THE MAORI PEOPLE AND THE HEALING HONEY

 

Since the moment I  have read about Manuka honey, for the first time,  I am really  interested in visiting New Zealand and learning about the Manuka secrets. It is a fact that I do have a great opinion about bees and their amazing project – honey, but the story behind this Manuka super honey is almost like a fairy tale. If we imagine the land of the Lord of the Rings with ancient treasures for health and beauty, it looks like that New Zealand is all what we need for the rest of our lives.

What is so special about Manuka honey that puts this product on the top of all others, including its high price and mystery? I believe that all started with the indigenious people in New Zealand, known as Maori, that have used this healing honey as a remedy for wounds and boosting of immunity.  The honey is created by bees that are processing nectar on the Leptospermum scorparium bush, Tea Tree or Manuka bush.  This bush is typical for New Zealand and some parts of Australia and the rest of the world is amazed with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory attributes of this plant.

The Manuka honey is a superfood that hold on expensive status. The reason for financial glorification of this item is a difficult production and low supply, because Manuka bush is only flowering for a couple of weeks each year ( sometimes only 12 days) and this means short availability of nectar for the bees and their work. According to the scientific research:“What differentiates Manuka honey from other varieties is that it contains an enzyme, called Methylglyoxal, that isn’t found in more common varieties. What makes this so special is that this enzyme has elevated levels of antibacterial properties, making it especially useful in the treatment  of wounds and burnsNot all Manuka honey is the same, though, as some will have varying levels of Methylglyoxal than others. In order to make sure consumers were not being duped into paying a premium for an inferior product, New Zealand created a rating system and advocacy group, called the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association or UMF, in order to categorize the strength of different batches of Manuka.  When picking up a bottle of Manuka honey, you may even see the MGO number listed on the front of the packaging. The  honey also contains a group of antioxidants called phenols, and these contribute to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the honey. It has higher levels of antioxidant phenolic compounds than other honey, so it has been shown to contain strong antimicrobial properties.The higher the MGO, the more antioxidants it contains.”

What are the concrete health  benefits of  this New Zealand cup of eternal life?

First of all, it heals the wound. It calms down the damaged tissue and regenerates the skin in the fast period of time. It doesn’t surprise that local people have used this elixir from the early days, knowing its divine capacity. The medicine has even confirmed that Manuka honey heals even the diabetic ulcers  and skin problems.

The dentists, especially in the USA, warn that almost 50% of Americans have severe problems with oral health which means the periodontal diseases, that are also common in the rest of the world, due to the absence of dental culture and presence of junk food and bad quality of life.  The latest studies show us that Manuka honey could be deadly for harmful oral bacteria that are responsible for many kind of dental inflammations.

It is confirmed that our super honey is able to help the people who have bacterial diseases and to those who are hit by mucositis, after chemotherapy.  The honey brings relief and help the reconstruction of the hot zone but also help with digestive problems.

The researchers have also given their best efforts to offer more theories about effects of this honey when cancer rules.  Some doctors have believed that honey is totally contra productive to be consumed by cancer patient but the newest conclusions are opening the shocking truth: the honey is not the sugar that is feeding cancer cells, it is a bomb against cancer.  It is boosting the immune system, reducing all types of body inflammation, trying to fight infections and, what is the most important thing, making cancer cells dead, though the process of apoptosis:”A research team in the United Arab Emirates has spent over 5 years studying the effects of Manuka Honey on cancer cells and tumors. They have published findings that show significant promise for the role of Manuka honey in treating cancer. They found Manuka honey inhibits the growth of cancer cells, induces cell death (apoptosis) in cancer cells, and inhibits the growth of cancerous tumors. Manuka honey was also found to reduce the toxicity of traditional cancer medicines, pointing to the potential to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Additional research by this team is on-going with a focus on better understanding the mechanisms by which Manuka honey exerts its various effects on cancer cells.”

 

Every honey is healthy but they always say that darker honey is even healthier.  If you can not afford, at this moment, the New Zealand wonder, make sure you have included the honey in your daily nutrition and if you want cancer prevention tips, be sure to pick up those that are rich in Caffeine acid, chrysin, Caffeic Acid Phenyl Esters, Quercetin and Apigenin. The Manuka honey is expensive but only because of the Manuka flower that is welcoming bees only one during the year. The hives are mostly located in the wild and people who organise the collecting of honey need advanced logistics, which means they reach the hives and honey only with helicopters. The Manuka honey could be multifloral and monofloral. If it is multifloral, it is a combination of Manuka flower and other plants and if it is monofloral, this one contains pure Manuka flower and it has to pass all pollen tests and 4 markers.

There is no guarantee that something will give us the eternal life or frozen  beauty but Manuka honey is almost like a miracle that escaped the heaven of Maoris primordial nature secrets.