Honey is well known as a nutritious artificial sweetener. One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Honey consists of 80% carbohydrate, 18% water, and 2% vitamin, mineral, and amino acid, and is widely used as an energy source.
As well as an energy source, honey also has several other health benefits such as to ease gastritis. Gastritis is a stomach inflammation that can cause stomach ulcer. It can be caused by stress, excessive alcohol and painkiller consumption, and infection of H. pylori bacteria. Consuming honey is useful to overcome the disease.
A study conducted by Medical University of Sofia shows evidence that consuming honey can reduce the risk of H. pylori infection. In the research, scientists gave honey-infused tea to participants and compare them to those who only drank plain black or green tea. The result shows that those who consumed honey-infused tea are 50.6% less likely to get infected by H. pylori bacteria.
Among the ways to consume honey is by mixing it with hot water or black/green tea. It is highly recommended to drink honey in the morning when the stomach is empty to cleanse the digestive system.
Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Google Search Images
Source(s):
- Raw Honey Nutritional Facts (2017), https://www.livestrong.com/article/302341-raw-honey-nutritional-facts/, May 16, 2018
- Boyanova, L., Illieva, J., Gergova, G (2015). Honey and green/black tea consumption may reduce the risk of Helicobacter pylori infection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2015.03.001.
- Manfaat Madu sebagai Obat Ampuh Mengatasi Maag (2018), https://www.vemale.com/kesehatan/115045-manfaat-madu-sebagai-obat-ampuh-mengatasi-maag.html, May 16, 2018.