May honey: benefits and harm to the body

May honey got its name due to the period of its collection. It is with the advent of May that the bees become active and begin to collect nectar from the first flowering plants. Pumping of such honey occurs in early June.

After pumping, the honey has an almost transparent color. It also happens to be light yellow, and sometimes pale green. At the very beginning, honey is more like syrup without a special smell. For it to become tasty, saturated with all the useful properties, it takes about five months to defend it. After this time, honey will become very tasty and aromatic.

The aroma of May honey is fragrant with menthol notes. It directly blows cool. Such honey is the most popular and is in great demand.

What plants are the basis for may honey

From the name of May honey, we can conclude that in comparison with other species, such as acacia, buckwheat, lime, it differs in the collection period. Specialists advise all buyers to remember that this concept for the most part is only a marketing move that sellers specifically came up with for potential customers. Professional beekeepers have not used this concept for a long time.

The main mistake was made in the name of the beekeeping product - it lies in the fact that honey is actually produced in June, and not in May. Therefore, it is better to even call it early summer or June. The most important thing to remember and know is that May honey is multifler, that is, it contains several honey plants that grow close to each other, and their flowering period coincides.

May honey in its composition can be quite diverse. It all depends on the number and name of honey plants. Honey is pretty expensive. This is due to the limited number, and not at all, of the composition of the plants.

The main components of the first pumping of May honey are often cherry, hazel, cherry, cherry, apple, plum, as well as various fruit bushes: raspberries, gooseberries, currants. It can also be alder, and maple, and willow, and mountain ash, and even barberry, honeysuckle, hawthorn, almond, strawberry, violet, dandelion.

Each individual composition included in the honey of plants and trees depends on the climatic characteristics of the area where the honey is collected, and the location of the apiary itself.

Does may honey crystallize

The duration of crystallization, experts say, depends primarily on the percentage of the two components of this beekeeping product. We are talking about glucose and fructose, which are necessarily part of its composition. In the case when the fructose in the honey is more than glucose, the product crystallizes for a long time and can remain in a liquid state for about a year.

If glucose prevails in the composition, then honey will crystallize faster. The beginning of this process is considered to be a period of two to three months from the moment of its collection in the spring time period. By the beginning of September, the honey product becomes sugared, fully suitable and ready for use, collecting many useful properties.By its consistency, such crystallized honey must necessarily resemble rather thick cream, and those that receive crystals should quickly dissolve in the mouth.

Properties of crystallized honey, which indicate its high quality:

1. The crystals formed are the same size.
2. After the crystallization process has expired, a rather pronounced aroma is heard from the container.
3. Such honey has a tart taste.
4. Pollen is observed on the surface.

However, honey produced in the springtime may not thicken over time. If such a process does not occur, then this indicates that the quality of the finished product is low. The duration of the thickening period primarily depends on the percentage of glucose and fructose. For example, if honey contains more fructose, then such a product remains liquid throughout the year. If it contains more glucose, then it will crystallize quickly.

Other cases of lack of crystallization of May honey:

1. Adding water. Experienced beekeepers add water to the finished product, which does not allow it to be sugared.
2. Exposure to heat treatment: cooling or heating. This leads to a suspension of crystallization and the loss of many of its beneficial properties and taste.
3. Feeding with sugar. When collecting nectar, the bees were fed with sugar in parallel in order to speed up the production process and get a larger amount of output. This honey will be in a liquid state for a long time, but it will lose many of its beneficial properties.
4. Add sugar syrup to the finished product to increase the volume. Some sellers resort to such tricks, who set themselves the goal - making big profits.

Which honey is better: may or summer

In essence, the collection period of May honey begins closer to the end of May, when many flower plants and fruit trees bloom so that the beekeeping product is saturated with useful trace elements and substances. There is no special difference between May honey and summer honey, since the first one is mostly produced by bees in early June, that is, the first summer month.

What is the difference between May honey and ordinary

The main difference between May honey and ordinary honey is that during this period many plants bloom. They enrich the product with healing properties. This honey has the finest taste, mild aroma. If we compare the May species with the usual ones, the first prevails over all other varieties. The composition of the usual is for the most part beneficial elements of one plant.

Composition and calorie content

May honey has a rather complex chemical composition, which has more than 300 components. This diversity is due to the huge number of flowering plants that bees pollinate, collecting nectar from them. The honey produced looks different every time.

The main composition of May honey includes pollen of such flowering plants:

• and you;
• currants;
• bird cherry;
• dandelions;
• wild strawberries;
• apple trees;
• pears
• sage;
• Apricot
• acacia;
• Cherries
• plums.

Calorie May honey is quite high. For 100 g of this sweet and healthy product, 331 kcal. Therefore, this product can be consumed during the day in an amount of not more than 3 tablespoons.

