If you’re a tea-enthusiast, you’re looking for something new with which to sweeten your coffee, or you just like using honey because it’s sweet and it tastes good, you may also want to figure out which is the best brand of honey for you and your kitchen. Surprisingly, honey is a much more versatile and competitive industry than you may think off-hand. Honey is nearly as versatile as the world of flowers and fauna from which it comes. Yet, few people know and understand the differences between the wide varieties of honey and what they have to offer.
When it comes to learning about honey, the first thing to note is that there are over 300 types of honey. This makes it a wildly versatile market boasting a huge spectrum of flavors and tastes. Some popular honey varieties even have a slew of health benefits that accompany them. All of this considered, it can take some time to figure out which honey is the honey for you.
Understanding not all Honey is the Same
First and foremost, not all honey is the same. This is vital to understand and integral in picking a honey that works for you and your lifestyle. Honeybees will visit over 50,000 flowers in a day. During this process they collect pollen and nectar to deliver to the hive. There, at the hive, the worker bees then turn that pollen and nectar into honey. The honey that results is influenced by a huge number of environmental factors.
A good comparison to consider is the way that wine varieties are cultivated and produced. The soil, the type of grapes, the climate, the weather, and a number of other influential factors are integral in creating the unique flavor profile of a specific wine. In this same way, the soil, weather, climate, and floral-variety from which the honeybees collect pollen and nectar all come into play in delivering the flavor-profile and properties of the resulting honey.
With that in mind, the colorful bouquet of the honey industry and honey varieties should start to come into full display.
Certain honey types even contain healing properties and health benefits. For instance, alfalfa honey contains probiotics which are good for gut health and digestion. Alfalfa honey, when used regularly, can even be folded into a comprehensive treatment plan for diabetes.
Eucalyptus honey, on the other hand, is packed full of antioxidants which boosts the immune system and is also a potent anti-inflammatory agent. If you’re enthusiastic about home-remedies, honey offers a wide selection of choices with an even wider array of health and healing properties.
How Manuka Honey Stands Out
Manuka honey is one of the most popular honeys on the market. This is especially true when it comes to the pharmaceutical world. If you’re specifically looking for a honey that has health benefits, look no further. Manuka honey from New Zealand is the undisputed winner when it comes to healthy honey varieties.
Manuka honey is specifically sourced from New Zealand and the manuka tree. The honey that results from manuka flowers is dark in color and thicker than most other honeys on the market. What really makes manuka honey stand out from the competition, though, is its integration in medicinal practices.
Manuka honey has a higher concentration of MGO or methylglyoxal. This is a powerful antibacterial agent and is the key component that contributes to many of the health benefits associated with manuka honey. In fact, it’s the high levels of MGO found in manuka honey that make it a viable topical treatment for open wounds.
Manuka honey has also been shown to alleviate inflammation and irritation caused by chronic acne, as well as aiding in gut health and digestion. Going even further, manuka honey is also antiviral, making it a wonderful addition to someone’s regular health routine.
The Power of Ethical Beekeeping
When it comes to choosing a brand for any product in the modern economy, the practices behind the operations are well worth considering. The honeybee plays a major role in the health of our planet, and protecting their fragile ecosystem is now a global burden that we all share.
By specifically supporting brands who conduct their business with ethical beekeeping practices is a good way to do your part in protecting the environment.
Picking the Right Honey for You
When it comes down to it, everyone has different flavor preferences, different ailments, and different experiences. With over 300 varieties of honey on the market to choose from, it can be daunting to narrow it down to just a single brand or flavor. If you know what you’re looking for though, that can help you immensely in easing the decision process and selecting a honey variety that meets all your needs and more.
