a certain region.
  • Mountain a product made in Altai is highly valued. Its smell is very rich, since the nectar of many mountain plants is part of the primary raw material. The most valuable is the beetroot, which is mined by wild bees, and then people collect the product in hollows.

Figure 3. Altai honey and its types

Honey of Bashkiria: varieties

It is considered one of the most valuable, as it is produced in an ecologically clean region with a large number of honey plants. In the past, mainly wild nectar was mined in Bashkiria, but now it is produced in numerous apiaries.

Note: A special breed of bees lives in Bashkiria, which is resistant to diseases and cold. In addition, insects collect nectar very quickly, which allows them to pump out quite a lot of products during the season.

Figure 4. Types of Bashkir nectar

Among the varieties of Bashkir nectar, linden is considered the most popular (Figure 4). But there are other types, including flowers. Regardless of the variety, linden nectar is present in almost any product, so the Bashkir product has a characteristic amber color and a fairly rich aroma.

Botanical distribution

Botanical classification is considered the most popular among consumers. Buyers prefer to choose a product according to the type of plants from which the nectar was collected - buckwheat, linden, chestnut, etc.

Since each plant has certain properties, the final product also differs in color, taste and smell. The main features of popular varieties will be given below.

Buckwheat

It is considered one of the most useful, as bees collect nectar from buckwheat, a plant rich in iron, zinc and other trace elements.


Figure 5. What a buckwheat variety looks like

The color of the product ranges from dark yellow to dark brown, but a slight reddish tinge may also be present (Figure 5). A distinctive feature is a delicate taste and aroma, characteristic only for this variety.

Buckwheat species crystallize quickly, about a month after pumping. A candied delicacy has the same beneficial properties as a fresh one: it saturates the body with vitamins, strengthens the cardiovascular system, improves visual acuity and is used to combat colds.

Donnikovy

Differs in high palatability and numerous curative properties. The product is clear and fairly liquid, but quickly hardens into a thick white or creamy mass (Figure 6).


Figure 6. External features of the melilot species

The taste and smell is reminiscent of vanilla. Insects collect nectar from sweet clover, a medicinal plant, so honey perfectly normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, is used as a remedy for insomnia and is used as an external remedy for the treatment of hemorrhoids and varicose veins.

Chestnut

It has a characteristic dark color and slightly bitter taste (Figure 7). It is slowly candied: if it is pumped out at the end of summer or in autumn, the product can remain liquid all winter and will only thicken in spring.


Figure 7. Appearance of the chestnut variety

Chestnut nectar has powerful bactericidal properties, so it is often used to treat sore throats and heal external wounds. In addition, regular use of the product helps relieve swelling, strengthen blood vessels and increase appetite.

Lime

This is the most popular variety. Depending on the region of collection, its color can vary from light amber to almost transparent (Figure 8). It has a pronounced aroma and rich taste.


Figure 8. Features of the lime species

It has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and strengthening properties. It is often used as an adjunct in the treatment of colds, inflammation of the digestive system, as well as for general strengthening of the immune system.

It is also used to treat wounds and pustules in the mouth and throat, and in combination with goat's milk, this product is considered an effective tool in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Diaghilev

The product is obtained from the nectar of the angelica medicinal plant, and therefore the nectar has pronounced healing properties. In addition, it has a rich aroma and rich taste.


Figure 9. Appearance of the angelica variety

The color is dark, sometimes reddish (Figure 9). You can buy such a product only from beekeepers, since in a store or on the market you can easily encounter a fake. As a rule, this product is used to treat colds and inflammatory processes in the digestive organs.

willow

This species has many useful properties, but it is not recommended for people with allergies to bee products. It has an unusual golden color, and after candied it becomes beige (Figure 10).


Figure 10. What Willow Nectar Looks Like

Among the advantages of the product, one can single out a delicate pleasant taste and powerful healing properties. It is used as an antipyretic, used to relieve inflammation and fever, as well as to treat headaches and joint diseases.

sunflower

In liquid form, this variety has a very pleasant delicate taste, but it retains high palatability even after crystallization. Candied sunflower nectar looks like melted butter: it is beige, with large yellow crystals (Figure 11).


Figure 11. Sunflower product: photo

This variety is considered a dietary product, often used for colds and flu, used to eliminate fever and strengthen immunity. It is also often used to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and coughs.

Hawthorn

Dark, has a slight red tint, and an unusual taste and smell is provided by the collection of nectar from the hawthorn medicinal plant (Figure 12). Due to this, the product is considered an excellent tool for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.