What is May honey good for?

May honey is very rich in fructose, which helps the body quickly absorb it. The assimilation of this microelement does not lead to impaired functions in the pancreas and the development of diabetes. The use of May honey is useful in the presence of disturbances in the liver, atherosclerosis, as a sedative in case of nervous diseases and insomnia.

Also, May honey will perfectly complement any tea drinking ceremony, provide an improvement in the taste properties of prepared dishes.

For women

For women, honey is useful in that it strengthens the entire body, contributes to the preservation of youth.This is an excellent assistant in the treatment of many female diseases. Its benefits for the female body are undeniable, since honey can be found in cosmetics: face, body and hair masks.

For men

May honey is very useful for the male reproductive system, as it acts as a natural aphrodisiac for men.

As a result of eating honey, many men note an increase in sexual desire, prolonged erection. Honey is useful for potency, as it helps to strengthen the immune system, improve blood composition, normalize the work of all organs.

During pregnancy

It is useful to consume honey of dark varieties, which contain a sufficient amount of trace elements - iron, copper, cobalt. They help to develop a sufficient number of blood cells that ensure the normal course of pregnancy.

The use of honey by pregnant women has a beneficial effect on reducing calorie intake and helps not to gain weight quickly.

The use of honey by pregnant women helps to normalize the nervous system, reduce tension, improve well-being, and improve mood. If you add honey to milk and drink before bedtime, then you can eliminate insomnia.

When breastfeeding

During breastfeeding, for a normal milk production, a young mother is recommended to consume honey, but only after 3-4 months after delivery. In small quantities, it is very useful, as it improves blood quality, tones the body, eliminates all inflammatory processes that occur, and does not remove calcium.

For children

Honey is very useful for children, it nourishes its body with essential trace elements that help in development.

Useful properties of honey in the diet of children:

1. Helps to strengthen the skeleton, helps to properly form bones, teeth.
2. Improves blood composition, increases hemoglobin level, helps to recover quickly with anemia.
3. Helps to improve digestion, the rapid absorption of food, the active process of digesting proteins and fats.
4. Acts as a strengthening agent for the general spectrum.
5. Helps to improve vision, increase its sharpness.
6. Benefits teeth without destroying tooth enamel.
7. Helps in the treatment of the genitourinary system.
8. It acts as a sedative, which helps to relax the children's nervous system, normalize proper sleep.
9. It softens bouts of increased coughing in diseases of the respiratory tract.

When losing weight

During the diet, it is recommended to eat a spoonful of honey in the morning on an empty stomach, washing it all down with a small amount of water. You can also eat a spoonful of honey before lunch and dinner thirty minutes before a meal. This intake mechanism helps reduce appetite before eating.

If you replace sweet, fatty, salty and fried foods with honey and adhere to this principle of nutrition, then you can lose five or six kilograms.

May honey in traditional medicine

The main features of the use of May honey in folk medicine is the treatment of such ailments as:

1. Chronic fatigue syndrome. After using honey in the human body, the amount of glucose and fructose increases, which contributes to the appearance of the so-called energy explosion.
2. Insomnia and other various nervous disorders.
3. Colds accompanied by severe cough and sore throat.
4. A hangover, in order to free the body from the remnants of the products of alcohol intoxication.
5. Headaches, other painful conditions: arthritis, arthrosis and rheumatism.
6. Skin diseases, skin rashes.
7. Different kinds of inflammatory processes.
8. The presence of health problems associated with a lack of appetite.
9. Disruption of the respiratory tract, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Still honey is used as a general strengthening agent as part of complex therapy at the stage of recovery during a period of great exhaustion of the body.

Traditional medicine contains many recipes using honey. The most popular of them:

