Comb Honey, Raw Honey
for social Medicine / natural Apitherapy - introduction
Surely, most of you
are aquainted with culinary delights of honey - at least of common extracted
honey. But the real honey specialities are comb in the comb or comb
honey and raw honey: they are the best prophylactic against
a cold. Eating honey during engagement was considered in former times to
be useful in order to have strong and well shaped children later.
Honey is known at
least for 12.000 years. Especially in Egypt a honey culture was widespread.
Honey was used for ritual and medical purposes. From Greece we know by
Hippokrates about 300 diferent honey remedies.
Honey, especially
raw
honey, contains up to 30 different kinds of sugar like fructose and
dextrose and nearly 200 recorded substances. For instance organic acids,
ferments, vitamins, aromatic substances und minerals like phosphor, iron,
calcium, copper, manganese, magnesium, sodium, potassium, as well as many
antibacterial pharmacologically active ingredients (Inhibines with antibiotic
effect).
If honey is correctly
stored it is durable for many years. You should take care about a dry,
dark and cold storage (12-18°C). Honeyjars need always to be closured
propperly as honey adopts very quickly humidity and disturbing odours.
Crystallization has
no influence on honeyquality; it is a natural process. Some kinds like
clover honey crystallize immediately after honeyharvest. Others like fir
honey, crystallize after years. It depends on different proportion of fructose
and dextrose. Is the part of dextrose higher, the honey crystallizes faster
and firmer. Honeyjar superscripts like „selection", „selected", „beekeeper’s
honey" are only empty phrases.
But honey is not
honey, especially raw honey and comb honey is not honey even if
the process of production (in the honeybee) is always the same. The final
product, which is yielded from honeycombs by running, extraction, or pressing,
differ in several quality characteristics. The colour spectrum goes from
nearly achromatic (white) to very dark colours. The consistency can be
liquid, completely cristallized or beginning to cristallize. Differences
in Taste and flavour depend mainly on botanical origin. According to the
basic material one differs flowerhoney and honeydew honey. Flowerhoney
comes completely or mainly from nectar of blossoms. Honeydew honey comes
from honeydew of several tree species; excretions on plants from insects
succing on plants. The bees collect these sugar containing excretions and
converting it by combination with their own specific substances to honey.
Honeydew honey is always dark, contains lots of mineral nutrients and has
a spicy flavour; it is rather a specialty.
Comb Honey, Raw Honey
for social Medicine / natural Apitherapy - honey science: Bee Hive Products
differ also in respect of kinds of harvest:
1. Comb honey
or comb in the comb is honey, which is still contained in caped combs
built by the bees themselves - without broodcells. The combs are being
cut and sold in portions to market. comb-honey is a raw bee hive product
to which neither mechanical (extraction, stiring procedure) nor heat treatment
("melting") has occured and which consequently is an product of especially
high quality (don't confuse with artificial comb honey). Thus there
is an increase in popularity regarding comb honey. But always again
checking turns out that in parts 90 percent of the comb honey is being
criticized. For the most part it is imported honey which contains brood
and artificial foundation and is sometimes contaminated with antibiotics
and beerepellents. Also comb honey and organic comb honey from Germany
is concerned, if it is not produced according standards of Centre for Ecological
Apiculture / Natural Apitherapy Research Center. According EU-Rules even
artificial
foundation in comb honey (artificial comb honey) is allowed. More information
and sources of supply for pure comb honey with natural cristalization (not
heated) are availlable in the Centre for Ecological Apiculture or under
phone: +49 5652 917899. More infos...
2. Honey with
parts of combs (chunk-honey) contains one or more pieces of comb-honey.
3. A delicacy
for people who live according the sentence: „A healthy mind in a healthy
body" may also try comb-honey or chunk-honey with beesbread (pollen
stored by the bees in newly built combs). More information and sources
of supply availlable in the Centre for Ecological Apiculture. More
infos...
4. Run-honey:
this specialty is said to be the best honey directly after comb-honey.
The beekeeper lets drip the honey out of the uncaped combs. This method
is nowadays only practiced by very few beekeers; in Germany and Europe
mainly beekeepers of the Centre for Ecological Apiculture practice production
of this specialty. Useful for raw honey production. More
infos...
5. The „bestseller"
among all honey kinds is extracted honey or organic honey; this
kind of honey or organic honey is being extracted from uncaped combs in
a an extractor (centrifugal machine). This kind of honey and mainstream
organic honey are offered in most apiaries, organic beekeeping enterprises
and can be found in supermarkets. This method is not useful forraw honey
production.
6. Regarding
presshoney
the combs are being pressed or the honey is harvested by heating the combs
up to 45°C. This method is rarely used nowadays and not useful for
raw honey production.
7. Nowadays
honey is being ultrafiltrated - and withit somehow adulterated; honey is
being heated and pressed through ceramic filters. This kind of honey needs
to be labled as filter-honey as he contains almost no typical components
of honey like pollen. Mainly used by Countries who are known as famous
honeyexporters and mass producers of genetically modified seeds; they are
able to filter out genetical engineered pollen. (This kind of honey usually
can be found in supermarkets)
8. Artificial
honey: It is no honey, only similar to honey and an artificially produced
substitute. It is allowed to mix honey with artificial honey. But this
product needs to be labled as artificial honey. (very inexpensive and offered
only in supermarkets)
9. Artificial
comb honey: many varieties of comb honey nowadays need to be called
artificial - even organic comb honey. More
infos...
Comb Honey, Raw Honey
for social Medicine / natural Apitherapy - Learn more on how to produce
Comb Honey, Raw Honey or Comb honey with Beesbread
Even organic and
bio-dynamic apiaries are allowed to use artificial parts of the combs,
to feed sugar and siropes, to make full use of travelling with beecolonies,
to use heat treatment for bee hive products. Thats the reason why it is
useful purchasing apitherapeutical beehive products from beekeeping considering
the character of bees (certified according standards of Centre for ecological
Apiculture); these beekeepers support a "longlasting fertility in beekeeping"
in contrast to success in artificial beekeeping for a short time. These
products cannot be found in organic shops or supermarkets; they can only
be ordered directly in special apiaries. More
infos...
Those beekeepers
who want more than producing mainstream extracted honey or organic honey
and artificial comb honey, who want to stop "traditional" framehive
beekeeping and start with organic / ecological top bar hive beekeeping
should start with a distance
course in organic / ecological top bar hive beekeeping or practical organic
beekeeping courses for beginners / Traineeship in the Centre for ecological
Apiculture.
Comb Honey, Raw Honey
for social Medicine / natural Apitherapy - Further Reading and
References
Social Medicine / Natural
Apitherapy Research Center / Centre for ecological Apiculture 2010: Manuka
Health and Organic honey - which Standards are relevant for social Medicine
/ natural Apitherapy?Api Review Letters 9, Nr. 422
Social Medicine /
Natural Apitherapy Research Center / Centre for ecological Apiculture 2010:
Quality
of products from beecolonies such as beeswax, raw honey, comb in the comb,
comb honey, pollen, beesbread, propolis and royal jelly - for social medicine,
apitherapeutical and cosmetic use. Press release
Centre for ecological
Apiculture 2010: Old Traditions in Apiculture
and Viniculture - Natural Honey (raw honey / run honey) or Organic Honey
fom framehive beekeeping with smoke, sulphur and artificial parts of the
comb? Press release
Copyright:
Centre for Ecological Apiculture / social Medicine / natural Apitherapy
Research Center