Figure 12. Features of the hawthorn variety

In addition, it is used to relieve fatigue, stress and general strengthening of the body. To do this, you can use the product in its pure form, or mix with pomegranate or carrot juice.

Crimson

The color is light golden, and its smell resembles the aroma of raspberry flowers (Figure 13). The product is very easily absorbed by the body, and does not lose its beneficial properties even after crystallization.


Figure 13. Useful properties of raspberry nectar

The use of raspberry nectar helps eliminate stress, relieve fatigue and keep the body in good shape during prolonged physical exertion. It is also mixed with warm tea and drunk at night to combat respiratory diseases. Inhalations based on it help in the treatment of tonsillitis and other inflammatory processes of the throat and nose.

from acacia

It is considered one of the most valuable products of beekeeping. The color depends on the variety of acacia. If the nectar was collected from a yellow tree, the honey will be light yellow, and if from a white one, it will be almost colorless (Figure 14).


Figure 14. Types of acacia honey

It has a pleasant floral aroma and a mild taste without bitterness. In addition, it does not sugar for a long time and can remain liquid for a year after pumping. As an external agent, it is used to treat eye diseases and wound healing, and is also consumed at night to combat insomnia.

rapeseed

It has a white and yellowish tint (Figure 15). The sweet taste hides a slight sugary aftertaste, which can leave a slight bitterness. The density is very high and it can quickly turn into crystals with a whitish tinge. Candied rapeseed nectar has a tart taste and a persistent aroma of flower fields.


Figure 15. Appearance of the rapeseed type

Bees produce it from the nectar of rapeseed flowers, which is known for its nutritional qualities, and its stems contain essential oils. It is necessary to store this beekeeping product with extreme caution, since it tends to turn sour. It is also poorly soluble in water, which must be taken into account when creating various medicinal mixtures based on it.

goldenrod

The collection of nectar by bees from the flowers of the common goldenrod makes it possible to obtain goldenrod honey, which may have a dark yellow or light brown hue (Figure 16). The taste is bitter and unpleasant aroma, but at the same time it is very useful for the human body.


Figure 16. Useful properties of goldenrod honey

Goldenrod nectar is used in diseases of the bladder and kidneys, in the treatment of painful urination. At the same time, it is used to adjust the metabolic process as a stimulating effect.

dandelion

The color has a characteristic golden yellow color, which is combined with a strong density (Figure 17).


Figure 17. Useful properties of dandelion honey

Dandelion nectar thickens very quickly and has a strong smell that has a special pungent taste.

With the onset of the spring period, it is consumed by bees as food, and it is also used as a feed additive in feed for adult insect brood.

Are all types of honey candied?

There is nothing supernatural in the crystallization of honey, since this is a natural phenomenon for this beekeeping product. After collection, after a certain period of time, the loss of structure and color gamut begins to occur. However, a change in color and density does not affect the loss of useful properties.

Sugaring is a natural phenomenon, since it indicates the naturalness of the product. Regarding the acquired consistency, it is customary to distinguish three types of crystallization:

  • Fat-like consistency: the product has a homogeneous thick mass without clearly visible crystals.
  • Fine-grained consistency: as the mass is formatted to a thick consistency, small crystals (less than 0.5 mm) begin to form in it.
  • Coarse-grained consistency: thickening begins after the formation of large crystals (more than 0.5 mm).

Sugaring ability depends on the level of fructose and glucose. The amount of glucose in the composition affects the rate of crystallization. However, varieties with a predominant amount of fructose can retain a liquid consistency and a golden hue much longer.

Note: Crystallization is considered the norm for most varieties. If sugaring did not occur, there is every reason to believe that the product was fake. However, there are cultivars that candy slowly and can retain a liquid consistency for up to a year after harvest.

Among the varieties that are not candied for the longest time, acacia, linden and chestnut are distinguished. In addition, the product obtained in May slowly crystallizes.

The author of the video will tell you everything about the crystallization of honey.

We know from childhood that honey is a delicious and very healthy delicacy.

Today, the market provides us with a huge number of different types of honey.

Among them, unfortunately, there are also fakes.

To make a quality purchase and not harm your health, it is very important to know what honey is and what properties it has.

Differences between different types of honey

Bee honey is a sweet thick product produced by bees. Various characteristics make it possible to distinguish many types of honey.

The classification is made according to the following criteria:

  • botanical origin;
  • geographical origin;
  • marketable condition;
  • method of obtaining;
  • density;
  • color and transparency;
  • taste and smell.

