Honey
More specifically Local Welsh Honey from my wife’s shop Dyfi Wholefoods. It’s not yet spring and awaiting possible March to September hay fever time possibility windows. However, the jury is out concerning local honey and whether it assists the immunity system response which helps to recognise local outdoor allergens, like pollen. There is no valid research to back it up as far as I am aware. I have read, but not in any deep analysis, that pollen in honey is mainly heavy flower based pollen and is not known to cause hay fever. Grass and trees can cause hay fever and bees do not pollinate them.
My wife, Angie, has recently brought home these two honeys. One Aberystwyth local. One from North West Zambia. I’m not sure if both or either local honey or honey in general from anywhere in this wide old ‘forever giving us new answers’ World can possibly raise immunity and assist positively. I know from looking in the past at various medical sites that talk about specific research state that honey contains varying concentrations of polyphenols. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants which are thought to reduce many problematics.
From healthline.com
‘Polyphenols are compounds that we get through certain plant-based foods. They’re packed with antioxidants and potential health benefits. It’s thought that polyphenols can improve or help treat digestion issues, weight management difficulties, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cardiovascular diseases’.
As stated there. Polyphenols are also found in other sources. Various fruits and vegetables, tea (it is advised to leave tea a full 7 minutes steeping to release the important antioxidant properties) and olive oil. Tea drinking? I do love choice!
Phenols are found in essential oils too. Known irritants I am going to have to study them very closely. Not sure at all of their contribution to well being as yet.
So? Honey? One should feel extremely happy to taste honey simply for the fact that it is delicious. Both these will taste delicious I am sure. I haven’t tasted a honey from Angie’s shop that doesn’t. Why? Because they are sourced ethically and the bees are not given sugar substitutes to replace their own needs for the honey they produce. Many are organic too. Interestingly. Manuka honey. I have used it often on patients’ wounds for healing. Also, my friend keeps bees. Upon official study trials with his honey, it was found to kill MRSA. His bees, he says, gathered from the herb Woodruff. I have carpets of Woodruff in our garden. Will be interesting to look into the herbalism uses of it.
Love the look of these two honeys and can’t wait to try them. Especially the one with the wax cone inside. 😊
Gray Summers 
Its a shame tea losses many of its beneficial properties as soon as you add milk (cant remember where I read that) In fact I refuse to believe it 🙂 So I will continue to drink my 5+ cups a day 🙂
I tried bee keeping once but I didn’t have the temperament for it, but we still have 6 hives which are kept on our land from by a friend. He has many hundreds of hive scattered around this part of Poland and produces many varieties dependant on the main food they eat. Buckwheat is a favourite of mine, it has a very dark colour and an almost treacle taste to it. Recently we were given his heather honey to try and I was transported back to my childhood as the honey from the Yorkshire moors.
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Before I answer observations from your replies I go Google hunting. 😆 Ever the research nurse. That’s why I looked at the meaning of the name ‘Boris’. 😉 Research? A fair few sources for gold standard info used over countless years too! But I don’t have the privilege of professional status access to ‘Athens’ since retiring. Mind you. Cochrane library, NHS are gold standard and free. But….nothing about milk destroying antioxidants. Maybe proteins bind to them reducing their efficacy or something. There’s plenty of other antioxidant source presence in other stuff we eat and drink though. Honeys brought home by Angie over the years have been so different in taste as you say. Aromatically they are stunning. She’s recently brought a high factor Manuka home. Really expensive. Tastes like it is medicinal based and for sore throats and infections. Not a high dangerous calibre to use externally. But smells the same. Reminded me of being at work!! Propolis is used here in the house for sore throats and wound infections. Heather honey? Lovely stuff. My ‘nose’ isn’t sensitive enough to use those word descriptions that wine/beer/perfume tasters/sniffers use. So no chance of telling them apart by simple recognition of where they gathered the pollen from. Just love honey. Especially on pikelets/crumpets. I’m hungry now! I drink black tea. Don’t drink milk. Have the other choices like Oatly, etc. Not vegan. Vegetarian for nearly 50 years. Don’t preach. I cook Angie her steaks, etc. It’s just that milk hurts my sinuses so avoid it.
That was long! Early morning with a cup of Paradiso hitting the blood stream and slowly wired. Typing like there’s no tomorrow. 😆
All the best. Hope the snow isn’t too bad.
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‘Don’t preach’ should have said ‘I don’t preach’. 😊 Mind you…Vegans are the new kids on the block now. Vegetarians are now 2nd class citizens. 😆 Actually, Vegans can’t eat honey! Shame😉
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