Manuka honey in hot water

Hi all just a quick question, I’m looking to replace sugar with the manuka honey in my flask of tea for the day, but by placing the honey in hot flask of tea will this kill of any of the good stuff that’s in the honey,
Thanks

Possibly - I would use bulk standard Honey or bakers honey for that.

Adding honey to water apparently produces Hydrogen Peroxide

“…when honey is mixed with water, a chemical reaction takes place resulting in the creation of hydrogen peroxide, the most powerful natural antibiotic. Unlike the hydrogen peroxide purchased in the pharmacy, the one produced by the above mixture is natural and therefore protects itself from being associated with conventional man-made antibiotics and their negative effects.”

I have a problem with sugar so have switched to honey

Thanks Valli
Would there be a problem with me useing manuka honey do you think
Thanks

Manuka’s main properties are topical - Leptospermum + Melaleuca trees include paperbark, honey-myrtle and tea-tree, are part of the Myrtle family, Myrtaceae, include over 5650 species of plants, with common names such as Myrtle, pohutukawa, the bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus all are members of this group

“The common name tea tree for the Leptospermum species derives from the practice of early Australian settlers who soaked the leaves of several species in boiling water to make an herbal tea rich in ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). It is said that Captain Cook brewed tea of Leptospermum leaves to prevent scurvy among his crews.”

The nectar from the flowers is harvested by bees; this is used to make Leptospermum honey. Honey produced from Australian Leptospermum polygalifolium, also known as jelly bush or the lemon-scented tea tree, has been found to contain up to 1750 mg/kg of ‘methylglyoxal’ (MGO), an antibacterial compound. However, after neutralization of this compound, the “manuka” honey retains bactericidal activity. Methylglyoxal thus does not appear to be the main contributor to the antimicrobial and antibacterial activities."

“Aboriginal people used several species of Melaleuca… treated skin infections by crushing the leaves of that species over skin infections, then covering the area with a warm mudpack.”

"Essential oils: M. alternifolia is notable for its essential oil which is both antifungal and antibiotic, while safely usable for topical applications. This is produced on a commercial scale and marketed as tea tree oil.

Melaleuca cajuputi is used to produce a similar oil, known as cajuput oil, which is used in Southeast Asia to treat a variety of infections and to add fragrance to food and soaps."

"One University of Sydney study found that some honeys could be more effective than antibiotics in treating surface wounds and infections. Most infection-causing bacteria in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic, but researchers found that Manuka and jelly bush varieties of honey worked on all the infectious bugs tested.

“Our research is the first to clearly show that these honey-based products could in many cases replace antibiotic creams on wounds and equipment such as catheters,” says Associate Professor Dee Carter. “Using honey as an intermediate treatment could also prolong the life of antibiotics.”
Australian Natural Health Magazine

Health benefits of honey: -
"Whether eaten or used topically, honey’s long list of health benefits earns it its place in the pantry.

Angela Tufvesson looks at the topical and edible health benefits of honey

Did you know that honey has been used and consumed throughout recorded history for over 4000 years? The ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and Romans employed honey in the treatment of wounds and intestinal disorders. An ancient Egyptian text prescribes a mix of grease, honey and vegetable fibre as a standard wound treatment. The Roman scientist Pliny combined honey with the fat of fish to treat wounds. It really is an ancient remedy.

Made by honeybees drinking nectar from flowers and stored in wax honeycombs, the honey that lines our supermarket shelves in neat jars isn’t far removed from the liquid gold favoured by ancient civilisations, albeit with slightly more processing.

And modern science is showing our ancestors we’re on the right track – the topical and edible health benefits of honey are many. Honey has been shown to be effective in the treatment of ulcers, burns, skin wounds and as an anti-inflammatory to relieve pain. Plus, your mum was right – it’s a sound cough remedy.

HEAL THE WOUND

Applying honey preparations directly to wounds or using dressings containing honey improves healing, say scientists. Honey helps reduce infection and pain, clean wounds and decrease healing time.

“Honey is used widely for a variety of skin complaints like acne, eczema, psoriasis, wounds and burns,” says naturopath Jules Galloway from Let Go and Live, an online health and detox program.

One University of Sydney study found that some honeys could be more effective than antibiotics in treating surface wounds and infections. Most infection-causing bacteria in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic, but researchers found that Manuka and jelly bush varieties of honey worked on all the infectious bugs tested.

