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    Therapeutic Uses of Honey in Ayurveda: by Dr. Krishna.R.S

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    Srikanth Chandra
    Honey has many therapeutic uses in Ayurveda. It is described as having sweet and astringent tastes, and properties that make it heavy, dry, and cold. Honey is said to aggravate vata, scrape kapha, and normalize pitta and rakta. It contains sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Different types of honey have different qualities depending on the plants and bees involved in collection. Makshika honey is considered best for its medicinal properties. Honey is used to treat various conditions like eye problems, thirst, wounds, poisoning, cough, diarrhea and more. It is also a mild laxative and helps metabolize fat when old. Home remedies often

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    Therapeutic Uses of Honey in Ayurveda: by Dr. Krishna.R.S

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    Srikanth Chandra
    54 views4 pages
    Honey has many therapeutic uses in Ayurveda. It is described as having sweet and astringent tastes, and properties that make it heavy, dry, and cold. Honey is said to aggravate vata, scrape kapha, and normalize pitta and rakta. It contains sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Different types of honey have different qualities depending on the plants and bees involved in collection. Makshika honey is considered best for its medicinal properties. Honey is used to treat various conditions like eye problems, thirst, wounds, poisoning, cough, diarrhea and more. It is also a mild laxative and helps metabolize fat when old. Home remedies often

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    Uses of Honey

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    Honey has many therapeutic uses in Ayurveda. It is described as having sweet and astringent tastes, and properties that make it heavy, dry, and cold. Honey is said to aggravate vata, scrape kapha, and normalize pitta and rakta. It contains sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Different types of honey have different qualities depending on the plants and bees involved in collection. Makshika honey is considered best for its medicinal properties. Honey is used to treat various conditions like eye problems, thirst, wounds, poisoning, cough, diarrhea and more. It is also a mild laxative and helps metabolize fat when old. Home remedies often

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    54 views4 pages

    Therapeutic Uses of Honey in Ayurveda: by Dr. Krishna.R.S

    Uploaded by

    Srikanth Chandra
    Honey has many therapeutic uses in Ayurveda. It is described as having sweet and astringent tastes, and properties that make it heavy, dry, and cold. Honey is said to aggravate vata, scrape kapha, and normalize pitta and rakta. It contains sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Different types of honey have different qualities depending on the plants and bees involved in collection. Makshika honey is considered best for its medicinal properties. Honey is used to treat various conditions like eye problems, thirst, wounds, poisoning, cough, diarrhea and more. It is also a mild laxative and helps metabolize fat when old. Home remedies often

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    Therapeutic uses of Honey in Ayurveda

    by Dr. Krishna.R.S

    The FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as 'the natural sweet substance
    produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers or from secretions coming from living
    organisms feeding on plants, that bees gather, transform and combine with specific
    ingredients, store and leave to ripen in the combs of the hive.'

    In Ayurveda honey is called as "Madhu". Its qualities are explained as follows.

    "Vaatalam guru sheetam cha raktapittakaphapaham |

    Sandhatru cchedanam ruksham kashayam madhuram madhu ||"

    "It has sweetness (madhura rasa) with added astringent as end taste (Kashaya anu rasa). It
    is heavy (guru guna), dry (ruksha) and cold (sheeta). Its effect on doshas is as follows It
    aggravates vata, scrapes kapha and normalizes pitta and rakta. It promotes healing
    process."

    The contents of Honey are:

    1. Sugars like fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose and other disaccharides and
    trisaccharides.

    2. Proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids.

    3. Volatile aromatic substances.

    4. Ashes and water etc.

    Various ingredients of honey have helped it to become not only a sweet liquid but also a
    natural product with high nutritional and medicinal value.

    The medicinal quality, taste, texture, color, aroma of honey differs according to the
    geographical area and the species of plants from which it has been collected.

    Types of Honey:

    Eight types of honey are described in ayurveda depending on the type of bee which collects
    it. They are Pouttika, Bhramara, Kshoudra, Makshika, Chatra, Arghya, Oudalaka, Dala.

