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Abstract
Honey contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. The vitamins found in honey include niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid; minerals present include calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. In addition honey contains a variety of flavonoids and phenolic acids which act as antioxidants, scavenging and eliminating free radicals. Honey has had a long history in human consumption, and is used in various foods and beverages as a sweetener and flavoring. It also has a role in religion and symbolism. Medicinal importance of honey has been documented in the world's oldest medical literatures, and since the ancient times, it has been known to possess antimicrobial property as well as wound-healing activity. More than 1,400 years ago, honey is described as a source of healing in the Quran and it is also mentioned as one of the foods of Paradise.
... Honey was mentioned in the Holy Quran more than 1400 years ago as a source of healing. Almighty Allah mentioned honey's unique potential to heal and cure sickness (Purbafrani et al. 2014). Allah said, And your Lord inspired to the bee: Make hives in the mountains, houses and among the trees in what they build. ...
... It has been used in Egyptian therapeutic formulations for more than five millennia. It was also believed by the ancient Greeks to help humans live longer lives (Purbafrani et al. 2014). ...
... The nectar is placed in the honeycomb, and the bees fan it to speed up the evaporation of the water until the concentration of honey is around 17%. Honey has a low water content because it removes excess from its surroundings, which allows it to dehydrate microorganisms and prevent rotting (Olaitan et al. 2007). According to a study by Purbafrani et al. (2014), honey is high in minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants. Honey contains vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid. ...
Honey's broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, including its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, have been showcased in numerous in vitro and limited clinical studies. In this chapter, a brief overview of the research carried out on the antimicrobial properties of honey is presented. Honey has been shown to have antibacterial action (in vitro) in clinical case studies in a number of studies. To fully understand the mechanisms of action of honey against COVID-19, more preclinical and clinical research are needed. In the future, more detailed molecular investigation studies of honey's impact on viral multiplication toward the immune system as well as a thorough and comprehensive examination of the pharmacokinetics of honey-derived phenolic chemicals are essential to unravel its biological functions in a much more detailed manner. Therefore, identifying the bioactive compounds in honey and their clinical assessment and pharmacological standardization is deemed essential and significant in paving the way for any future standardization initiatives.
... Oxidation is a biological phenomenon that produces free radicals, which can cause damage to cells, tissues, and eventually physiological functioning. Antioxidants can block chain reactions, thereby protecting the cell from free radicals [10,11,53]. The potent antioxidant capacity of honey is a result of the forest's biodiversity. ...
... Its antibacterial properties are due to several variables, including hydrogen peroxide, a low pH, and a high osmolarity [24]. It can aid in healing wounds, skin ulcers, burns, and inflammations and in promoting new tissue to heal lesions [8,53,63]. It can also aid in sterilizing wounds and in reducing the edema and scarring that result from superficial wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, and pressure ulcers [8]. ...
Stingless bee honey has a distinctive flavor and sour taste compared to Apis mellifera honey. Currently, interest in farming stingless bees is growing among rural residents to meet the high demand for raw honey and honey-based products. Several studies on stingless bee honey have revealed various therapeutic properties for wound healing applications. These include antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and moisturizing properties related to wound healing. The development of stingless bee honey for wound healing applications, such as incorporation into hydrogels, has attracted researchers worldwide. As a result, the effectiveness of stingless bee honey against wound infections can be improved in the future to optimize healing rates. This paper reviewed the physicochemical and therapeutic properties of stingless bee honey and its efficacy in treating wound infection, as well as the incorporation of stingless bee honey into hydrogels for optimized wound dressing.
... Honey is a precious gift from nature and has been used by humans since time immemorial as food and as a medicine to treat a number of diseases. Honey has antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic properties and many studies have shown that it has anticancer as well as immune-boosting properties (Purbafrani et al., 2014;Channa et al., 2018)). Apart from pollination and honey, bees also produce wax which has an end number of properties as well. ...
