Not all ingredients are created equal: The marvel of mountain honey

From the ancient Egyptians to Ayurvedic medicine, honey’s history of medicinal use is thought to date back thousands of years. Its unique healing properties and sublime taste has made it one of the most desirable commodities. Made by bees from the nectar of flowers, unfiltered and unpasteurized honey contains a bounty of benefits and uses. Today, raw honey can be found in any grocery store, but its properties have changed quite a bit since ancient times.

Most of the honey consumed today is processed honey that’s been heated and filtered since it was gathered from the hive. Excessive heat destroys the natural enzymes, vitamins and minerals in honey. Filtering and processing eliminates many of the beneficial phytonutrients, including pollen and enzyme-rich propolis. This is why HANAH does honey differently.

Marvelous mountain honey

Mainstream honey loses most of its incredible nutritional value and raw taste through commercial processing methods. Additionally, most of the honey on the market today does not originate from an authentic source, where the bees can thrive as well as the honey they produce.

In search of the best quality, process, and source, HAHAH traveled to the edge of the permitted areas in the forests of the Western Ghat mountains in Kerala, India. The honey here is wild, multi-floral mountain honey that is sustainably collected by local tribal people and is completely insecticide, pesticide and chemical free.

Why Kerala?

The forests of Kerala state are part of the Western Ghats, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots with over 5,000 flowering plant, 139 mammal, 508 bird and 179 amphibian species. The variety of life in the forest creates a flourishing environment for numerous botanicals to thrive.

Honey, medicinal herbs, resins, incense, spices, condiments and fibers are just a few of the products that have been traditionally handled by the area's surrounding communities.

Honey harvesting is a major means of livelihood for tribal peoples in the forests of Kerala. The Forest Department and the forest-dependent communities ensure the products are sustainably harvested and their efforts support a better livelihood for the forest-dependent population.

Honey in HANAH ONE

The taste of honey makes it a sweet addition to recipes and concoctions, yet its main purpose in HANAH ONE is to enhance and increase the efficacy and therapeutic effects of the herbs. These mediums of intake are called anupanas in Ayurveda.

Honey is one of four anupanas in HANAH ONE, in addition to ghee, sesame oil and raw sugar cane. Anupanas act as catalytic agents to carry and activate herbs, directing them to the deeper and subtler tissues of the body and targeting different organs. These transport devices help to improve digestion and absorption as well as enhance the qualities and the bioavailability of the nutrients in the herbs.

Honey is also extremely important for both the taste and viscosity of HANAH ONE, and the qualities of each small batch vary depending on the flowers that the bees pollinated at that time. Our honey is typically sweeter in the summer months, when the bees are pollinating fresh flowers.

Benefits

Honey has a multitude of research-backed benefits of its own. A natural immune booster, honey is packed with vitamins, essential minerals, iron and amino acids. It also contains antibiotic and antiseptic properties and serves as a natural and effective cough suppressant and throat soother. Other benefits of this sweet healer include:

Counters pollen allergies

Raw honey contains bee pollen, which is known to ward off infections, provide natural allergy relief and boost overall immunity. A 2013 study found that eating honey at a high dose (one gram per kilogram of body weight of honey daily) can improve allergy symptoms over a period of eight weeks.

Fuel and recovery

Studies at the University of Memphis Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory have shown honey to be one of the best choices of carbohydrates to consume right before exercising to use as the perfect running fuel.

Immune health

Honey is high in antioxidants which help fight free radicals in the body. Studies have shown that a daily dose of raw honey raises levels of health-promoting antioxidants in the body to help boost your immune system.

Heart health

Research has established honey as a potential candidate to be explored further as a natural and dietary alternative to the management of cardiovascular disease.

Reduce inflammation

The anti-inflammatory agents in raw honey can treat respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Prebiotic support

Raw honey is full of natural prebiotics that promote the growth of good bacteria in the intestine.