By botanical origin, honey is floral (natural) and honeydew.

flower honey bees produce from the nectar of flowering and non-flowering plants.

Derived from honeydew (the sweet, sticky sap of plant stems and leaves) and honeydew (a sweet liquid secreted by insects that feed on plant sap).

A typical example of the classification of honey by geographical origin is the name "Carpathian honey".

According to the method of extraction, honey can be honeycomb (in its natural form) and centrifugal (pumped out).

By density (or consistency), honey can be liquid and shrunken (crystallized).

By color, honey can be light and dark, according to this characteristic, you can roughly determine what the nectar was collected from: light honey is obtained from linden, acacia, sunflower, dark - from buckwheat and chestnut.

The transparency of honey determines the presence of bee bread (pollen) and crystallization processes. Natural honey is sweet with different notes: with a characteristic aftertaste, bitterness or cloying. The aroma of honey is determined by honey plants.


Honey collected from one plant exudes a pronounced smell, a diverse aroma is obtained from a whole bunch of plants. All types of honey have similar medicinal properties. Honey has a wound healing, antibacterial, soothing effect, has a positive effect on the cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous systems.

Did you know? In 2015, Ukraine became the first country in Europe and the third country in the world in terms of the amount of honey produced.

a very valuable product that comes to our table in its natural packaging - honeycombs, bypassing contact with technological equipment. For particularly demanding customers, honeycombs are a guarantee of quality and protection against fakes. In addition, if the honeycomb cells are sealed with natural “caps” (wax plates), it means that the honey in them is fully ripe.
Honey in combs is well preserved and does not crystallize for a long time. Comb honey is much more fragrant, and it can be consumed along with honeycombs.

From wax, the body receives useful fat-soluble biologically active substances, vitamins and natural antibiotics. Fatty acids of wax and propolis increase the body's defenses and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Propolis has bactericidal, antitoxic, antiviral, fungicidal and anti-inflammatory effects. Flavonoids, which contains propolis, enhance the effect of vitamin C and reduce the likelihood of thrombosis.

Wax cleans the gums and teeth from plaque, and the propolis contained in it destroys pathogenic bacteria. Wax acts as a natural absorbent in the digestive system.

The benefits of daily use of comb honey are undeniable: it will help protect the body from colds, cope with stress and restore strength during hard work.

Did you know? Propolis is a resinous brown bee glue that bees create by collecting sticky substances from tree buds and modifying them with their enzymes. With its help, the bees cover the cracks, disinfect the honeycombs, and regulate the passability of the notch.

monofloral flower honey

Honey from only one plant is called monofloral. Such honey in its pure form is very rare, more often a particular plant prevails by 40-60 percent.

White acacia honey transparent in liquid form and white in solidified form. from yellow acacia It turns out light, almost transparent liquid honey. Aromatic acacia honey has a delicate taste and bitterness is not characteristic of it, and due to the high fructose content, it can stay in a liquid state for quite a long time (1-2 years).
Acacia honey is easily absorbed by the body and can replace sugar and sweets. The product is an important component of diabetic nutrition; insulin is not required for its processing. It does not cause allergic reactions and has a good effect on the digestion of children.

With hypertension, this honey helps to lower blood pressure, favorably affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

The antiseptic properties of acacia honey are useful for eye diseases: a solution of honey in distilled water is instilled into the eyes; lotions are used for conjunctivitis.

Ointments and solutions with honey are used to treat dermatitis, wounds and ulcers. Traditional medicine advises simply applying honey to the affected areas of the skin.

In industrial cosmetology, acacia honey is used in the preparation of creams. Can be done at home honey masks. For normal and dry skin, honey is mixed with olive oil, for oily skin - with egg white. After 20 minutes, the mask is washed off with warm water. Washing with water with honey helps the skin cope with minor imperfections and improve nutrition.

Important! Candied honey is a good alternative to industrial skin scrubs.

Buckwheat honey is easy to recognize. Its shades are dark (orange, terracotta, brown), and the taste is spicy and tart, sometimes even bitter, from which itchy in the throat. Buckwheat honey crystallizes quickly.
Buckwheat honey, due to the presence of many vitamins, has a general strengthening effect on the body. It is useful during a period of increased activity of colds, as it helps to increase immunity and improve the body's defenses.

Buckwheat honey helps to cope with tissue damage: reduces inflammation, promotes wound healing. To restore the gastric mucosa in case of peptic ulcer, it is recommended to drink a glass of boiled water on an empty stomach daily and eat a dessert spoon of buckwheat honey after 15 minutes.

