As any good raw foodie will tell you, the nutritional value of food is maximised when consumed raw and honey is no different. Raw honey is a pure, unheated, unprocessed and unpasteurised dark liquid that contains a plethora of natural vitamins and nutritional benefits. It boasts of antioxidants, antibacterial properties and antifungal uses. For centuries, raw honey has been used as an incredible cure-all. In fact, ancient Egyptians believed the sweet stuff was a ‘nectar of the gods’ and included pots of honey in burial ceremonies!
Unlike store-bought versions, natural raw honey journeys from the hive to the jar, and comprises fine particles, pollen grains and air bubbles. It’s almost never golden in colour too. Manufacturers often heat-treat commercial honey, and alter its colour and consistency with additives. Though the heat treatment kills all pathogenic bacteria and produces a more palate-pleasing honey, it erases all other beneficial components in the process too. To decipher real raw honey, use a simple thumb test. Put a drop of the honey in question on your thumb. If it spreads or spills, it’s artificial. But if the little drop remains intact, it’s pure.
Join us as we dip our spoons into the delicious benefits of raw honey!
Have a sore throat, common cold or cough? Skip the medicine cabinet and open up your pantry and grab a spoonful of raw honey. The medicinal properties of raw honey are as exciting as its breadth of flavour. It’s an age-old natural solution to suppress horrid coughs, calm irritable throats and well, keep you cold-free. If you find the natural intensity of raw honey too much for you, add it to hot tea and a slice of lemon.
Time to add raw honey as a first-aid kit staple and use as a topical cream. The antibacterial properties of unprocessed honey can treat hard-to-heal wounds, reduce inflammation, promote new tissue growth and prevent infections. In particular, raw honey restores abrasion, bed sores, cuts and cracked nipples with ease. Put the sweet stuff on a bandage and then cover the affected area.
Apply honey as a spot treatment to get rid of nasty zits, let it sink in and rinse in the morning until the culprit vanishes. A dab will do!
When combined with some ingredients, honey can moisturise and nourish skin. For a powerful (and cheap) home beauty treatment, try a gentle avocado honey face mask. We love nutrition for our faces!
This recipe is incredibly simple and makes 1 face mask; use several times a week if you like.
Ingredients
Mix all ingredients until smooth. Spread the mixture over your face, let it sit for 25 minutes and rinse off.
The high mineral content, vitamin E and amino acids present in raw honey can nourish the scalp and rejuvenate hair follicles. To aid scalp flakiness, itch and hair loss, dilute honey in warm water, apply it on your scalp and rub it in for several minutes. Research has demonstrated that lesions vanish just after two weeks of religious application.
Hangovers are terrible. You wake up and your head hurts. Your mouth runs dry and each time you try to sit up, you feel like you might puke again. To minimise your pain for all future hangovers, remember this honey hangover remedy. As you wake from your night out, take four tablespoons of raw honey to start out. It’s a ton of honey to consume at once but trust us, you will need all that fructose to metabolise the alcohol. Plus, unprocessed honey contains enough antioxidants to neutralise all those toxins. Be sure to choose a honey that is darker in colour for maximum antioxidant load. Thereafter, consume coconut water or any electrolyte drink each hour to provide rapid rehydration for your system.
Do purchase quality, organic raw honey for a peace of mind and remember not to feed children under the age of one with raw honey, due to a risk of infant botulism. If you have a compromised immune system or are undergoing any sort of treatment, be sure to consult professional medical advice before adding raw honey to your regular diet.
Another way you can enjoy raw honey is to add it to our already-delicious organic herbal teas. A extra spike of sweetness goes a long way!
If you are feeling a little unwell, think again before you pop your usual pills. Bach flower remedy is a natural and effective to ease your discomfort without the use of any chemicals or drugs.
Flower remedies are natural ways to bring balance to emotional states. With their natural fragrance, vibrant colour and their gentle yet powerful essence, it is no wonder we become happier and more relaxed when we are surrounded by flowers. Having a more well-balanced mood can also help to address some of the physical conditions and issues one may have. In fact, many times, bad moods and anxieties can actually cause some of the physical problems and make one feel unwell. Conventionally, almost everyone turns to medicines, drugs and other supplements. So when wonderful types of natural remedies like the Bach flower remedy come around, we love to share them. In fact, you may be fascinated by it as well. Although Bach flower remedies may sound too good to be true, we want to assure you that it is true and effective and we would like you to benefit from it.
Flower remedies are nothing new. They were discovered by a British M.D. and bacteriologist, Dr. Edward Bach, in the 1930s, and may even be older than both me and you. Flower remedies are healing essences made from the flowering part of a flower or tree. They are taken in internally as drops under the tongue, or as an alcohol tincture that already has flower essence diffused into it. Flower remedies are fairly different from aromatherapy. While aromatherapy utilises the olfactory system, flower remedies don’t. The latter doesn’t have a particularly unique scent and are used for balancing deep emotional conditions.
Flower remedies are considered vibrational medicine, similar to acupuncture and homeopathy, as they are very dilute and work on the subtle, bioenergetics field.
The Bach flower remedies hаvе a total оf 38 іndіvіduаl essences аnd аrе рrеѕсrіbеd ассоrdіng tо thе mооd and реrѕоnаlіtу of the раtіеnt, but nеvеr for thе рhуѕісаl соmрlаіnt. They simply rаіѕе your vіbrаtіоn аnd improve your mood, mаking уоu feel hарру. Rаthеr than ѕuррrеѕѕіng nеgаtіvе emotions or ѕуmрtоmѕ (аѕ we are ассuѕtоmеd tо in соnvеntіоnаl medicine and with соnvеntіоnаl drugs), thе remedies wоrk bу flооdіng uѕ wіth thе gооd feelings аnd vіrtuеѕ we need tо overcome our nеgаtіvе еmоtіоnаl ѕtаtе.