Insects are one of the most fascinating groups of organisms that evolved some 300 million years back in the Devonian period. With the remarkable body structure, shape, and flight adaptability, Insects have outnumbered every other organism and become the dominant group of organism's earth has ever witnessed. Insects deliver a number of ecosystem services like pollination of flowering crops, as decomposers, vectors, pests, predators, etc. Since insects play an important role in human life; a number of Insects have been mentioned several times in the holy Quran. The present study is a review of the insects that have been described in the Quran. In the present era of large-scale industrialization, urbanization and many other factors like climate change, global warming, pesticide pollution; insect diversity is under a very serious threat and many species are on the verge of extinction and a number of species are threatened and vulnerable including some species of bees. Management and conservation of these precious species are need of the hour and cutting-edge strategies can save these insects from further decline.
... Most ancient cultures used honey not only as a food but also as medication [2][3][4]. It was described more than 1400 years ago as a healing source in the Holy Quran, in a chapter named "Honeybees" (Surah Al-Nahl) [5]. The benefits of honey are still important in modern days, and scientists have identified that consumers generally trust natural materials such as honey more than synthetic substances [6]. ...
Bioactive compounds are responsible for biological activities in honey. The botanical and regional sources of honey contribute to the variable concentration of bioactive compounds. This paper reports the analysis of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, vitamin C, total phenolic contents (TPC), radical scavenging activity (RSA), and sugars of five honey samples (Talh, Athel, Sidr, Spring flower, and Langnese) from the ingenious Hail region (Saudi Arabia) using HPLC-RID and DAD. Talh has the highest TPC level of 26.9 mg GAE/100 g, whereas Spring flower has the lowest level of 8.2 mg GAE/100 g. Quercetin levels in all samples ranged from 0.28 to 2.68 mg GAE/100 g. Gallic acid, a phenolic compound, was found in three samples of honey at concentrations ranging from 0.81–1.08 mg/100 g. DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA) of Talh and Sidr honey sample are found to be high as compared to other samples. The Sidr honey sample had the highest vitamin C content, 2.59 mg/100 g. Fructose and glucose sugar concentrations ranged from 28.35–37.81 g/100 g and 20.21–32.28 g/100 g, respectively, with a higher fructose ratio. Sucrose was not found in any of the five samples. These findings point to the high quality of honey produced in Saudi Arabia’s ingenious Hail province, and therefore may contribute in therapeutic use of these types of honey, such as in complementary and alternative medicine.
... Honey is a divine food and is prescribed as the best treatment for allergies (Purbafrani et al., 2014) and gastric ulceration (Al-Waili et al., 2005;Mandal and Mandal, 2011). The ancient Egyptians and Greeks utilized honey as medicine to cure various diseases like gastrointestinal disorders such as burns, ulcers and healing wounds (Pećanac et al., 2013). ...
Honey is one of the best nutritious substances in the world, having different services in the body functions regulation. Ten elements (K, Na, Ca, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se) from honey samples were analyzed from 80 different locations of Punjab and ten floras. The aim of the present study was to determine the quality and quantity of minerals and Physico-chemical analysis in honey. A flame photometer was used to measure the concentration of major minerals (K, Ca and Na). The concentration of micro minerals (Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Se) was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The concentration of macro-elements obtained was as follow (in ppm): K (166-1732), Na (107-418) and Ca (07-99), while the concentration of microelements (in ppm) Co (1-2), Cr (>1), Mn (<1), Mo (1.818), Ni (1.911), Pb (<1) and Se (1.968). The most abundant minerals were potassium, calcium and sodium, ranging between 396-810.5, 17.5-640.63 and 169.88-238.62 ppm, respectively. However, the trace mineral elements of honey were obtained in the order of decreasing Se > Co > Ni > Pb > Cr > Mo > Mn. The findings showed that all the heavy metals like Co, Cr, Ni and Pb were present in trace amounts and close to International Honey Quality Standard. The result of given honey samples represented highest value of moisture (31.23%), color (80 mm pfund), pH (8.23), acidity (72.02 meq/kg), electrical conductivity (0.85 ms/cm) and ash contents (0.83%).
... The use of honey by mankind can be traced back from 8,000 years ago as pictured by a cave painting in Valencia, Spain (Purbafrani et al. 2014). The ancient civilizations have been reported to utilize honey in various applications. ...