“Our research is the first to clearly show that these honey-based products could in many cases replace antibiotic creams on wounds and equipment such as catheters,” says Associate Professor Dee Carter. “Using honey as an intermediate treatment could also prolong the life of antibiotics.”

So how do the contents of Pooh Bear’s pot achieve such success? “Honey has antibacterial and antimicrobial effects due to the hydrogen peroxide activity, and it also forms a barrier to prevent bacteria from entering the wound,” says Galloway.

In ancient times there was no knowledge of bacteria, but we now know that festering wounds are the result of infection by microorganisms – and honey is an antimicrobial substance…it kills germs. The hydrogen peroxide it releases is similar to germ-killing bleach, except that it stays active for several days, killing bugs and preventing others growing.

And because honey contains a high concentration of sugars – glucose and fructose – it attracts water, meaning there’s little water available in the wound for the growth of microorganisms. Who knew sugar could have such a positive effect?

ON THE INSIDE

Honey’s appeal is broader than just skin conditions – in its edible form honey helps reduce inflammation and the risk of illness.

“Honey has immune boosting and soothing properties,” Galloway says. “It is used widely for a variety of conditions including throat infections, stomach ulcers and to help improve general immune function.”

Drinking tea with honey is a time-honoured and natural way to soothe a sore throat, not to mention a lot more pleasant than sucking on a cough lolly. Research has found it may also be an effective cough suppressant.

In a study published in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, children who received a small dose of buckwheat honey before bed coughed less than those who received a cough suppressant or nothing at all.

Galloway says locally sourced honey was traditionally used as a treatment for hay fever. “It was thought that consuming the honey made from local flowers somehow desensitised the hay fever sufferer to the local pollens.” "

Thanks again for all that info Valli
Good I’ll start having some in my tea( flask for work ) haven’t tyred it yet,
Thanks again

Hi Richard, heating honey to high temperatures for a long period destroys a lot of the vitamins & enzymes in the honey. If it was me, I’d take the thermos of tea & honey separately. I’d add the honey at the point of drinking the tea.

Thanks Jeffh
Thanks for that best not to put the honey in from the start
Thanks again

Your welcome Richard, I use honey in my lemongrass tea which I drink chilled. I wait for it to cool down considerably before mixing the honey into it.

@trickybee Overheating honey will denature some of the goodness - this is why honey should not be heated over 95°F (hive temperature) when being prepared for sale (pasteurised).

Personally I put the Honey in the milk then add the tea or hot water letting it slowly defuse into the tea/coffee in my Thermos - Lessening the loss

"The good news? Raw honey is universally seen as safe to use in hot tea or coffee."
Antioxidant content of raw honey is extremely variable, but the heat required for pasteurization (or baking) can reduce the amount by up to 1/3 - (ie not completely lost).

"It partially destroys honey’s beneficial enzymes and ‘boils off’ volatile compounds that account for the unique, delicate floral aroma of the honey. This is done to make it easier to extract from the honey comb, to filter it, to package it, to ‘pasteurize’ it to kill benign yeast and prevent fermentation and to delay crystallization.

Micro-filtering also degrades the healthful properties of honey by removing beneficial pollen residue. Much commercial honey is micro-filtered, often using a diatomaceous earth (DE) process to eliminate even micron-sized particles."

Thanks again Valli
All helpful stuff for me to no
Thanks again

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I can remember years ago trying to make mead. Mead is one of the most ancient alcoholic drinks created by humans going back thousands of years.
No matter how hard I tried using brewers yeast I could not get the brews to start. It was only years later I learned that there were natural antibiotics in the honey. Basically I had to dissolve the honey in very hot water to destroy these natural antibiotics in the Honey.
It was a lesson to me that yeasts which are a fungi were being “killed” by the antibiotics from the honey. Once the honey was treated by the hot water method, the brews started without fail.
This confirms what has already been said about the marvellous properties of honey.

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hi @idris

I attended a workshop on making meade about a year ago and now make it.

I was told to use wine yeast not beer yeast and it has worked fine. Meade is also called ‘honey wine’.

best wishes

Manuka honey in hot water is very beneficial for me. Manuka can be used as a sweetener in Tea and Coffee but do not put it into a Boiling cup of water as it will kill off most of the active enzymes.