1. Honey with radish - cough relief. For this, it is necessary to wash the radish well, cut a recess in it. Pour 2 tablespoons of honey there. After that, defend the radish for four hours. When coughing, the resulting syrup is given to children and adults, one spoonful, three to four times a day, before meals. And it’s best to drink syrup before bedtime.
2. Onion juice with honey for hair growth. This recipe is very popular among residents of Greece. You need to take and grate the onion, add honey to it. The proportion is one in four. Next, rub the resulting mixture into the scalp and leave it alone for 30 minutes. After this time, the hair should be washed with warm water.
3. If you have a runny nose, you need to make a 30-percent solution of honey based on beet juice and instill six drops of the nose nostrils into it five times a day. You can also help children get rid of a runny nose with this solution.
4. For statistical constipation, it is recommended to use pumpkin seeds with honey or mixing it with the gruel of this vegetable. Take 400 grams of dried apricots and prunes, one package of Alexandrian leaf. Grind everything in a meat grinder and add 200 grams of natural honey to the resulting mixture. Take such a slurry 1 teaspoon in the morning before meals or an hour in the evening after dinner with a little warm water. Before using this method of treatment, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
5. In the presence of inflammation of the larynx, trachea, ears, a combination of aloe juice with honey is used. To do this, you need to prepare such a mixture: rinse the lower cut aloe leaves and chop into small pieces, then squeeze the juice out of them. Dilute the resulting juice with honey at the rate of five to one. Take the resulting fresh mixture by mouth before meals, 1 teaspoon three times a day for a couple of months.
6. Honey with garlic is very useful in the presence of lower limb diseases and heart problems. You need to take peeled and grated garlic in the amount of 250 grams and pour it with honey in the amount of 350 grams, mix everything well and put it to stand for 7 days in a dark place. Take this remedy 1 tablespoon 40 minutes before meals three times a day for two months.
7. In the presence of diseases of the stomach, honey with plantain juice should be taken. To do this, take half a kilogram of beekeeping product, mix with the same amount of plantain juice and boil the mixture on fire for 12 minutes. After cooling, take the resulting juice before meals three times a day in the amount of 1 tablespoon.

Application in cosmetology

The most common direction of using honey in cosmetology is to add it to the composition:

1. Face masks that are aimed at cleansing, nourishing, improving the general condition of the skin.
2. Balms that strengthen hair, give them shine, relieve dandruff.
3. Scrubs, body care creams.
4. Other spa treatments such as massages, body wraps, aromatherapy.

Honey is an excellent moisturizer that is rich in vitamins and minerals, which helps bring the skin to the required pH balance.

There are several good recipes that you must use when caring for skin and hair.

Lip scrub

The use of honey as a lip scrub, according to cosmetologists, is very effective. It is necessary to take 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of honey in a liquid state, half a teaspoon of cream, mix all this and apply daily to the skin of the lips in smooth circular movements. After 5 minutes, rinse the mixture with lips with warm water.

Hair Mask

To make it, you need to take coconut oil in a melted state in the amount of 3 tablespoons and a quarter of a cup of honey of a new crop. To mix the listed components among themselves, to put the received mix on all length of hair, beginning from the very roots.Then leave this mask on your hair for 20 minutes, then rub it into the scalp with smooth movements, then rinse off with warm water. Apply this mask to your hair if necessary.

Face milk

Sugar contained in honey affects the skin as a natural moisturizer, softener. It leads to an increase in the amount of water in the dermis, reduces the degree of dryness of the skin. To create such a tool, you need to take only 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of warm water. Apply the resulting milk to the skin for a couple of minutes, after which just rinse with water.

Moisturizing mask

The benefit of using this mask is that the vitamins contained in it mask the appearance of wrinkles, help reduce the risk of dehydration of the skin, and improve its structure. Such a mask leads to improved skin elasticity, the appearance of a healthy glow. To prepare the mask, you need to take half a banana, one apricot, 1 teaspoon of natural fresh honey. Combine all ingredients with a blender to a creamy state with an airy texture. Apply the resulting mixture to the entire face, neck, protecting the skin around the eyes. Apply this mask for 25 minutes, then rinse with cool running water.

Body care

A honey-based coffee scrub is great for body care. It fights in the best way against cellulite that appears on the skin, and also removes dry skin. Such a scrub has a lifting effect. To prepare it, you need to take 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a quarter of a cup of ground coffee and honey in a liquid state in the amount of 2 tablespoons. After mixing these components, a thick paste is obtained. Beauticians recommend applying it for 20-40 minutes on the body after showering on areas that need to be tightened. After time, everything must be washed off with cool water.

The use of may honey in cooking

The easiest way to use honey in cooking is to eat it by eating with spoons or as part of a sandwich with butter.

With the development of cooking, many chefs have found interesting options for the use of honey. The rich taste that may honey has is great for using it in the preparation of various marinades, a kind of salad dressings. May honey well reveals its taste in combination with lemon juice, sunflower oil and mustard. Even in Ancient Egypt, a vessel with honey was placed at tombs in tombs. This is evidenced by archaeological excavations of the tomb of about the thirteenth century BC. After printing the vessel with honey, it was revealed that the product has a wonderful smell, taste and texture.

When using honey for marinating meat, poultry, a beautiful golden and crispy crust will appear in the cooking process.

Honey filling is used during the preparation of fish and vegetables. But not all cooks use it, since they know little about the intricacies of this process.

When creating sweet culinary masterpieces, honey is also used, which is often added to the dough - the basis of the whole dish. It is just such a sweet pastry that retains its freshness much longer, has an unsurpassed aroma and taste that will amaze even the most professional confectioners.

Sweet cereals, cottage cheese, and granola with milk do not bypass honey.

Harm and contraindications

Although everyone is accustomed to believing that honey is a very useful product, one must not forget that not all this sweet product is useful and suitable.

