Honey is Magic

I call my wife honey because it is the sweetest compliment I know.

Growing up when we got stuffy, my mother would bring us honey with lemon in hot water. A soothing drink with mysterious powers.

Behold the wisdom of the old wives’ tale, Winnie the Pooh, and others who have advocated for the regular consumption of honey. Honey is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and linked throughout history as a cure to many common ailments from respiratory issues to skin diseases and burn recovery. Recently scientific studies have gone as far to link honey as having the potential to treat diseases as extreme as cancer. As a social critic, I believe the power of honey would be much more publicized and researched if it was easier to brand, copyright, and profit from; alternatively, it is bees who hold the secrets of production, and local sources of honey are abound. Recently on a walk outside Nottingham in the UK, I passed a local beekeeper selling honey and purchased a large jar for 5 quid!

I view the consumption of locally produced honey as an easy way to bring our body ‘in-tune’ with the native flora in a particular environment. Bees are linked to the health of our planet and at risk of Colony Collapse Disorder and other issues if not supported (see work of Paul Stamets). Buying from local beekeepers is a straightforward way to help the sustainability of our planet with shared benefits to the user and producer.

Somewhat bizarrely, honey does not spoil and is one of the few food products that can make this claim. I see this as more proof. Honey is gold. Honey is magic.