Sunflower honey: than it is useful and from what helps how to use in the medical purposes

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Sunflower is not only the valuable oil-bearing crop which is actively grown up in many countries but also an excellent melliferous herb. This plant blossoms approximately from the middle of July, and its blossoming lasts about a month. During this period of a bee, living near the field of sunflower, actively collect from it pollen and nectar, and the honey produced by them and call — sunflower.

Characteristic and distinctive features

Honey from sunflowers, perhaps, the look, most widespread and inexpensive at the price, as in our country this crop is intensively grown up. But it does not cancel its valuable qualities. Some people are pushed away by fast crystallization of this product, and in vain. Sunflower honey has a number of advantages and is not less useful, than other types. Other its distinctive feature is the lack of glutinosity.

Whether you know? Near fields of a sunflower put beehives with bees not only for honey, but also for good pollination. The sunflower is culture which is pollinated cross, active work of bees in the field of a sunflower can almost double productivity. To all other, early pollination can accelerate maturing of a harvest at most for two weeks.

Color

When honey from a sunflower still quite recently was downloaded, it has lighter color. But when crystallizes, gets a saturated warm yellow color with mustard shades. On a surface the whitish raid — a crust from glucose acts.

From a marjoram, a clover, a dogrose, a linden, the acacia, a cock's head, raspberry, the tributary turns out honey of white color.

Aroma

At this type of a product of beekeeping the honey aroma is not strongly expressed. In it distinguish a smell of hay and wet flower pollen, fruit apricot notes. Some feel in it a smell of fried potatoes. Before crystallization the aroma is more expressed, than later.

Tastes

Not especially sharp, with small slightly bitter taste, pleasant sweet honey taste. Right after the use in a throat tickles a little.

Crystallization

Fast crystallization is distinctive feature of this honey. It is in liquid state no more than three weeks, but becomes more often dense in two weeks. At the same time it gains consistence of fat with small kristallika of yellow color which easily melt in the mouth. In cells it crystallizes later. This feature does not allow to leave it for food of bees for the winter. Over time, when sunflower honey sits down, it becomes rather firm.

Such fast process of crystallization happens because of existence of a large amount of glucose in this product — about 1.5 times more, than in other types.

What contains in structure

As we already spoke, sunflower honey is the leader in glucose content among beekeeping products. For the rest its structure not so considerably differs from other types, but thanks to an oil-bearing crop of a sunflower contains more vitamins E and SS. Also has the biggest, in comparison with other grades, amount of β-carotene.

We advise to read about advantage and methods of application of bee products: propolis, honey with propolis, a zabrusa, bee pollen, a bee subpestilence.

Caloric content

Sunflower honey has big caloric content — 320 kcal in 100 grams. But this product is used in small amounts. About 50-90 g depending on body weight are recommended to accept daily.

Nutrition value

Of course, the structure of honey is affected also by the plants blossoming a row, a sunflower grade in what region grows. But anyway at it there is a lion's share of nectar and pollen of a sunflower. As well as any honey picked by bees it will have approximately following structure:

carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, are a little sucrose and other) — 81%;
water — 19%;
vitamins, proteins, enzymes, amino acids, dextrins — 3%;
mineral substances — 1%.

Whether you know? Many countries entered sunflower honey into school meals as among all grades of flower honey in it most of all glucose which is a power source for an organism and stimulates brain activity.

Vitamins and minerals

The structure of any honey is very rich and consists from more than three hundred connections, being in easily acquired form for a human body and quickly soaking up in blood. It includes the following bioactive agents:

vitamins (With, E, RR, N, To and group of vitamins B), β-carotene;
enzymes, proteins, amino acids and antioxidants;
minerals. Most of all potassium and iodine, in a smaller measure of copper, manganese, sodium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, phosphorus and other chemical elements.

Honey from a sunflower includes some substances which contain in "a solar flower" — is well-cared, a betaine, solantovy acid. Also at it there are organic acids.

When processing nectar of a bee it is enriched with such enzymes as an invertaza, a catalase, phosphatase, a diastase.

Contains such the 27 amino acids, necessary for an organism, many of which are irreplaceable for the person as they come to an organism only with food. Most of all proline, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, asparaginic acid, tyrosine.

Useful properties of sunflower honey

This product of beekeeping has a number of curative properties and can help at many indispositions.

High level of glucose in it will help to recover from injuries and operations, to gain weight, to strengthen heart and to improve health.

