It’s often said that natural honey is good for you. Honey does this and honey does that. But did you know one of its benefits is that it helps fight cold and sore throats? With the temperatures dropping and earlier nights, there is usually a rise in colds and sore throats as we spend our time indoors and huddled around a single heater (at least that’s what happens in our office). But how does natural honey really help fight colds and sore throats?
Honey doesn’t necessarily solve everything but it can certainly help. One of the helpful components is hydrogen peroxide, an antibacterial property created alongside gluconic acid when a foraging bee adds enzymes to break down glucose in nectar. It is one of the first chemical changes bees make to nectar, sometimes even on their flight back to the hive. The bees create hydrogen peroxide to help stabilise nectar which adds antibacterial protection to honey before they store it. It can be found in all natural honeys except some Manukas - but that’s for another time.
So next time someone asks how you’re always fighting fit, you can say with a little help from hydrogen peroxide found in natural honey, if it's good enough for bees, it's good enough for mees!