honey follow-up

It even said so in the Torah, old testament in the bible - Quoted:

Honey is one of the oldest foods and in antiquity it was used as a substitute for sugar. The words of Torah are compared to honey, in that they are sweet (Tehillim 19:11), like honey (Devarim Rabbah 1:6). The honey-like taste of manna made it an appealing food for children (Yoma 75b).

Honey supplies energy at 64 calories per tablespoon, providing fuel for working muscles. Its composition is 17.1% water, 82.4% total carbohydrates, and 0.5% proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. The carbohydrate content is mainly fructose (38.5%) and glucose (31%), with the remaining 12.9% of carbohydrates made up of maltose, sucrose, and other sugars (Khan et al., 2007). The energy-yielding properties of honey are noted in Ta’nach.

During a specific battle against the Philistines, King Saul declared a fast and forbad his army to eat. King Saul’s son, Yonathan, unaware of his father’s decree and weary from the battle, found some honey in the forest and ate it. His strength was reinvigorated and he declared that if the others in the army had eaten, they would have had more strength to fight the enemy and the victory would have been much greater (I Samuel 14:27-30).


Honey has anti-microbial activity and, thus, never spoils and does not need refrigeration. Honey discovered in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, King Tut, was tasted by archeologists and found to be edible (Khan et al., 2007). The hypertonicity of honey (due to its high sugar content), its low pH of 3.9, its hygroscopicity, and the presence of antimicrobial substances, collectively called inhibins, all contribute to its antibacterial and antifungal properties (Zurula and Lulat, 1989). Specific antimicrobial chemicals, identified as components of the inhibins, include hydrogen peroxide, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid (Wahdan, 1998). The antimicrobial activity of honey may explain the lack of decay of the body of the dead Hasmonean girl, preserved in honey for seven years by Herod (Bava Basra 3b).

On a more pleasant note, the medicinal and therapeutic properties of honey were noted in the gemora. Honey was used as a wound salve placed on sores (Shabbos 76b, 77b, 78a, and 154b). Rashi (Shabbos 76b) noted that honey was placed on blisters that form on the backs of horses and camels due to the constant rubbing of the burdens they carry and was placed on abrasions on the back of one’s hand and leg. In modern medicine, honey has been of proven value in treating infected surgical wounds, burns, and ulcers and was successfully used in the postoperative management of patients who had undergone cancer surgeries. One report showed that skin grafting and amputation were avoided by local application of honey to wounds, which promoted healing, whereas conventional treatments failed (Zurula and Lulat, 1989). Other effects of honey on wounds include reduction of inflammation, edema, and pain resulting from burns. Several clinical studies on the usage of honey as a dressing for infected wounds reported that the wounds became microbial-free in 5 to 10 days.

It was reported that gangrenous tissue and necrotic tissue were rapidly replaced with normal tissue when honey was used as the dressing (Khan et al., 2007). Tumor development at the surgical wound site following cancer surgery was decreased by the pre- and post-operative application of honey (Hamzaoglu et al., 2000).

Apparently, there is a positive connection between honey and eyesight. In the incident cited above with Yonathan, after consuming the honey he stated, “See now how my eyes lit up when I tasted a bit of this honey” (I Samuel 14:29). Honey, if consumed after meals, was thought to be beneficial to the eyes; honey enlightens the eyes of man (Yoma 83b). Honey was used to treat the life threatening condition termed bulmos, induced by hunger. One of the symptoms of bulmos was weakening of the eyesight. For one who is seized with bulmos, we feed him honey and all other sweets, because honey and all kinds of sweets restore the eyesight of a person. Patient recovery from bulmos was indicated by restoration of vision (Yoma 83a, 84b). A Lebanese ophthalmologist, citing the ocular health effects of honey noted in the gemora as his medical reference source, reported that topical application of honey to eyes of patients improved visual acuity impaired by epithelial corneal edema (Mansour, 2002).

Many chronic human diseases have some association with oxidative stress. Antioxidants are protective chemicals that scavenge oxidants and free radicals, thereby absorbing molecular damage that might otherwise compromise the functioningof DNA, proteins, and essential lipids. Honey, with its high levels of antioxidants, may augment natural body defenses against oxidative stress, thereby promoting good health. “Given that the average sweetener intake by humans is estimated to be in excess of 70 kg/year, the substitution of honey in some foods for traditional sweeteners could result in an enhanced antioxidant defense system in healthy adults” (Schramm et al., 2003).