As well as any flower honey, it possesses the anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, stimulating, toning, restoring, calming and other actions on a human body. But in it most of all glucose which is the main source of energy for cells of nerves and muscles.

For strengthening of immunity

Useful properties of this product are effectively used for treatment and prevention of catarrhal diseases as it has anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and antiviral properties. It perfectly strengthens the immune system of the person and gives an energy charge effectively to fight against adverse factors.

Read also about the vitamins necessary for immunity, cheerfulness and energy, heart and vessels, a liver.

For digestive tract

Well influences work of digestive tract and liver. Stimulates appetite, positively influences a metabolism, helps to get rid of intestinal gripes, removes surplus of water. It dilutes slime in a stomach, has the calming and anti-inflammatory action on mucous digestive tract, softly removes stool.

For a cardiovascular system

High level of glucose of this product most effectively affects work of a cardiac muscle, loading it with energy. It provides positive influence on all cardiovascular system. The use of such means at inflammation of a cardiac muscle, ischemia, arrhythmia is especially useful, at the elevated pressure and other heart troubles.

For nervous system

Has the calming effect and helps to struggle with a stress and a depression. It also possesses easy somnolent action. Much know such cure for insomnia: to drink before going to bed a glass of milk with a honey spoon. Glucose together with the whole complex of the substances, most useful to an organism, reduces excitability of the nervous terminations that calms and guarantees a quiet dream, and morning intake of honey guarantees inflow of cheerfulness and good mood.

Learn how to strengthen nervous system vitamins and to calm nerves and also that the dream can tell about the person.

For skin

Its external application is used for healing of wounds. Possesses the regenerating, rejuvenating, moistening and lymphatic drainage action on skin, feeds it, increases elasticity. Approaches all-type skin. Softens dry skin and feeds, removes inflammatory processes of problem skin, gives a healthy look and tightens normal. Of course, such product is actively used in various masks for face skin and hair, wrappings for a body, it is actively applied at anti-cellulite honey massage.

It is important! Before for the first time using this product of beekeeping in cosmetic, it is necessary to check reaction of the skin to it as it can be allergen. Apply a small amount on a wrist and wait 10-15 minutes. If no negative reactions are observed, you can safely use it. If you the owner of a vascular network, then you after all have to refuse use of honey cosmetics.

How not to be mistaken upon purchase

It is difficult to pack this product because of high crystallization. Sunflower honey is bought in the market or at fairs, but it is the best of all to get it directly from the checked bee-keepers who already proved as conscientious sellers. It is never given for other types of honey as it already is the cheapest. It differs in high density, yellow color, rather weak, but pleasant honey aroma.

Take a dessertspoon and let's the seller to allow try a product. Grains of this honey quickly thaw in language, have gentle texture, and after it in a throat has to tickle a little. Too liquid honey has to guard you, existence of caramel smack or sour taste are signs of a substandard product. The small white glucosic crust is considered norm.

If bees were actively fed up sugar syrup, then the aroma at such honey will be absent.

It is possible to buy from the chosen seller at first a small amount of honey and to experiment in house conditions, adding to it iodine. It is necessary to dissolve it in water, to drip several drops of iodine: if solution turned blue, then added starch to a product.

Storage conditions

To keep useful properties of honey from sunflower, it needs to be stored in the place protected from influence of direct beams of the sun at a temperature in the range from 4 to 20 °C, the humidity should not exceed 75%. At a temperature of 37 °C it loses nearly 200 useful components.

Dishes for storage of honey have to be previously well washed. Capacity from glass, clay or porcelain will be suitable for this purpose. It is strictly forbidden to store this product in the metal capacity as in it it is oxidized and becomes unhealthy. It is very practical to store in glass jars. As this product well absorbs smells, it cannot be stored with the substances having a pungent smell (paint, kerosene, gasoline, etc.)

How to use and where it is possible to add

Podsolnukhovy honey thanks to its great flavoring and useful qualities throughout many centuries was widely used for cooking. It in old times was used as sweetener instead of sugar. This sweet and now is added to dough for preparation of many confectionery. But honey at the same time always put in dough less, than sugar. Each of us tasted honey gingerbreads or Honey pie cake. Pastries with addition of this product keep the freshness much longer. So, the well-known honey Tula gingerbreads could be stored for years. In cookery honey is added to porridges, cottage cheese, use it with berries and nuts.

