Sweet As Honey

"All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground." 1 Samuel 14:25

To say that honey is ancient is an honest observation. It is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible most well known in the phrase "the land of milk and honey". What vivid imagery that produces, flowing with milk and honey. It seems very idyllic but what is honey and what can it do today?

I often wonder about things we take for granted like nuts and berries but especially honey. What unknowing person decided to tackle the hive in search of food? Did they survive the experiment and why would anyone that witnessed the event, attempt it themselves? Never the less, we have honey today and surely it is still as valuable even if we have taken it for granted and forgotten it's historic utility. Honey is touted as the cure all around the world. It is said to be useful for everything from arthritis to bad breath.

What makes this natural sugar so special? It is mostly fructose and glucose and 17% water. The water is important in that it makes it thin enough to still be a liquid but not so watery as to allow contamination. Honey is shelf stable almost indefinitely. The reaction of glucose, water, and oxygen also produces a small amount of hydrogen peroxide making it useful as an antiseptic. Honey also contains amino acids and nearly all of the trace elements needed by the human body. Bees work tirelessly collecting nectar and pollen from millions of flowers to provide us with this delectable gift. Surely even non-Christians can see God's hands in the design of the diminuitive bee.

What does honey add to our beauty and cleaning rituals? Honey as a natural antiseptic is great for healing up blemishes. Just put a dab on your pimple before you go to bed. It will be amazingly better by morning. Honey also works wonders when applied to the face. Beauty Secrets of the Bible states that honey is a "natural humectant and exfoliant, and gives the skin better absorption of product." I would suspect the natural antiseptic is also beneficial in fighting breakouts. I have tried this and it really did reduce the fine lines starting to show up around my eyes. Now I am only 35 so if you are 70 and this doesn't make a noticeable difference, don't yell at me!

I decided that I needed to make my own lotion and scoured the internet for a good recipe. I found this one Basic Lotion and played with the ingredients a bit. My first attempt included too much beeswax and made a very thick lotion. I thought it was a throw away batch but my husband has been using it on his hands to fight eczema during the dry winter months. Surprisingly, this mistake works better than the expensive lotions he had been buying. I don't know the exact measurements though so I have been trying to recreate my mistake. So my second attempt included some precise measurements and it made a nice lotion for my face but not the thick hand lotion. I added 1/2 tbsp of honey and used brewed green tea in place of the water and increased the beeswax to 1 1/2 tbsp. At first I did not think it made very much but a little of this goes a long way. Even my normally dry brittle nails have been growing.

Perhaps my lye will come today and I will have some new experiments to try tomorrow. Until then, you are stuck with my interest in historical tidbits and the chemistry of it all.