Contraindications to the use of honey:

1. Allergy. If a person has allergies, it is strictly forbidden to use honey, as well as any other drugs in which he is a part.
2. Hypersensitivity.If, after consuming honey, a person has an upset gastrointestinal tract, then immediately stop eating this beekeeping product or treat it.
3. You can’t eat honey for women in position or young mothers who are breast-feeding a baby, since an allergic reaction to this product can occur in a newborn.
4. It is extremely important to consult a doctor for those people who are sick with diabetes and pancreatitis.
5. In the presence of rosacea. It manifests itself in the fact that with the naked eye you can see a mesh of capillaries that are dilated and damaged. From this it follows that the use of cosmetics, which includes honey, is prohibited, since it leads to activation of blood circulation, which can be an overload for fragile vessels.
6. The presence of toxic substances in honey. It is very important to know where the bees collected nectar for honey production. If these insects collected it from plants such as oleander, ledum, henbane, then the use of a beekeeping product can lead to poisoning, loss of consciousness, and dizziness.

How to choose and store

In the selection process, the most important criterion is the determination of quality, since this factor is the most important condition for honey to have healing and nutritional properties, which you must be sure of when using this beekeeping product during treatment.

Undoubtedly, the most natural is honey, which was collected and produced only in natural conditions, where no one intervened in the process of formation and composition of the sweet product.

The main rules when choosing honey:

• the presence of a pleasant smell;
• lack of taste and smell indicating souring;
• cost - the price should not be too low;
• purchase only from trusted sellers.

In order for honey to retain its beneficial properties, its owners must provide certain suitable conditions for its storage. To do this, you must follow a few basic rules.

1. The most common mistake is keeping honey in the refrigerator. In cold conditions, the process of fermentation begins to appear in honey, which over time leads to its spoilage.
2. Store honey only in glassware with a lid, which closes tightly.
3. Do not contain honey under direct sunlight. This can lead to the loss of vitamins that are found in honey. Therefore, a jar with such a tasty and healthy delicacy should be kept out of the reach of the light, for example, in a closet. However, the jar should be further away from another preservation so that the smells of pickles could not penetrate the honey.

Sugared honey usually retains its beneficial properties for up to 2 years if the product is natural and not bought in a store.

If a person uses the rules when choosing honey, saves it safely, uses it in accordance with the recommendations, then the product will not lose its healing properties and will not harm it when consumed.

How to check for naturalness

When choosing honey in the market or in the store, a person cannot be sure of where he was going to, what the environmental situation was like, how the honey was made. Recently, there has been a tendency that honey is increasingly appearing in the consumer market, which does not meet quality standards at all, is falsified, since auxiliary products began to be added to it (it can be corn or potato syrup, cane sugar, flour, chalk).

Qualitatively check honey can only be done in laboratory conditions, when there is a detailed study of its composition. If an excess amount of sugar is found in it, then this indicates that the bees were fed sugar syrup during the collection of nectar. If honey contains a large amount of water, it means that it is not yet ripe and can quickly become worthless.

The determining criterion confirming the quality of honey is the diastase number, which is determined by laboratory tests. It is a catalyst for metabolic processes. The higher this number, the more useful and better honey, its medicinal properties are better, the process of its assimilation by the body faster.

But at home, it is very difficult to determine the quality of honey, because for such studies it is necessary to have a specialized laboratory, which has a diverse number of chemicals.

Simple rules for buying honey:

1. Buy honey only in trusted places and from honest manufacturers.
2. When buying, pay attention to the packaging, which should be tight and neat.
3. If honey is purchased in a store, then the package must contain information about the place and date of collection, its compliance with state technical specifications, and certification according to ISO 22000: 2005, which confirms the high level of safety during the manufacture of products in mass production.
4. In appearance, it should be determined that there is no liquid on the surface of the honey. It should not be stratified.
5. Before buying, try honey, if possible. On the palate, it should not have any extraneous unpleasant shades. At the same time, the color, smell of honey must necessarily correspond to the variety that is declared on the package or by the seller himself.

Assessment of honey for naturalness using visual methods:

1. If the product is natural, then it should not be too liquid. That is, it is estimated how it stretches. The slower the honey flows down the jar, the less water in its composition. If there has been a crystallization process with honey, then it no longer needs to be checked for naturalness, as it will no longer deteriorate if storage conditions are met.
2. If there are white spots, this indicates the release of glucose.
3. Honey is famous for its color variety. It can be yellow, and light, and dark, even amber. Most importantly, its color should be clean, transparent and natural.

We can say that May honey should be in every person’s house. After all, this unique natural product is an active and indispensable assistant to the body in the fight against various diseases, a good component of home cosmetics.

Photo of may honey