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Beat indigestion, ulcers and MRSA with this old wives' secret
30th May 2008
Pity those old wives.
They're commonly mocked for their 'tales'.
But you know what? Since I started writing The
Good Life Letter, many old wives' tales have been
proven true by science.
Take this one for instance....
Honey as a remedy for indigestion
In the good old days, the 'old wives' claimed that
honey stirred into milk was a remedy for acid
indigestion.
Why?
The old wives didn't know, gawd bless 'em. It just
worked.
And so millions of people dealt with their
indigestion in a tasty, natural way. They were
blissfully unaware of whether boffins in white coats
thought it was 'scientific' or not.
'It's an old wives' tale,' the scientists declared,
'and it shall remain so UNTIL WE SAY
OTHERWISE!'
Then, hey presto, it happened.
Scientists have discovered that a bacteria called
'Helicobacter' is linked to acid indigestion and
stomach ulcers...
....and that honey actually inhibits this bacteria.
Wow. Blow me down with a feather. The old
wives were onto something after all.
But what the old wives may not have known is that
ONE particular honey could do more than treat
ulcers and indigestions... it could eradicate
The causes of these serious health problems.
The 'manuka honey' secret
Professor Peter Molan of the University of Waikato
has found that strains of manuka honey can
completely eradicate Helicobacter Pylori.
A big claim, right? But he's found proof for it.
A preliminary clinical trial showed that ulcer
patients who took 20 grams of manuka honey four
times daily, one hour before meals and at
bedtime, experienced less pain and discomfort
than patients who took a honey with NO
antibacterial activity.
If you haven't heard of manuka honey before, let
me explain. It's another odd tale of science
struggling to catch up with nature....
Why Manuka honey is so special
Manuka honey comes from New Zealand. The
local beekeepers set up their hives in wild areas in
where manuka bushes grow.
These bushes are indigenous only to New
Zealand. On his adventures, Captain Cook used
their leaves to make a tea with which he treated
sailors with scurvy.
This is why it's often called the 'tea tree'. The
native Maoris also used it for a variety of ills and
ailments.
So why is it so powerful?
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Well, according to Professor Molan, who has been
pioneering the tests on this substance...
'In all honeys, there is - to different levels -
hydrogen peroxide produced from an enzyme that
bees add to the nectar. In manuka honey, and its
close relative which grows in Australia called
jellybush, there's something else besides the
hydrogen peroxide.'
He calls this the 'unique manuka factor', or 'UMF'.
We're catching on here in the UK. Manuka honey
has been used on special dressings at the
Manchester Royal Infirmary since May 2006.
Dr Nick Slevin, a specialist at the hospital told the
BBC:
'Manuka honey has special anti-inflammatory and
anti-infection properties and is believed to reduce
the likelihood of MRSA infection.'
There you go, from the mouth of a scientist!
If you fancy getting your hands on some good
quality manuka honey, click here:
www.greenbayharvest.co.uk
A powerful natural remedy you MUST try out
Yes, it's more expensive than normal honey. But
this not just a foodstuff, it's a powerful home
health remedy.
I started looking into manuka honey as part of the
research for my latest book. I ordered some
myself, and haven't been without it since.
I take a spoonful when I wake up every morning. It
helps my digestive system. And it's a lot better for
you than the honeys commonly for sale in the
supermarkets.
Here's why.....
Not all honeys are equal
Honey is a very complex food....
While 80% is natural sugar, the rest is a cocktail of
magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine,
sulphur, iron and phosphate, vitamins B1, B2, C,
B6, B5 and B3, plus small amounts of iodine and
zinc.
However, most stuff you'll see for sale is, 'pure
honey'. It's been heated to higher temperatures to
kill micro-organisms.
This also means that it loses a lot of the vitamins,
rendering it almost useless as a natural remedy.
The most common is called 'spun' or 'crystallised'
honey. This is the most processed type of honey,
and the least beneficial in health terms.
Manuka Honey hasn't gone through the high
heating process. It also has all those extra
beneficial qualities revealed by Professor Molan in
New Zealand.
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My recommendation is to order a few jars, and try
these tips at home.
Six ways to benefit from manuka honey
- For a quick indigestion remedy, try two
teaspoons of manuka stirred into warm
milk.
- Or even better, in my opinion...make a cup
of manuka honey and lemon tea, (two
teaspoons of honey and the juice of a
small lemon) adding some raw ginger
slices and allowing it to sit for 10 minutes.
- For cuts and wounds, clean the wound
area with a sterilised cotton wool or
gauze. If it's a deep cut, use hydrogen
peroxide to wash the surface. Apply
honey on the cut as final dressing. Cover
as you'd normally do with a cut. Repeat
this process twice daily.
- For eczema and skin rashes mix two
tablespoons of manuka honey with two
tablespoons of olive oil. Now melt two
tablespoons of beeswax in a pan. Then
mix with the honey and olive oil mixture,
stirring all the time.
- To keep your skin glowing like you bathe
in the fountain of youth every morning,
drink a warm glass of water with manuka
honey and lemon juice first thing in the
morning. This will help you keep your
system flushed of toxins.
- Take a couple of spoonfuls of manuka
honey each morning to improve your
body's ability to stave off serious illness
and inflammation.
You can order manuka honey online here:
www.greenbayharvest.co.uk
And a final tip for you....
How NEVER to store honey
Never store honey near heat sources, or leave it in
very cold places, as it will crystallise.
If it does this, put the jar (not the metal lid) in the
microwave at a low setting for a minute or two.
Take it out when the honey is half liquid, then
leave it for half an hour. It will continue to melt
slowly.
Don't overheat the honey, or it will spoil the flavour
and nutritional value.
Ah, yes indeed... the old wives would be sooooo
proud of me.. |
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