Honey has been consumed since ancient time due to its nutritional and therapeutic values. Studies showed that honey possesses antioxidant properties which can inhibit oxidation and cell damage in the body. However, the chemical contents and antioxidant properties of honeys are varied, depending on botanical and geographical origins of honey. In this study, we analysed the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and TAOC) and volatile profiles of several commercial honeys originated from Malaysia, Turkey, and Yemen. The results showed that sample H4 (Pine honey) from Turkey was the highest in TPC (0.84 µg GAE/mg honey), ABTS (63.15% inhibition) and FRAP (0.45 µg FeSO 4 equivalent/mg honey) values, while H2 (Acacia honey) from Malaysia showed the highest values in TFC (0.11 µg quercetin equivalent/mg honey) and DPPH (45.13 mg/mL IC 50). Meanwhile, H5 (Marai honey) from Yemen recorded the highest TAOC value (24.14 µg ascorbic acid equivalent/mg honey). Twenty-four volatile compounds were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), among others are 4H-pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl, linoleic acid ethyl ester, 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, and 2,4-dihydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furan-3-one which contribute to chemical characteristics of certain honeys. In regards to the TPC, TFC, and antioxidant assays, the honey samples were ranked based on the chemical properties level as follows: H4 (Pine honey) > H2 (Acacia honey) > H7 (Kelulut 2) > H3 (Kelulut 1) > H6 (Sumar honey) > H1 (Tualang honey) > H5 (Marai honey). This finding increases the knowledge of the chemical compositions, volatile compounds, and antioxidant activities of several commercial honeys derived from different botanical and geographical origins.
... In addition, they are defined as staple food products at breakfast, and that is frequently administered in the form of snakes and for breaking the fast in the holy month of Ramadan. 1,2 Honey is a natural sugary product produced by honey bees (Apis mellifera). 3 Natural honey is a sticky and viscous solution with an estimated percentage content of 80-85 carbohydrates that is mainly fructose (36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50) and glucose (28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36), and the remaining are 15-17 water, 0.1-0.4 ...
Background and objective: The current study aims to evaluate the glycemic index of local honey and date intake in healthy adults.
Methods: The study was conducted on 24 healthy volunteers. They were given 50 g of carbohydrates from Haji Omeran local honey, Khudri (or Khadrawi) local date and reference food (white bread). The average body mass index and age of volunteers are almost similar. The blood samples were collected from finger capillaries to assess the glucose levels by using glucometer at selected time points (0, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes). The data was recorded and statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Duncan comparison.
Results: The study results showed that the glycemic index of the honey and date is classified as a medium glycemic index, referring to their high carbohydrates content. The results also indicated that honey and dates have significantly different effects (P0.05).
Conclusions: In conclusion, eating behavior regarding honey and date consumption, particularly portion size and ingestion timing, is essential to manage blood glucose levels. Thus, glycemic index values should be considered in promoting a healthy lifestyle from chronic related metabolic disorders especially, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
Background Cucumber is known to have countless benefits related to skin, body, and general health conditions. Watermelon juice is highly nutritious and perishable. Recent studies focus on using it with a combination of potential functional ingredients. Watermelon-Cucumber drink is a healthy combination of beverages that can provide many nutrients and health benefits. Objectives In this study, cucumber juice was used to improve watermelon juice's nutritional profile and sensory attributes by utilizing honey as a sweetener. This study aimed to evaluate the functional drink's proximate parameters, oxidative stability, microbial load, and organoleptic evaluation. Methods Statistics was applied using Statistics 8.1, and data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD Post Hoc analysis. The functional drink was prepared using altering concentrations of cucumber juice and watermelon juice (80:10, 70:20, 60:30, 50:40) and stored at 4oC for 28 days. Results revealed that adding cucumber juice significantly improved antioxidant potential (p<0.05) up to 1.6%. The current study revealed that a non-significant effect was observed on ash contents (0.06-0.04%), total solids (0.36-0.32%), and degree Brix (8.7o-9.7o) of functional drink. Increasing concentration of cucumber juice led to an increase in titratable acidity (0.57%) while pH was decreased (3.6). Conclusions Using watermelon and cucumber juice in combinations improved the antioxidant potential of the functional drink. The organoleptic evaluation revealed that treatment with 80% watermelon juice and 10% cucumber juice was observed best in sensorial attributes.
