10 Massage Mondays ago, I did my Golden Elixir recipe to alleviate muscle ache from the practice hikes before I went to Havasupai.
I still drink it almost daily because I like the taste and I think it’s helping my body but I have made some changes.
There was a comment about how I shouldn’t add hot liquid to honey because it changes honey from being beneficial to becoming toxic. So I looked it up and I learned that honey should not be heated more than 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit which is slightly above human temperature if you want to keep all the benefits of honey. When honey is heated with a higher temperature, it will break down the enzymes and kill all the benefits that honey is packed with.
Then I went into the honey rabbit hole. But first I’ll show you my revised Golden Elixir and talk about what I now know about honey and raw honey after that.
Heat up a milk of your choice. I’m using soy milk here. Add turmeric. I’m not measuring at all. I just cover the surface. Sometimes more. Then add ginger. Stir well.
Turmeric is anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is also good for lowering cholesterol, preventing heart disease, increasing antioxidant for liver disease, improving brain functions, fighting depression and Alzheimer’s Disease. Suggested daily turmeric intake amount is up to a teaspoon.
Pour the hot milk mix in your favorite mug and stir well.
Ginger is also anti-inflammatory and helps to reduce muscle pain, osteoarthritis pain and menstrual pain. And just like turmeric, it helps to improve brain functions and lowers bad cholesterol. Ginger is also good for improving digestion and lowering blood sugar.
Now I add black pepper which will increase the absorption of curcumin which is the active compound of turmeric by as much as 2,000%. And enjoy.
Too much of anything is not good and there are possible side effects. Some people may experience upset stomach, nausea, headache, and skin rashes even from small amount.
Now back to the subject of honey. The regular honey that you see on the store shelves is usually pasteurized by adding high heat which kills yeast to keep the longer shelf life and smoother texture. It is also filtered to remove impurities. Or maybe even ultrafiltered which removes enzymes, pollen, and antioxidants, pretty much all the benefits of honey. It’s basically a sugar.
Unpasteurized raw honey, which sometimes comes with these honeycombs, is packed with the unique benefits of honey. However, it may also come with naturally occuring toxins such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids, grayanotoxins and tutin. I hope I said these right. When honey bees pollinate the flowers with high amount of toxins, they may bring back the toxins with them and these toxins may be mixed in the honey production. I don’t know if anyone died from it but too much of these toxins can be fatal. I would consume small amount of raw honey at a time and if you feel dizziness or nausea or any other health issues, I would stop consuming it.
Honey is dangerous to infants under 12 months because of possible presence of bacteria that can cause Botulism, a rare but serious nervous illness that can cause muscle weakness and even paralysis. Any type of honey shouldn’t be given to infants under the age of 12 months because their digestive system is not developed yet to handle it.
So make your choice knowing that processed or overheated honey is stripped off all the benefits of honey while raw honey comes with benefits of honey but with some risk too.
Then there is the problem with insecticide with neonicotinoids or neonics that’s killing bees around the world and the chemical companies lobbying the government. I was horrified to find out the first synthetic neonics compound was developed in Japan in 1984. So sorry.
Kudos to the countries that have banned the use of it. I can’t wait to see it banned in all the countries around the world for the sake of bees, our major pollination helpers that we need for our survival.
Wait so is it even ok to eat honey for the bees’ survival?! Are we taking their nutrition source for our own pleasure? Well, some say bees do produce extra honey and we are only harvesting the extra while others say yes we are hurting their ecosystem by taking their honey.
With that said I will be researching local beekeepers who believe in sustainable beekeeping for some organic raw honey as well as the programs to sponsor beehives. Phew I learned a lot the past week.
Massage Monday #482 Revised Anti-Inflammatory Golden Milk Elixir and Honey http://bit.ly/mm-482