Study useful properties and methods of application of nuts: walnut, black, cashew, muscat.

On honey cook sbitens, jam, do honey kvass, halvah. Use honey and for preparation of meat dishes. So, if to grease a skin of chicken with honey with mustard, it when roasting turns out crispy and golden color.

Honey is also used for preservation as great marinade with addition of various herbs and seasonings. Thanks to the chemical composition it is fine preservative, does not allow products to spoil and be exposed to oxidation.

It can be added to various drinks, salad gas stations, some desserts.

Recipes of traditional medicine

Honey was long since used in many recipes of traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases.

Important! At intake of honey in it it is not necessary to subject to heat treatment. In food it is better to accept it not with hot drink, and to use for this purpose boiled water of room temperature or a little warm. Also perfectly juice and dairy drinks will approach.

At anemia

Thanks to the rich chemical composition the consumption of honey from sunflower in food promotes increase in hemoglobin in blood. For this purpose the patient having anemia recommend to accept in food this product within a month, about 100-150 grams every day. Recommend to wash down it with fermented milk products — kefir or sour milk. During treatment it is necessary to eat about three kilograms of this sweet medicine.

At hemorrhoids

Honey from sunflower has the good healing properties. This its ability is used for treatment of hemorrhoids. For this purpose it is applied in the following forms:

use inside;
in the form of lotions from a gauze;
in the form of self-made rectal candles;
in the form of ointment outwardly;
dissolve in warm water for acceptance of sedentary baths;
for microenemas. For this purpose pear for microenemas is filled with honey solution. Such treatment for a week promotes considerable improvement of a state in the presence of gemorroidalny knots.

For treatment of internal small knots it is better to use honey which became candied. And here the liquid product well will be suitable for treatment of external knots.

At cracks on heels

The healing property of this product is used at treatment of cracks on heels. For this purpose do honey flat cake as follows — knead dough from one tablespoon of honey and two tablespoons of flour. Divide dough into two equal parts. Before going to bed legs soar about ten minutes and put honey flat cake to each heel, fixing it by means of bandage or polyethylene, and then put on socks. In the morning everything is removed, flat cakes skatyvat in a ball for the following use again, and legs carefully wash out. A course of treatment — five-six procedures. After such treatment all old rough skin will lag behind, cracks will disappear or will become much less, and heels will become soft again.

Learn more about heel care.

For treatment of cracks on heels it is possible in house conditions to prepare special ointment. For this purpose carefully mix 80 grams of honey, 20 grams of fat, 3 grams of Kseroform. Such ointment is applied on cracks once in two-three days. Then on ointment place a gauze bandage and put on socks. A course of treatment — three weeks at most before full healing of cracks.

Contraindications and harm

Honey from sunflower has the following list of contraindications:

Allergies. Pollen of sunflower is allergen therefore honey from it is contraindicated to the people having allergic diseases. It is possible to test presence of an allergy to it and in house conditions. For this purpose the droplet of this product should be applied on a wrist of a hand and to rub a little. At emergence of allergic reaction (reddenings, the nagger, rashes) in food it is worth refusing consumption of this honey.
To pregnant women and the feeding women. Even if mother has no allergy, hit in an organism of allergens can negatively affect the child.
Children's diathesis. Any kind of allergens can cause strong reaction in kids.
Diabetes. Any honey product contains glucose and sucrose besides fructose. Consumption rate of these components has to be strictly limited by the attending physician for the people having diabetes.
Obesity. Because of the maintenance of considerable specific weight of carbohydrates it can promote addition of excess weight.

Important! Hit in a human body of allergen can lead to anaphylactic shock. Therefore at emergence of such signs as a rash, reddening, an itch, hypostasis, heat, violation of breath and warm activity, it is necessary to see a doctor at once.

This product in the absence of allergic reactions will be useful to the feeding mothers and small children. But, when it is entered into a diet, begun with a small spoon and watch closely reactions of an organism or use for definition of allergic reactions the above method with a wrist.

We advise to read about healthy nutrition of pregnant women and the feeding mothers and also about necessary vitamins for women during expectation and bringing up of the kid.

Other versions

Along with sunflower there is a set of other types of honey: lime, dyagilevy, akatsiyevy, donnikovy, clover, from raznotravya, buckwheat, pine and other. Their names and features depend on the main plant melliferous herb. Let's consider some of them.