    Pouttika - This honey is collected by very large bees from the nectar of poisonous flowers. It
    increases vata, causes gout and burning sensation in chest. It is also sedative and reduces
    fat.

    Bhramara - This honey is collected by large bees and sticky in nature.

    Kshoudra - (Honey collected by medium sized honey bees) light and cold in nature.
    Dissolves Kapha.
    Makshika - (Honey collected by small honey bees) very light and dry natured. Usefull in
    VataKapha diseases and kapha diseases.

    Chatra - Heavy and cold in nature useful in gout, Leucoderma (Shwitra).

    Arghya - Good for eyes but causes arthritis.

    Oudalaka - Useful in skin diseases, and helps in modulation of voice.

    Dala - Dry and reduces vomiting.

    Amongst all the above "Makshika" is considered as the best type with immense medicinal
    properties.

    Therapeutic uses of Honey:

    1. As it contains sugars which are quickly absorbed by our digestive system and converted
    into energy, this can be used as instant energizer.

    2. As it is hygroscopic it speeds up healing, growth of healing tissue and dries it up.

    3. Honey acts as a sedative and is very useful in bed wetting disorders.

    4. Honey is very good antioxident which restores the damaged skin and gives soft, young
    looks.

    5. Honey has antibacterial properties due to its acidic nature and enzymically produced
    hydrogen peroxide.

    6. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral
    diseases.

    In Ashtanga Hridaya the great classic of ayurveda, the therapeutic uses of honey are
    explained as follows.

    "Chakshushayam Chedi tritshleshmavishahidmaasrapittanut |

    Mehakushtakrimicchardishwaasakaasaatisaarajit ||

    Vranashodhana sandhaanaropanam vaatalam madhu ||"

    a.. Honey is very good for eyes and eye sight.

    b.. It quenches thirst.

    c.. Dissolves kapha.

    d.. Reduces effects of poison.

    e.. Stops hiccups.


    f.. It is very useful in urinary tract disorders, worm infestations, bronchial asthma, cough,
    diarrhea and nausea, vomiting.

    g.. Cleanse the wounds.

    h.. It heals wounds.

    i.. Helps in quick healing of deep wounds.

    j.. Initiates growth of healthy granulation tissue.

    k.. Honey which is newly collected from bee hive increases body weight and is a mild
    laxative.

    l.. Honey which is stored and is old helps in metabolism of fat and scrapes Kapha.

    Ayurveda explains another special quality of honey. Honey is called as "Yogavahi" . The
    substance which has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissue is called as Yogavahi. When
    honey is used with other herbal preparations it enhances the medicinal qualities of those
    preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues.

    Precautions to be taken before using honey:

    a.. Honey should not be mixed with hot foods.


    b.. Honey should not be heated.
    c.. Honey should not be consumed when you are working in hot environment where you are
    exposed to more heat.
    d.. Honey should never be mixed with rain water, hot and spicy foods, and fermented
    beverages like whisky, rum, brandy etc, ghee and mustard.
    e.. Honey includes nectar of various flowers of which some may be poisonous. Poison has
    hot or Ushna qualities. When honey is mixed with hot and spicy foods the poisonous
    properties get enhanced and cause imbalance of doshas.

    Few Home remedies with Honey

    a.. Mix 2 teaspoons of honey with carrot juice and consume regularly. This helps to improve
    eyesight and is very helpful for those who sit before computer for long hours.

    b.. In cold, cough and congested chest mix 2 teaspoons of honey with equal quantity of
    ginger juice and should be consumed frequently.

    c.. A mixture of black pepper powder, honey and ginger juice in equal quantities, when
    consumed thrice daily help to relieve the symptoms of asthma.

    d.. Regular use of one teaspoon of garlic juice mixed with two teaspoons of honey help to
    control blood pressure.

    e.. One glass of warm water taken with two teaspoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of lemon
    juice in early morning reduces fat and purifies blood.
    Consuming one spoon of honey daily help us to lead a healthy long life.

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