With the use of buckwheat honey, vitamin supplements are prepared.

To store honey, it is advisable to choose tightly closed glass, ceramic, aluminum containers or stainless steel dishes. Plastic containers should not have a specific smell.

Important! A mixture of honey and radish juice is an excellent cough remedy.

Rich brown color and bitter taste are the hallmarks of chestnut honey. Often this honey is more expensive. Light honey is obtained from horse chestnut, dark honey is obtained from sowing chestnut. Not everyone likes its specific taste, many prefer more popular types of honey, but connoisseurs will definitely appreciate the interesting nutty aftertaste and tart aroma.
Like other types of honey, chestnut honey has many medicinal properties.

It is recommended to eat it for colds, insomnia, nervous tension. Chestnut honey is a strong natural antibiotic, it will help fight inflammation, strengthen blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and increase appetite. It has a choleretic effect, stimulates digestion, tones the body.

Chestnut honey should be eaten with caution by children and people prone to allergies.

Important! Sometimes dishonest sellers try to fake the dark color of chestnut honey by adding burnt sugar to it. Such fake honey has an appropriate aftertaste.

Linden honey is one of the best varieties of honey. It is transparent, light yellow with an amber or greenish tint (due to honeydew), the smell of honey resembles the scent of lime flowers - sweet and fragrant with hints of mint and camphor. The taste of honey is very pleasant, with a persistent aftertaste and possible slight bitterness.
The shrunken honey has a bright yellow color and a coarse-grained structure. It is candied 3-4 months after pumping, gradually losing transparency and acquiring a thick consistency.

Also, this type of honey is useful for the liver and organs of the digestive system (it has a slight laxative effect), it restores strength, strengthens the general condition of the body.

The optimal daily intake of linden honey is 2 tablespoons for adults and 2 teaspoons for children.

Did you know? From the flowers of one medium linden, under optimal conditions, bees can produce more than 16 kg of honey.

Bees collect nectar from the flowers of garden or forest raspberries in the first months of summer. The structure of the flower allows them to do this even in rainy weather. Forest raspberries are a more productive honey plant: bees collect 70-100 kg of honey from an area of ​​one hectare, and 50 kg from garden raspberries.
Fresh raspberry honey has a golden hue, a pleasant aroma of raspberries, a soft structure and a delicate taste without bitterness. During the crystallization process, raspberry honey becomes grainy and takes on a creamy hue.

This type of honey is a wonderful immunomodulatory agent and a strong assistant in the treatment of colds and respiratory diseases. Traditional medicine prescribes the use of raspberry honey with warm tea or milk.

For inhalation, pour into a small teapot a glass of hot water and add a spoonful of honey, you need to breathe in pairs for about half an hour. This procedure can be done for 10 days.

It is useful to eat raspberry honey in the presence of wounds and stomatitis in the mouth, chronic fatigue and neuroses. It will help the body to relax and establish a sound sleep. In ancient times, the property of honey to eliminate inflammation was used by women in the treatment of their diseases (ulcers, cysts).

Important! To distinguish real honey from fake, it is important to know a few rules. Real mature honey is viscous, it cannot drip from a spoon like jelly. In winter, honey cannot be liquid. If you dissolve high-quality honey in a glass of water, no sediment should form. If you put a drop of iodine on honey and it turns blue, then the honey is thickened with starch.

sunflower honey

Sunflower honey is easy to recognize: it is bright yellow, sweet and slightly tart in the first seconds. This honey crystallizes very quickly, a white crust often forms on the surface, and after 2-3 weeks, liquid honey turns into a thick mass with large lumps. This is due to the fact that 50% of the mass of honey is glucose. Mature honey is hard, with yellow or amber crystals, reminiscent of melted butter.

Sunflower honey contains a large set of useful amino acids necessary for protein synthesis, and antioxidants.

Due to its not very attractive appearance, buyers often bypass this type of honey. In fact, it has many healing properties. Sunflower honey is a natural antidepressant, it also strengthens the walls of blood vessels, reduces swelling, and improves liver function. A high glucose content contributes to the rhythmic work of the heart.

The combination of sunflower honey and cinnamon is effective for the prevention of arthritis.

Important! When heated above 50 ° C, honey loses its valuable properties.

