The Magic and Science of Manuka Honey
Hi all!
This is my third post about honey, in which I finally tell about the famous Manuka Honey of New Zealand. My previous post is titled The Process of Making Honey.
The Honey
New Zealand is truly a magical country: in its forests grows a unique tree named Manuka, which possesses many unique properties. This tree has a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), which indicates in concentration percentage the antibacterial force. For example, Manuka honey with 18% UMF (very concentrated UMF factor in honey) is used for healing bad or difficult wounds. Manuka honey with 12% UMF and more is used in prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (it is when your stomach hurts ☺), and skin burns. This honey also has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. The usual, not concentrated Manuka honey, apart from its excellent taste, can also help healing not serious wounds.
Manuka honey has a relatively small amount of liquid in it and has many ferments, which fight many dangerous bacteria in human body. No body yet knows why, but Manuka honey has a six times higher concentration of these vital substances than other honeys. Doctors and scientists believe that in the future the ability of Manuka Honey to fight viruses will play an important role in destroying deadly and rare viruses that frequently afflict hospitals.
The Tree
The Manuka tree (also known as a Tea Tree) and its components (bark, oil, and seeds) are widely used in everyday life. Maori (New Zealand’s natives) chew the outer shell of the seeds and the young shoots from a tree to cure diarrhea and muscle pains as well as for healing wounds. During the chewing the bark of Manuka tree calms and have also an effect of sleeping pill. The leaves are quite useful for the treatment of urinary system infections. Another valuable component is the oil extracted from Manuka leaves: its impact on certain types of fungi and bacteria is 20 times stronger than of other oils. It is also can be used in treatment of bacterial illnesses in which antibiotics are helpless. Maori also use it in skin treatment. In order to get 1 kilogram of Manuka oil, 150kg of leaves need to be processed! Even the New Zealand’s parrots Cyranoramphus use Manuka when trying to get rid of parasites!
So as you can see from all these facts, Manuka is a very good choice of honey and food, and I will remind you that it also has great taste!
If you were impressed by the fine properties of Manuka honey and decided to buy it, you can visit Arataki Manuka Honey or Airborne Manuka Blend Honey
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