Honey

1- Introduction

Honey is a sweet yellow liquid produced by honey bees. Honey is created by bees as their food source.Honey In cold weather or when food sources are short , bees use their stored honey as their source of energy.Honey is about 36% denser than water.The composition of honey consists of varying proportions of fructose, glucose, water, oil , minerals and special enzymes produced by bees. As a rule, darker honeys contain higher amounts of minerals than the lighter honeys . Honey comes in all types of colors and flavors. The color , flavor and the properties of the honey depends on types of honey bees and the kind of flowers that were used to extract the nectar (sweet Juices). Honey is considered to be the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life. Honey collection is an ancient activity. Since the ancient times honey is used as a medicine . There are many hadith in which RasoulAllah had recommended honey for the healing purposes. The Qur'an promotes honey as a nutritious and healthy food. In the Quran, the honey bee is mentioned more specifically than other animals. There are many examples of animals in the Quran but none of them is mentioned in successive verses. The name of the 16th surah of Quran is al- Nahl and it means the honey bee . Following are the verses 68 and 69 of al- Nahl that mention the honey-bees .

"And your Lord inspired the bee: build homes in mountains and trees, and in (the hives) they build for you. Then eat from all the fruits, following the design of your Lord, precisely. From their bellies comes a drink of different colors, wherein there is healing for the people. This should be (sufficient) proof for people who reflect." (16:68-69)

2- How do bees make honey?

The first step in making honey begins when field bees fly from flower to flower collecting the sweet juices or nectar that a flower provides. With their tongues, the field bees suck out the nectar and store it in sacs within their bodies. After filling their sacs with sweet juices or nectar that a flower provides , the field bees fly back to their bee hive and regurgitate the stored nectar into the mouths of house bees.

These house bees are assigned the job of adding enzymes from their bodies to the nectar. The enzymes cause the water in the nectar to evaporate-thereby turning the nectar into honey. Lastly, the nectar is stored in a cell of a honeycomb ( hive). Overtime, the nectar ripens and becomes honey. Some details about the honey bees , properties and uses of honey are given below.

3- The uses of Honey:

* Mixture of equal quantities of honey and ginger juice is a good expectorant. It helps in colds, cough, sore throat and runny nose.
* For asthma, mix half a gram of black pepper powder with honey and ginger juice mixture. Drink this mixture a few times a day.
* Honey can soothe and encourage the healing of sores in the mouth.
* Honey has been used for thousands of years as a topical dressing for wounds because germs cannot live in honey.
* Honey is a great moisturizer and can be used on the skin as a natural revitalizing mask
* Eating a little local honey will make you “immune’ to pollens in the area.
* Honey can improve the eyesight, when taken with carrot juice.
* Honey can reduce the fat and constipation, if taken in the morning with a glass of warm water with 6 drops of Cumin oil.