Rapeseed honey is more popular in Europe and America, in our country rapeseed is mainly considered as a fodder crop for animals. The plant contains essential oils that give honey its characteristic aroma. From 1 hectare of rapeseed field you can get up to 90 kg of honey.
Rapeseed honey is characterized by a light yellow color (after crystallization - white) and a pronounced pungent odor. The taste of this honey is very sweet, even a little sugary, as it contains a large amount of glucose and fructose, and leaves a bitter aftertaste. It is practically insoluble in water, it is better not to add it to drinks.

The consistency of rapeseed honey is thick. Honey crystallization occurs so quickly that it can be sugared a day after collection, and it will no longer be possible to pump it out. Therefore, rapeseed honey is often fed to bees in hives.

At home, rapeseed honey can be stored in a liquid state for up to 3 weeks, so it is better to buy it in small containers and use it right away. A jar of honey is stored in a cool dark place.

Rapeseed honey is useful for anemia and diseases of the cardiovascular system. The boron contained in it contributes to the restoration of bone tissue and the functioning of the thyroid gland. Honey saturates the body with energy, which is important during heavy physical exertion. Rapeseed honey is effective in fighting coughs and is great for soothing sore throats.

Important! Sometimes honey can cause asthma attacks. A contraindication to the use of honey is individual intolerance. Diabetics with type 2 diabetes should discuss this issue with their doctor. It is not recommended to eat honey for children under 3 years old.

Polyflora flower honey

polyfloral honey produced from the nectar of various honey plants. Honey often gets its names from the land from which it was collected: forest, steppe, meadow, mountain.

May honey is the earliest honey pumped out in mid-May - early June. This honey has light colors (from white to yellow) and a sweet taste without bitterness. Immediately after pumping, it looks like a sweet light syrup with almost no smell, it gets its final appearance when it is infused for 3-5 months.
The aroma of May honey is a unique bouquet of smells of various honey plants blooming in spring: lily of the valley, bird cherry, currant, strawberry, lingonberry, cherry, apple tree, pear, sage, willow.

May honey is the most popular and in demand, it has many medicinal properties, like other types of honey.

The special benefit of May honey is that it is low allergenic and can be safely used in baby food, and the presence of fructose allows diabetics to eat it.

Important! If you suffer from insomnia, try drinking a glass of warm milk or water with a spoonful of honey before bed.

forest honey

Forest honey is produced by bees from the nectar of flowers of forest trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants (maple, acacia, willow, chokeberry, broom, bird cherry, hawthorn, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, oregano, lily of the valley, thyme).
Such honey has a slightly tart bitter taste and a very fragrant aroma of herbs. The color of forest honey depends on which plants served as honey plants: it varies from light to dark shades. During long-term storage, honey acquires a heterogeneous structure with small crystals; initially, it can have both a liquid and a thick consistency. Hives for a forest apiary are placed in glades and forest edges.

Forest honey is a very healing product that has collected the beneficial qualities of many plants. In terms of the number of medicinal properties and useful substances, forest honey is the leader among all types of honey.

It contains a large amount of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C, PP, K, E) and minerals, has a beneficial effect on almost all organ systems, has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

Forest honey helps to increase the level of hemoglobin, tones the body and is recommended for insomnia. It is useful for the prevention and treatment of colds: during a period of increased risk, a mixture of chopped dried fruits and nuts with honey will be a tasty and healthy vitamin supplement to the diet.

Do not forget that forest honey is high in calories and often causes allergic reactions in children.

Did you know? Beekeeping is an ancient method in beekeeping, based on the use of bees - a natural or hollowed out hollow in trees for keeping bees. With the development of cultural beekeeping and the spread of the frame hive, it lost its importance and is rarely used, but on the territory of Ukraine it is still found in the forests of Polissya.

field honey

This type of honey is very popular. It is based on the nectar of many field herbs: oregano, valerian, celandine, mustard, thyme, shepherd's purse, sage, wild rose, clover, alfalfa, willow-tea, dandelion, chamomile, thyme, chicory, St. John's wort, thistle, nightshade.
The taste and medicinal qualities, as well as the appearance of field honey, depend on the predominance of characteristic plants in the honey collection area. From the same field in different seasons, honey can be obtained with different characteristics. The color range of such honey is from colorless to yellow-orange and light brown, the taste is sweet with bitterness, the smell is pleasant, herbal.

If the predominant plant is rosehip, honey contains a large amount of vitamins. Sage and chamomile provide honey with anti-inflammatory properties, thyme - expectorant, diuretic and bactericidal, valerian - soothing. Honey from St. John's wort flowers is effective in the treatment of skin abscesses, ulcers, wounds.

