In the video, the customer purchased a bottle of raw buckwheat honey from a farmer's market. He had heard of the health benefits of this honey and was curious enough to try. He returned to the market a week later to give the stall holder an update. The man had taken the buckwheat honey every day since he had bought it. He said he took about one teaspoon of the honey each morning. OK, here's what happened:
The customer said that for many years he was unable to raise his arm because of pain from arthritis. He then gives a demonstration of how he can now raise and lower his arm without any effort, pain or even discomfort. This was just one week after taking the buckwheat honey. The man said he did not take any other food supplements or medicines during this time; just the honey.
My Notes
Buckwheat honey is a full-bodied, dark honey. It derives from the nectar of the fragile, white flowers of the Asian buckwheat grain. The health benefits of buckwheat honey are well-known, including its high levels of antioxidants. Proponents of this honey agree that it's perfect for baking or treating ailments.
When a colony of honeybees gets to work, they really earn their title of “worker bees”. They can gather up to 290 pounds of nectar per acre from a field of flowering buckwheat. Once the forager bees have collected the nectar it's time to transfer it to the hive bees for processing. These hive bees then transform the nectar into honey. They do this by regurgitating it many times; a necessary process to reduce the water content. At the same time, a salivary enzyme breaks down the sucrose (a type of sugar found in most plants) in the nectar. This process predigests it into the two simple sugars, glucose and fructose.
The end product, buckwheat honey, is a dark-colored substance that's both sweet and delicious. The taste of this honey is very distinctive. The best way to describe it is as a kind of spicy, malt flavor. It also leaves a sort of aftertaste that is not dissimilar to molasses (black treacle).
The Proposed Health Benefits of Buckwheat Honey
The health benefits of buckwheat honey can be attributed to its dark color. In general, dark honeys tend to be richer in antioxidants than lighter varieties. This is because the antioxidants present in honey are one of the chemicals that give it its unique color. The distinctive reddish brown color of buckwheat honey actually comes from the buckwheat flowers. These flowers contain a type of antioxidant called polyphenol.
Most of the darker honeys, including buckwheat, have more vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants. Buckwheat honey is also a minor source of 18 amino acids. Amino acids are the foundation of all life processes, and vital for every metabolic process. Buckwheat honey also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These are what speed up wound healing and may even lessen scarring.
The Monofloral Honey
Some nutritional benefits of buckwheat honey come about because it's a monofloral variety. A monofloral honey is basically a single flower honey. It's a type that has a distinctive flavor, or other attributes. The reason for this is because it's from the nectar of a specific plant species. In this case, that means buckwheat honey is only from buckwheat flowers.
Polyfloral honey, also known as wildflower honey, is the opposite of monofloral. It means it comes from the nectar of several kinds of flowers. Because of this, the taste can vary from year to year. The aroma and the taste may be more or less intense too, contingent on which bloom is dominant at the time.
The properties of polyfloral honey are more unpredictable than monofloral varieties. Because of this, they may contain fewer antioxidants or other nutrients. By far the best way to take any type of honey is raw. The problem with processed honeys is that they are heated. It's the heating process that can sometimes destroy some of the honey’s nutritional value, which is why raw is always best.
Buckwheat Honey | Effective as a Cough Suppressant
One of the key buckwheat honey health benefits is its use as an effective cough suppressant. Not only is it effectual, but it's safer too, when compared to conventional cough syrups. This is certainly a safer option for kids under the age of six and over the age of one. Talk to any parent who has given their child a small dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime. They will surely tell you that they cough less and sleep much better.
Remember that buckwheat honey is a dark colored variety. And all darker honeys have higher antioxidant and nutrient content than the lighter ones. The texture of buckwheat honey also makes it more effective as a cough suppressant. Honey in general is sticky, making it slow moving in the throat. It's this gelatinous texture that helps to soothe a sore throat and quell coughing.
The scientific report below looks as how simple, inexpensive homemade syrups based on dark honey can be an effective treatment when dealing with cough in children.
Wagner JB, Pine HS.
Pediatr Clin North Am. 2013 Aug;60(4)
Other Health Benefits of Buckwheat Honey
There are plenty of other health claims for buckwheat honey. Some are confirmed whereas other are lesser known or researched. Even in cases where the suggested health benefits are not conclusive, they're still worth noting. Studies into the range of benefits claimed by advocates of buckwheat honey are ongoing. This tells us that the scientific community takes all potential claims very seriously.
Health benefits and qualities include:
- Prevention and treatment for atherosclerosis
- Liver detox
- Diabetes mellitus type 2.
- Microcytic anemia (iron deficiency anemia)
- Bacterial infections prevention and treatment
- Improves health during pulmonary disease
- Improves recovery after surgical procedures with high blood loss
- Decreases fracture and wound healing time
- Increased hemoglobin content
Points to note: It is only all-natural raw honey that has all the health benefits. Some benefits are proven whereas others are not yet confirmed, at least not by the scientific community. As with any treatment, never self-prescribe based on a self-diagnosis, not even with honey. Always discuss any treatment of any health condition with your doctor in the first instance.