Tесhnісаllу speaking, the wау Bасh flоwеr remedies wоrk can bе understood more frоm a quantum science theory аnd a рrіnсірlе саllеd “ѕуmраthеtіс rеѕоnаnсе.” Juѕt аѕ еvеrуthіng lіvіng vіbrаtеѕ at a specific frеԛuеnсу, еmоtіоnѕ and thоughtѕ hаvе a ѕресіfіс vіbrаtіоnаl frequency tоо. Sо, imagine if уоu аrе experiencing jealousy аnd hatred. Thіѕ wоuld have a frеԛuеnсу whісh mіght lооk lіkе a big wаvе. If that’s the case, taking the holly flоwеr essence will help to calm and diffuse those negative emotions reset your mood to a positive on. The vіbrаtіоnаl frеԛuеnсу оf thаt essence іѕ a mаtсh to thе frеԛuеnсу оf that particular еmоtіоnаl state and it bаlаnсеѕ оut thе negative fееlіngѕ.
The 38 remedies in Bach’s system are rooted in nature. One of the more well-known blends is the Bach’s Rescue Remedy, which is a mixture of 5 different remedies. Using plants, trees, flowers and even a rock, we can harness their energy and transfer it into a solvent. When used, these flower-infused tinctures can pass their positive vibrations to us and alter our moods for the better. A system that is 100% kind, compassionate and simple, where the worst thing that can happen is nothing, means that these remedies can be used safely and effectively by all ages. For all symptoms, conditions and emotions, these remedies can help us to understand how we feel and make changes to the layers of our emotions to help us to heal and return to joy.
Bach’s aim was to devise a simple, effective and accessible way to people to help themselves and to take responsibility for their body. The remedies are organized and categorized, each of them accessing a different negative state (emotion) and helping to reverse the body to a more positive and therapeutic state. For example, people who are fairly prickly and jealous in the negative can take the holly essence and reset their natural state to become more giving, loving and accepting in the positive. By realising what you want to feel and allowing yourself to be being grounded in the present, the Bach flower remedy can assist to heal the wounds of the past and forge a stronger, brighter future.
Composting can be confusing, with the never-ending options of components you can add to your pile. However, to balance the composition of your compost, you’ll need a good mix of nitrogen-rich wet greens, and carbon-rich dry browns. Here are some items you can easily obtain to add into your pile of compost.
A staple brown, newspapers will add carbon to your compost pile. Be sure to shred them first because a bundled mess of newspapers will hinder the necessary flow of oxygen.
This is another readily available item you can add to your compost pile, as we all know how quickly a household can go through a carton of eggs.
Adding eggshells to compost adds calcium to the makeup of your heap. This important nutrient, when added to soil, helps the plants to build cell walls and grow better and faster.
Wash them before adding into your compost so that you don’t attract any critters and reduces the risk of disease which raw eggs pose.
Another commonly used carbon-rich brown, dead leaves can be easily found around your house. However, you do need to shred them before adding them to your pile. Layer them with fresh grass clippings or other greens, and moistened with water.
Scraps like cores, peels, skins, and stalks from vegetables and fruits are some other things you can compost instead of simply disposing them. You should keep them buried deep in your compost heap to prevent pests from appearing.
Compared to loose tea leaves, tea bags are more complicated to compost because they can be made up of a variety of materials, and not all of them may be natural fibres.
If you drink Nilufer Tea's organic and pesticide-free herbal teas, you can empty the contents into your compost pile and discard the bag.
It is critical that all the cardboard you use for your compost is shredded into small pieces because large pieces take longer to decompose.
Remember to turn the pile every five days to speed up the decomposition. In six to eight months, the compost should be ready to use.
Compost in a DIY bin typically doesn't get hot enough to break down meat or bones. So if you do want to use plate scrapings in your compost pile, avoid these items.
If you’re the type who juices a lot, you can actually salvage the skins, peels and pulp for your compost pile. Not only does the fibrous pulp break down quickly, but it enriches your compost with a variety of nutrients too.
Paper towels and napkins are considered carbon-rich browns and can be used as a substitute for dried leaves. Make sure they’re not overly greasy so they can decompose quickly. This is because oil and grease reduces the amount of air in your compost, eventually leading to the growth of anaerobic bacteria, which creates an unpleasant stench.
Yes, you can actually compost hair! After all, it is simply protein filaments and thus, natural. Spread the hair out so that the larger surface area can help it to break down faster and easier. It’ll take a bit more than a month for it to break down enough before you can add it to your garden soil.
Most pencils are made from cedar, a wood that insects hate. Using pencil shavings in your compost pile and subsequently soil therefore, prevents pests from appearing.
Latex is a biodegradable material. So if you have tons of them lying around after a party, toss them in your pile – they’ll be gone within six months.
If you’re set on minimising your household’s waste output, you may want to try composting your pet’s droppings. However, if you do, remember never to use it in any garden that is growing edible vegetables and herbs. Let it compost for a long time so as to kill off as many harmful microorganisms as possible.
Composting doesn’t have to be a confounding process, so get to it, and you’ll be doing a great service to the environment!