Steppe honey

Steppe honey has absorbed the aroma and beneficial properties of steppe herbs, it is characterized by high nutritional and healing properties. Honey plants for such honey are cultivated (buckwheat, clover, rapeseed, thyme, sweet clover) and wild plants (dandelion, thistle, cornflower, thistle, wild radish) plants.
Honey has amber and golden hues, a flowery-herbaceous smell and a pleasant tart taste, it quickly crystallizes.

Steppe honey is useful to take in diseases of the liver, respiratory organs and colds. The calming effect of steppe honey is effective for nervous disorders, headaches, stress, and insomnia.

Honey helps to normalize blood pressure, expand the coronary vessels. For the treatment of gastritis with high acidity, it is recommended take three times a day a few hours before meals a glass of warm boiled milk with a tablespoon of steppe honey.

Did you know? From plants such as azalea, andromeda, aconite, wild rosemary, common privet, heather chalice, mountain laurel, rhododendron, hellebore, the so-called "drunk honey" is obtained. It causes signs of intoxication or poisoning in a person: nausea, vomiting, dizziness and weakness, respiratory distress and heart function, and sometimes loss of consciousness.

mountain honey

Mountain honey is an elite and expensive type of honey collected in an ecologically clean mountainous area (in the foothills, at the foot of the mountains). More than 50 plants can be honey plants for mountain honey: acacia, hawthorn, blackthorn, bird cherry, wild rose, thistle, sage, elecampane, oregano, veronica, lemon balm, thyme, hawthorn.
Mountain honey is polyfloral, so its smell combines the aromas of many flowers, and the taste is astringency and bitterness. The type of honey depends on the region in which it was collected. The color of mountain honey is light shades of yellow and brown.

Real mountain honey is an excellent remedy for colds, diseases of the respiratory tract, eyes, liver, it is good for the cardiovascular system and the thyroid gland, calms the nervous system, has an antibacterial property, due to which it is used in the treatment of wounds and burns.

Mountain honey is a strong immunomodulator. It is also recommended for the nutrition of diabetics.

Did you know? Representatives of the Nepalese Gurung people extract wild honey at a height of 25 meters above the ground with the help of simple tools: rope ladders and long bamboo sticks.


In hot weather, when plants stop producing nectar, bees collect honeydew and fall. The first is a sweetish liquid that is secreted by the leaves and shoots of plants, and the second is the waste product of insects (aphids, psyllids, mealybugs) that feed on plant sap.

This liquid contains protein breakdown products and other substances of animal origin.

When the source of honeydew is the leaves of coniferous trees (fir, spruce, pine), honey is called coniferous; pad collected from deciduous trees (linden, maple, oak, willow, ash, cherry, plum, apple, willow) becomes the basis of coniferous honey.

Bees collect honeydew in the highlands and in coniferous-deciduous forests. Often honeydew honey contains some part of flower honey, this type of honey is called mixed. Honeydew honey is categorically not suitable for feeding bees in winter. Too much content of minerals and nitrogenous compounds can lead to the death of the bee family.
Honeydew honey is produced during a dry summer or late season when most of the plants have faded. It has a viscous, sticky structure, dark brown or orange-yellow (pine needle honey) color and contains many minerals. Such honey has a sweetish taste with hints of bitterness. The aroma of honeydew honey is peculiar, spicy. This type of honey does not dissolve well in water.

Honeydew honey has found application in cosmetology (in the care of problematic skin), cooking and traditional medicine (a dietary supplement for mineral deficiency, a remedy for colds, diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver and pancreas).

You can recommend the article to your friends!

70 times already
helped


Some varieties of bee honey have always been considered elite - but why are they classified as elite? And what is usually done before packaging, if we talk about varieties typical of Siberia? The answers to these questions are in the text. Separately, we talk about the benefits of honey products, and also give all the contraindications.

Any useful product in the hive is prepared from nectar and pollen. If you mix nectars of different colors, the variety will be called polyfloral. Syrup or honeydew can also serve as raw materials - we will get two more separate varieties. It is impossible to list what varieties of honey are within the framework of one review: there are even dozens of monofloral varieties. All varieties, however, can be divided into groups, guided by some one sign. This feature can be color, origin of the product, and so on.

Honeydew, sugar and floral

Flower varieties of honey include any product obtained from nectar. And the nectar appears inside the flowers: it can be acacia, raspberry, clover ... And also sunflower, burdock, but not only.

