Honey: Heavenly Nectar or Harmful poison?
The ancient vedic civilization considered honey one of nature's most remarkable gifts to mankind. When taken in small quantities, honey provides energy, soothes pain, acts as an antiseptic, hastens healing and is effective in aiding in the cure of burns, wounds, and sores (1).
However, when not taken properly, it can act as a poison! Viruddha Ahara or incompatible diet is a unique concept described in Ayurveda. The literal meaning of the word Viruddha is “opposite” and Ahara means “diet”. In Ayurveda, heated honey is referred as Virrudha Ahara (processing incompatibility) When heated, honey is difficult to digest; it produces toxins, and the molecules become glue-like, adhering to the mucous membranes, clogging the channels (2). This ancient wisdom is now being discovered by modern science. Recent research in rats showed how heating this nectar produced a chemical called hydroxymethyl furfuraldehyde (HMF) (4), a substance linked in certain forms to toxicity and possible links to carcinogenic effects (2). Heating also alters its chemical contents in other ways by reducing the specific gravity with a subsequent raise in ash value, pH and browning.
Another Viruddha Ahara described in Ayurvedic texts is – “Honey + Cow's ghee mixed in equal proportion”. Honey is a complex polysaccharide. To be used as simple sugars it requires special enzymes to break it down. Ghee is a complex chain of fatty acids. It requires emulsification and action of lipase and other lipid breaking enzymes. These combinations interact with one another within our G.I and cause too much accumulation of free radicals within systems, a cause for many diseases including cancers (2, 3).
Additionally, ghee is a by-product of milk. Milk, in fact, all the dairy products are severely susceptible and suitable for the bacteria to grow. Bacteria present in honey multiplies and grows in the ghee mixture so rapidly that it becomes too toxic for humans to consume. Due to these reasons, honey is not advised to be consumed with milk, milk products or oils. Furthermore, ghee is cooling, but honey is heating. Therefore, honey and ghee are not considered an ideal combination, particularly in equal quantities.
Persons who consume Viruddha Ahara are prone to many disorders. It is very important to correlate the mechanism as to how Viruddha Ahara is a cause of many metabolic disorders. It is also essential to know how certain food combinations interact with each other and create disease. Viruddha Ahara was defined by Charaka. (fl. ca. 100 BCE - 200 CE) who was one of the principal contributors to Indian medicine, also known as the father of Ayurveda.
According to Ayurveda, only raw unprocessed (unheated) honey should be used, and it should never be cooked. It even prohibits honey during fever and hot summers. No hot water should be taken after taking honey. Heating honey is reputed to create a toxin, madhu ama, which can be very difficult to get rid of once it enters the body.
Love to add honey to hot tea? No worries — it is fine to use honey in your drinks as long as the temperature does not go higher than our body temperature (37-degree Celsius).
Ways to consume honey:
As a tonic/medicine - 1tsp of raw honey first thing in the morning. (Sweet should be the first taste of the day).
Fruit and Honey - Drizzle 1 tsp honey on seasonal fruit.
Topical applications. Honey is a wonderful medicine for all skin types. When applied externally, it nourishes and moisturizes the skin deeply and leaves a smooth supple and glowing skin. Check easy-peasy DIY Mango-honey face pack recipe here.
Buyer beware: Next time you shop, do check the source of your honey. Find out how they extract the honey. If the honey is cold-extracted or unheated, this is medicine. Read the labels as most honey sold in mainstream supermarkets are toxic. Care should be taken to avoid cereals, breads, baked goods, sauces, bars and other “health food” products that include honey which has been cooked.
Even though the age-old wisdom is now being supported by modern science, it will take a while till science conducts studies and evaluates serious effects of processed food and food incompatibilities like these. Therefore, it becomes crucial for consumers to be aware of their daily life choices and opt for the food that is less processed and in the best form to consume. The first step is–Start reading the labels!
Precautions with Honey:
Regardless of its usage as food or remedy, being a natural product, honey may be contaminated by pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, and other toxic compounds. In addition to those chemical compounds, honey may also be contaminated with pathogens, particularly Clostridium botulinum and its spores. As such, the consumption of honey or its derivatives is considered to be dangerous for infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals (5). For this reason, honey used for therapeutic purposes should be sterilized in a way that it retains its quality. sterilized using gamma irradiation.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3758027/#B34
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7221839/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7235625/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215355/#ref4
https://sapientia.ualg.pt/handle/10400.1/6316