The Benefits of Honey

Sadhguru: Honey is a substance whose chemical composition is very close to that of human blood, and it has a different impact on the system depending on whether you consume it raw, with cold water, or in warm water.

Keep in Mind

Honey should never be cooked or put in boiling water. The water should be warm, not boiling hot. Honey should also not be given to children under the age of one.

How is honey good for you?

#1 Honey combats anemia

Anemia is caused by iron deficiency in the blood. When there isn’t enough iron in the blood, a person will feel exhausted because the ability to carry oxygen through the body is reduced. If you do not have enough oxygen, your heart, your brain, everything in your body will function on a lower level. So building up oxygen in the blood is extremely important. How healthy the body is and how easily it rejuvenates itself depends on the level of oxygen in the blood. Women in particular have to be careful. They tend to become anemic much more easily than men.

Honey is good against anemia. If you consume a little bit of honey in warm water on a daily basis, you will see, the red blood cell count will gradually go up. Once there is more oxygen in the blood, you will feel a burst of energy. Suddenly, everything will be more active – rejuvenation and cell renewal will go up, and the level of inertia in your body and mind will go down. One of the reasons why women tend to get more easily depressed than men is, they have a lower level of oxygen in the blood stream. If the oxygen level is too low, depression can set in easily.

#2 Honey balances blood pressure

If you are among those who tend to get dizzy when you stand up quickly, you may have low blood pressure. Low blood pressure means not enough blood, but most importantly, not enough oxygen reaches the brain. If you feel dizzy when you put your head down, it could be because you have high blood pressure. Either because of high blood pressure or due to lack of oxygen you feel dizzy.

Consuming honey evens out these imbalances. Blood pressure builds up depending upon the requirement of the body. People think hypertension is a disease. It is not. It is an adjustment that the body makes. If for some reason the body needs more oxygen and other nutrients than it normally does, or the blood is not of the quality that it should be, quicker circulation or more frequent servicing of the organs is required. So the system  pumps harder and pressure builds up.

For low blood pressure, the system has adjusted itself to pump low. Or it could be congenital – the system is not strong enough to pump as it is needed. Or there may be some other issue with the circulatory process or the chemistry of the blood. Often, a combination of factors contributes to this condition. Similarly with hypertension – it creates a secondary layer of consequences, but the first layer of consequence is hypertension itself – it is a consequence, not a cause.

#3 Is honey good for you and your yoga too?!

For people who are doing yogic practices, it is especially good to consume honey. For a yoga practitioner, who is pushing the body in certain ways, keeping the circulatory system and the blood chemistry in balance is essential. Regular consumption of honey brings that balance and makes you more vibrant. We want to consume it in warm water because we want the system to open up.

Yoga is about becoming conscious of all these wonderful nuances of the body. The more nuances you become aware of, the finer your life will become. Otherwise, it is a gross existence – simply eat, sleep, die.

This article is based on an excerpt from the March 2014 issue of Forest Flower, available as “pay what you want.” (set ‘0’ in price field for free). Print subscriptions are also available.