Honey is produced all over the world and contains small amounts of sugars, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, trace elements, vitamins, scent molecules, and polyphones. All generations and civilizations, ancient and modern, recognize it as food and medicine. Honey has been consumed in various ways, including a sugar substitute and flavoring ingredient. Carbohydrates, such as monosac-charides, fructose, and glucose, are the essential elements in honey. Honey has a plethora of additional compounds at minuscule levels that have antiviral, antiparasitic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antioxidant, immunosuppressive, and antibac-terial properties. It can also be used as an antidiabetic and weight management supplement. Alongside its therapeutic properties, it also functions as a prebiotic, promoting the development of probiotic bacteria. Honey's importance has been recognized in scientific papers, and there is compelling evidence to support its therapeutic use. This review aims to present the history of honey and investigate its role in medicine and cosmetics.
Honeybees prepare honey by sucking flower juice. Honey is used as a nutritional food and medicine since existence of man. It is tasty and delightful fluid. It also has nourishment of high nutritious esteem and gigantic medical advantages. It is considered as a very good anti-oxidant and ailment from all the diseases. The benefits of honey are countless according to the Holy Quran and Hadiths. Honey is highly admired since antiques by various globally accepted religions and is documented in the oldest writings and scriptures. Honey is a characteristic fluid specified in the books of religions and acknowledged by all eras, conventions and civic establishments. ____________________
Indeed, medicinal importance of honey has been documented in the world's oldest medical literatures, and since the ancient times, it has been known to possess antimicrobial property as well as wound-healing activity. The healing property of honey is due to the fact that it offers antibacterial activity, maintains a moist wound condition, and its high viscosity helps to provide a protective barrier to prevent infection. Its immunomodulatory property is relevant to wound repair too. The antimicrobial activity in most honeys is due to the enzymatic production of hydrogen peroxide. However, another kind of honey, called non-peroxide honey (viz., manuka honey), displays significant antibacterial effects even when the hydrogen peroxide activity is blocked. Its mechanism may be related to the low pH level of honey and its high sugar content (high osmolarity) that is enough to hinder the growth of microbes. The medical grade honeys have potent in vitro bactericidal activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing several life-threatening infections to humans. But, there is a large variation in the antimicrobial activity of some natural honeys, which is due to spatial and temporal variation in sources of nectar. Thus, identification and characterization of the active principle(s) may provide valuable information on the quality and possible therapeutic potential of honeys (against several health disorders of humans), and hence we discussed the medicinal property of honeys with emphasis on their antibacterial activities.
Dean, W. R. J. & MacDonald, I. A. W. 1981. A review of African birds feeding in association with mammals. Ostrich 52:135–155.Feeding associations between African birds and mammals are defined. 96 species of birds show, or possibly show, some form of feeding associations with mammals. Five major categories of feeding association are identified, which differ in relative importance in the various habitat types of Africa. In the most widespread and common feeding association the bird obtains cryptic prey items flushed by the mammal, The opportunistic nature of most bird/mammal feeding associations is stressed. Hypothetical courses In the evolution of the more complex feeding associations are discussed. The possible significance of bird/mammal feeding associations in their biology and conservation is outlined. The lack of quantitative information on these feeding associations limits the conclusions that can be drawn, although their significance for the obligate ectoparasite gleaners, Buphagus species, appears to be clear.
To compare the effects of a single nocturnal dose of 3 honey products (eucalyptus honey, citrus honey, or labiatae honey) to placebo (silan date extract) on nocturnal cough and difficulty sleeping associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infections (URIs).
A survey was administered to parents on 2 consecutive days, first on the day of presentation, when no medication had been given the previous evening, and the following day, when the study preparation was given before bedtime, based on a double-blind randomization plan. Participants included 300 children aged 1 to 5 years with URIs, nocturnal cough, and illness duration of ≤ 7 days from 6 general pediatric community clinics. Eligible children received a single dose of 10 g of eucalyptus honey, citrus honey, labiatae honey, or placebo administered 30 minutes before bedtime. Main outcome measures were cough frequency, cough severity, bothersome nature of cough, and child and parent sleep quality.
