Regarded as one of the healthiest foods across the globe, honey is an amazing formulation with a lot of medicinal value. It is the most widely used sweetener with an infinite number of health benefits. Sugar was nonexistent until the intercontinental trade in the 18th century, which made cane sugar available. Honey bees seem to have originated in Africa. They have been in existence for 100 million years. So it’s no surprise that people from every part of the world use honey. Mythology and scriptures of ancient Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, Romans, Mayans, and Babylonians, etc. have the mention of honey. It has been consumed both for nutritional aims and for its medicinal properties

Honey is a sweet, viscous liquid produced by bees using the nectar from flowers. Bees swallow, digest and regurgitate nectar to procreate honey. This nectar contains about 600 compounds. The flavour of honey varies depending on the type of flower from which the nectar has been gathered. The unique fragrances and flavours of the flowers permeate the nectar which is reflected in the honey produced. The taste, texture, and characteristics of honey vary from region to region.

Honey is graded by its colour - the clear, golden amber ones fetch a higher retail price compared to the darker ones. Generally speaking, light coloured honey is more mild and sweet compared to the darker ones, which have a stronger taste. Depending on where it has to be marketed, honey may be bottled directly into small containers for retail sale or into large drums for storage and export. In order to cater to a wide range of consumers, honey is packaged in containers of many different sizes and styles. These include glass jars, plastic tubs, and squeezable bottles.

Honey is available in two forms - raw and processed. Raw honey contains all the enzymes, pollen grains and other micronutrients that are usually filtered out or destroyed by heat when the honey is processed. Raw honey crystallizes quite quickly as it is unfiltered. On the other hand, processed honey stays in the liquid form for much longer.

Honey is being used as a medicine for ages. It has a very special place in Ayurveda. Even the modern-day science agrees with the innumerable benefits of honey.

Some basic facts about honey:

• Common name: Shahad (Hindi)
• Sanskrit name: Madhu
• Native region and geographical distribution: The major producers of honey are China, Turkey, the United States, Russia, and India.
• Interesting Fact: If kept in an airtight container, honey has an eternal shelf life. It never gets spoiled.

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