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Arab News

Wednesday, 8, December, 2004 (25, Shawwal, 1425)

 

 

The Magic Cure of Honey

 

By:  Fathima Hazara Haniffa

From the days of Cleopatra and her milk and honey baths to Jennifer Lopez and her honey facials, all-natural honey has long been the ingredient of choice for the world’s great beauties.

Honey has been used for centuries as part of health and hair care. The Honey Board has partnered with celebrity esthetician Christopher Watt, a skin specialist, to share the secret of the beauty benefits of honey.
Christopher Watt, owner of ‘Christopher Watt Esthetics’ in West Hollywood, has rapidly risen to popularity as a skin care expert. His clients include Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry, Rose McGowman, Ricky Martine and Melissa Joan Hart.
 

“Many of my clients come to me wanting the newest creams and toners, but I tell them that it’s the age old ingredient honey that often works best,” says Watt. He mixes honey in creams and lotions as it does a great job of softening the skin and locking moisture in. Honey is a key ingredient for Watt, in products including rejuvenating “Aloha Honey Hawaiian Delight” to his enriching “Green Honey Glow Mask”.
 

Many moisturizing products contain honey because of it ability to seal in moisture and keep the skin soft.
 

A hive of bees must tap approximately 200,000 flowers and travel over 55,000 miles to gather enough nectar to produce just one pound of honey.
 

Honey is not only used for beauty tips but as a healer. The use of honey as medicine is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an 1,400 years ago in the following verse:
 

“And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men’s) habitations; There issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men.” (Al-Qur’an 16:68-69).
Today scientists and doctors are rediscovering the effectiveness of honey as a wound treatment. Dr. Peter Molan, professor of biochemistry at Waikato University, New Zealand has been on the forefront of research for 20 years.
 

Clinical observations and experimental studies have established that honey has effective anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It painlessly removes pus, scabs and dead tissues from wounds and stimulates new tissue growth.
 

Honey was first used in a case of a teenager who was contracted with meningococcal septicemia. He endured multiple skin grafts and suffered for months with non-healing infected sores. When all the medications he tried failed to have effect, the clinical nurses turned to honey. Dressing pads impregnated with sterilized active Manuka honey from New Zealand were applied. The antibacterial action was evident as the mixed infection of Pseudomonas and Enterococcos cleared form the lesions and the number of colonizing diseases diminished to harmless level.
The Russians in World War II used honey to cover their wounds. Dr. Molan says, “Honey provides a moist healing environment, yet prevents bacterial growth even when wounds are heavily infected”.
 

He continues, “It is very effective means of quickly rendering heavily infected wounds sterile, without the side effect of antibiotics and it is even effective against antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.”
 

Honey heals all stomach ulcers and if applied on the skin, will heal skin ulcers. Honey is useful in various other ways, during diarrhea, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, sunburn and other burns and sore throats. Its double action (providing instant energy boost, while maintaining sugar levels for a long time), satisfies the hunger for sweets and may keep you feeling fuller for longer. For some dieters, this may be good news. Singers can use it to soothe the throat.
 

Some not-so scientific research has found that honey can speed alcohol metabolism and thus help sober a person. Daily use of honey provides heat and energy, wards off fatigues and is a natural recuperative. Honey does not only heal wounds but will improve your overall health. 

 (Arab News) 

 

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