In all 3 honey products and the placebo group, there was a significant improvement from the night before treatment to the night of treatment. However, the improvement was greater in the honey groups for all the
Parents rated the honey products higher than the silan date extract for symptomatic relief of their children's nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to URI. Honey may be a preferable treatment for cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood URI.
Discovery of fire at the dawn of prehistoric time brought not only the benefits to human beings offering the light and heat, but also misfortune due to burns; and that was the beginning of burns treatment. Egyptian doctors made medicines from plants, animal products and minerals, which they combined with magic and religious procedures. The earliest records described burns dressings with milk from mothers of male babies. Goddess Isis was called upon to help. Some remedies and procedures proved so successful that their application continued for centuries. The Edwin Smith papyrus (1500 BC) mentioned the treatment of burns with honey and grease. Ebers Papyrus (1500 BC) contains descriptions of application of mud, excrement, oil and plant extracts. They also used honey, Aloe and tannic acid to heal burns. Ancient Egyptians did not know about microorganisms but they knew that honey, moldy bread and copper salts could prevent infections from dirt in burns healing. Thyme, opium and belladona were used for pain relief. In the 4th century BC, Hippocrates recorded that Greek and Roman doctors used rendered pig fat, resin and bitumen to treat burns. Mixture of honey and bran, or lotion of wine and myrrh were used by Celsus. Honey was also known in Ayurveda (Indian medicine) time. Ayurvedic records Characa and Sushruta included honey in their dressing aids to purify sores and promote the healing. Burn treatment in Chinese medicine was traditional. It was a compilation of philosophy, knowledge and herbal medicine. The successful treatment of burns started in recent time and it has been made possible by better knowledge of the pathophysiology of thermal injuries and their consequences, medical technology advances and improved surgical techniques.
The results of a palynological analysis of the organic content of earthenware pots from the Kodiani burial mound (27th–25th
centuries b.c.) are reported. The character of the palynological spectrum differs significantly from that of a buried soil within the same
burial mound. In the samples taken from the pots, pollen concentration is very high, pollen grains are perfectly preserved
and an abundance of pollen from insect-pollinated plants is recorded. It is well known that these features are peculiar to
honey palynospectra. In all three pots the pollen of Rosaceae, a family of plants that produce good honey, is dominant. However, the second, third and fourth most dominant pollen types
in all three samples are different. For example, Tilia pollen is the second dominant in only one pot. In the second pot, Apiaceae and Poaceae are predominant, and in the third
pot, Poaceae, both wild and cultural, is the second dominant. It is clear that the different pots contained different types of honey. The
variety of honey types indicates highly developed bee-keeping in the Early Bronze Age. In the same regions of Georgia, agriculture
was also highly developed. Wheat cultivation was very important. According to the palynospectra, the landscape and climate
of this period were probably quite different to those of today.
With the rise in prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, honey is increasingly valued for its antibacterial activity. To characterize all bactericidal factors in a medical-grade honey, we used a novel approach of successive neutralization of individual honey bactericidal factors. All bacteria tested, including Bacillus subtilis, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli, ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, were killed by 10-20% (v/v) honey, whereas > or = 40% (v/v) of a honey-equivalent sugar solution was required for similar activity. Honey accumulated up to 5.62 +/- 0.54 mM H(2)O(2) and contained 0.25 +/- 0.01 mM methylglyoxal (MGO). After enzymatic neutralization of these two compounds, honey retained substantial activity. Using B. subtilis for activity-guided isolation of the additional antimicrobial factors, we discovered bee defensin-1 in honey. After combined neutralization of H(2)O(2), MGO, and bee defensin-1, 20% honey had only minimal activity left, and subsequent adjustment of the pH of this honey from 3.3 to 7.0 reduced the activity to that of sugar alone. Activity against all other bacteria tested depended on sugar, H(2)O(2), MGO, and bee defensin-1. Thus, we fully characterized the antibacterial activity of medical-grade honey.