Collection of nectar

For the sugar variety, the name speaks for itself: the bees were fed water and sugar. With a honeydew variety, everything looks more complicated:

  1. Pad is of animal or vegetable origin. In the first case, we are talking about the secretions of small insects, such as a bear butterfly;
  2. Vegetable pad is honeydew, which is divided into two types. It can be deciduous and coniferous, and in the second case, the content of "animal honeydew" is zero.

In Europe, coniferous honeydew honey is highly valued. Why this is so is probably clear.

In theory, we have fully considered what a sugar, honeydew and flower variety is. Even honeydew honey has useful qualities - for example, it contains potassium. There are no medicinal properties only in a product derived from sugar ...

Bees do not collect nectar from the flowers of some plants in principle. Therefore, people boil the nectar themselves, evaporating the fruits. Homemade watermelon honey is called nardek, and the grape variety is bekmez.

blooming grapes

In cooking, a sugar variety is used, as well as bekmez or nardek. Honeydew, and even more so any flower honey, cannot be heated above 60 degrees.

Already when heated to 51 C, some useful properties are lost. If heated further above 60 C, the product may become carcinogenic. However, this applies to rare varieties. One of them is chestnut.

Taste and color...

The darkest, apparently, is buckwheat honey. The chestnut variety is not far behind him.

Buckwheat nectar product

The lightest, that is, perfectly transparent product, is obtained from acacia nectar. But here we need a white acacia, not a yellow one. By the way, honey from white or yellow acacia is called "May".

All varieties named above are considered elite - in this sense they are not inferior to each other. And only mountain forbs surpass them - it has always been thought so.

The physical properties of known varieties are discussed in the table.

This entire list leads to the following thought: the raspberry variety does not belong to the "elite". But it is known about raspberry honey that it is medicinal. Its medicinal properties are not inferior to fresh berries.

There is a polyfloral variety called "white", and it is not rare and useful. The basis is the same raspberry nectar, as well as sweet clover and acacia. Sometimes nectar of rare herbs is added - alfalfa, Siberian angelica, etc.

Rapeseed product

The thick white honey in which the spoon is held is obtained from rapeseed nectar. The value of this product is low. Similar in properties, but more liquid, remains a product from thistle. It's rich in vitamin C...

The darkest type of honey is called black. The raw material is Egyptian cumin nectar.

Black and acacia variety

Another honey product can also be brought from Egypt - it will also be dyed black. It is obtained from ordinary cane, and the method used is the same as when cooking bekmez or nardeq.

We carry out express analysis

If the moisture content of the finished product exceeds 21%, then during sugaring it is divided into fractions. Mature honey, on the other hand, has a low moisture content of 20% or less. So, the main characteristic of honey is its “maturity”. When measuring, of course, always determine the humidity. For this, a device is used - a refractometer, which still needs to be calibrated ...

Looks like the honey is unripe

There is an easier way: a spoon is placed in a dish with a product and rotated in one direction. If you then remove the spoon, it will be noticeable that the honey has wrapped around it in layers.

To determine the quality of honey, you can simply measure the density. The weight of 100 ml of the product should be 141-143 grams.

A chemical pencil should not dissolve in a drop of honey. If the humidity exceeds 20%, the lead will leave a mark. By the way, it makes no sense to check the product from the supermarket for maturity - it is increased artificially. Before packing, honey is evaporated, relieving it of some of its healing properties. For example, all essential oils evaporate in this case.

Now consider how to determine the presence of honeydew impurity.

Honeydew variety, not coniferous

A description of this procedure can be found in any reference book:

  1. We prepare a 50% mixture of honey and distilled water;
  2. Gradually add 96% ethyl alcohol. The volume of alcohol will exceed the volume of water by 6 times. If the solution is cloudy, the honey contains animal honeydew.

The point is that a product with a high protein content begins to ferment after crystallization. And there's nothing to be done about it.

Elite varieties justify their name: their properties are such that the product does not sugar for a long time. The period of crystallization, that is, the time from distillation to sugaring, they have more than 2 years. And for some "low varieties" it is one month.

Fake honey, video with an example

About contraindications

It is clear that the nectar of plants in any case contains pollen. And that means that any flower variety will be contraindicated for allergy sufferers: we are talking about a ban even on the use of compresses.

Honey mask, safflower variety

  1. An hour before meals or 2 hours after;
  2. Right before a meal, if we want to increase the acidity.

In general, the product in question refers to laxatives. And it has nothing to do with the variety.

Not so long ago, it became known about the “drunk”, that is, the poisonous variety of both honey and nectar. Azalea, wild rosemary, marsh heather and rhododendron exude this nectar. The plants named here can only be found in the southern regions of Russia. Symptoms of poisoning with "drunk honey" are nausea and vomiting, dizziness and chills, convulsions ...

Marsh rosemary flowers

Regardless of the variety, natural honey strongly "invigorates", that is, it tones the nervous system. But there are exceptions - sweet clover and fireweed variety. Make a conclusion.

An extract can be prepared from the berries of Chinese magnolia vine. It has strong tonic properties. In its pure form, not everyone can take it, so they do this: they take lemongrass as a basis, dry fruits are mixed with honey and sugar, and the mixture is placed in capsules. By the way, drying the fruits, they are crushed to a state of powder.

Both products, lemongrass and honey, have a similar effect. Their properties must not be different. Otherwise, for the manufacture of capsules, they would take something else.

A few words about rare varieties

Even the tobacco flower is a honey plant.

Fragrant tobacco, flowering

We list rare varieties of honey and name their properties:

  • Tobacco - properties have not been fully studied;
  • Carrot - helps to treat ophthalmic diseases;
  • Dandelion - golden yellow, sweet and very thick. Suitable for the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Pumpkin - normalizes metabolism, contains a lot of iron;
  • Dudnikovy - restores the intestinal microflora and, in addition, is an antiseptic. Angelica is medicinal sweet clover.
  • Honey from Tatar honeysuckle is almost never found in monofloral form. Very rich in vitamins!

Dandelion honey can be candied quickly - almost a month after pumping. The angelica variety is characterized by something else - honey will be stored for a long time, but the healing properties will weaken in a year.

It would seem that angelica and sweet clover are plants of the same family. And that means that their medicinal properties should be the same. In reality, sweet clover honey helps cleanse blood vessels and cure atherosclerosis.

Exploring different varieties, you need to know which plant served as a honey plant. The example with sweet clover is indicative, but not the only one. Chestnut, for example, is horse and edible, and the name is used one - chestnut honey. And then there is such a plant as mustard, and its nectar can give bitterness. It will be impossible to get rid of this bitterness in principle.

Gorchak creeping, flowers

By the way, the presence of "bitter nectar" is more often characteristic of dark varieties.

There are no methods of analysis to identify the nectar of the mustard. But the proverb about a fly in the ointment applies just to him.

As mentioned, monofloral honey from honeysuckle nectar is a very rare product. The point is that honeysuckle does not grow without acacia, which bees visit willingly. For each rare variety, a similar cause can be found. The same safflower, for example, produces nectar "by mood", although the variety is not very valuable. Safflower honey is mainly used in cosmetology.

Safflower honey product

Choose a product by consistency

The experiment with the determination of moisture, which was discussed above, had to be carried out at 20 C. It turns out that the viscosity and density of honey change greatly with temperature:

  1. Viscosity at T=30 C will be 4 times less than at 21-22 C;
  2. Honey is stored at temperatures below 20 C. This means that the product must be warmed up before use.

By the way, before packing, honey can be heated up to 45 C. Useful properties are not lost from this, but fluidity increases to a maximum.

Variety differences

To pump heather honey, the combs have to be shaken.

Heather nectar product

For other varieties, this is not typical - their consistency still resembles a liquid:

  • Acacia and clover varieties are very liquid;
  • Fireweed, linden, buckwheat, chestnut and all high-mountain ones are liquid varieties;
  • Sunflower, dandelion, honeydew and rapeseed - thick;
  • Heather - gelatinous.

Any variety not on this list will be between "thick" and "thin" in consistency. It is this “commercial honey” that everyone is used to seeing on store shelves.

When pumping on a centrifugal honey extractor, honeycombs are recommended to be placed into the apparatus from the hive immediately. As the temperature drops, the viscosity will increase and the pumping quality will decrease.

Differences between steaming and warming up

The attentive reader noticed that two different procedures were named in the text. The result of their execution is also different:

  • After warming up, even to 49-50 C, none of the properties will change, except for viscosity;
  • With prolonged heating of the product to T = 60 C, we will get less useful honey, and the “maturity” characteristic will improve - the humidity will drop to 20-21%.

By the way, all over the world, honey with a moisture content of 20% or less is called mature. In the Russian GOST, the numbers "21%" are indicated.

What's left after evaporation

This was done so that the beekeepers of Siberia and the Far East could somehow sell their products.

In Europe, they do it easier: honey is called a product from vegetable honeydew there. More precisely, honeydew honey accounts for 80% of the total turnover. The moisture index of any honeydew variety is 15-17%.

Similar posts