A variety of honey products makes you wonder what sweetness to choose. To facilitate the task, in the article we will tell you in detail about acacia honey, list the useful properties and recipes for its use.

Description and characteristics of acacia honey

It is quite difficult to obtain a pure product from acacia - in small quantities it may contain pollen from other plants. Acacia honey is significantly different from other varieties: consider its main characteristics.

What does it look like

This product may have either a liquid or viscous consistency. Its unusualness is that a drop of sweets dissolves for a long time with saliva. Honey acquires a fine-grained structure after hardening - in appearance it becomes similar to thick sour cream.

Did you know? The antimicrobial properties of honey and the presence of aromatic components were used in antiquity to embalm Egyptian pharaohs.

Colour

Honey collected from white (royal) acacia is transparent with a golden greenish tint. Yellow acacia gives sweets a rich bright yellow color. After crystallization, the sweetness becomes milky white.

Taste and Aroma

This is perhaps the only variety that has a delicate taste, without the cloying and bitterness characteristic of other flower species. It is moderately sweet, tastes good. The aroma is not pronounced, it smells like blooming acacia.

Sugaring terms

The product belongs to liquid grades. Often the question arises as to whether he sugars or not. The answer in this case is yes, the product crystallizes, but this period can be delayed up to 2 years, which significantly exceeds the terms for sugaring other types of honey.

Impurities of nectar from other plants shorten the crystallization period:

• sugaring will occur in 2 months if the product contains nectar of rapeseed, sainfoin or mustard;
• honey containing raspberry nectar crystallizes before the New Year holidays;
• dandelion will accelerate hardening up to 1-2 months;
• fireweed does not affect crystallization - honey also thickens for a long time.

Crystallization is dependent on glucose and fructose. Glucose quickly turns into crystals, and fructose does not crystallize at all and has the property of enveloping the molecules of other sugars, which inhibits the sugaring processes. Acacia honey contains about 30% glucose and more than 40% fructose. This ratio explains the long period of product sugaring.

Important! Acacia honey is considered an allergy-free product, so it can be eaten by children and pregnant women. But there are exceptions to all the rules, and in order not to harm, you need to start with small doses, and it is better to consult a doctor before use.

The chemical composition and calorie content of the product

The composition of the bee dessert includes almost all trace elements - this is why it is similar to human blood plasma.

It contains:

• phosphorus;
• manganese;
• potassium;
• copper;
• calcium;
• chrome and others

The product contains a wide variety of vitamins:

• vitamin C;
• B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B9, B12);
• niacin (PP);
• carotene;
• E, K, H, etc.

There are also organic acids:

• apple
• lemon;
• wine;
• oxalic;
• dairy.

However, acids are contained in small quantities, which allows people with high acidity of the stomach to consume this sweetness, while other types of honey are contraindicated for them.

In addition to all of the above, the product contains:

• enzymes;
• proteins;
• tannins;
• essential oils;
• antioxidants;
• phytohormones;
• tannins.

Important! Purchasing sweets at an apiary or fair gives a greater guarantee of quality than acquiring in a store or some other place. Preservatives may be present in store products.

The product contains up to 77% carbohydrates, 3% proteins, as well as dietary fiber. Its calorie content is about 320 kcal.

100 g of sweets contain:

• carbohydrates - 81.8 g;
• protein - 0.7 g;
• fiber - 0.3 g;
• dietary fiber - 0.2 g;
• water - about 17 g.

Properties of honey for the human body

Honey is a storehouse of useful substances that have healing properties. We list its pros and cons.

What is useful

• For the human body, the benefits of honey are comprehensive and are manifested in the following properties:
• strengthening immunity and increasing vitality;
• improvement of blood and blood circulation, increase in hemoglobin and vasodilation;
• optimization of metabolism and digestion;
• normalization of liver activity, diuretic and antimicrobial effect;
• improving reproductive function in men and women;
• acceleration of recovery from diseases of the respiratory system;
• stimulation of brain activity, relieving stress and depression, normalizing sleep;
• vision improvement;
• wound healing and anti-inflammatory effect - has a positive effect in the treatment of skin diseases;
• It is used for cosmetic purposes to improve the condition of the skin, nails and hair.

Harm and contraindications

In order not to harm the body, you need to adhere to some rules:

• Do not eat too much honey. Adults should not exceed a dose of 100 g per day, and children need only 20-30 g (1 teaspoon at a time);
• you need to start taking it with small doses, especially for children;
• Do not heat the product above 45 ° C - while harmful substances appear in it and the medicinal properties are lost. For the same reason, sweetness is not advisable to drink with hot drinks;
• it is advisable to use only the honey of which you are sure. Below we will tell you how to determine the naturalness of a product.

• Sometimes the body can respond to excessive intake of sweets with the following reactions:
• heart palpitations;
• indigestion and vomiting;
• temperature increase;
• dizziness or loss of consciousness;
• weak threadlike pulse;
• pain in the limbs;
• allergic skin reactions;
• difficulty breathing.

Signs of poisoning may appear as early as 30 minutes after ingestion. Without the use of drugs, symptoms disappear from 5 hours to a day. But for allergy sufferers and people with various diseases it is better to immediately contact a specialist.

How to check acacia honey for naturalness at home?

Defining a fake is not always possible even for a specialist. Only in a laboratory study can we say for sure whether the real product or not.

Did you know? The Romans and Egyptians practiced paying with honey: they exchanged it for the necessary goods and paid taxes to them.

Here are some possible ways to determine quality:

• natural bee dessert has a soft, but not sharp aroma;
• 1 liter of product weighs 1.3–1.5 kg. If the weight is less, then there is an excess of water in it;
• by dissolving the sweetness in warm water, you can see the presence of impurities that will settle to the bottom. A drop of iodine will indicate the presence of starch (the liquid turns blue);
• real honey will be wound on a rotating spoon. If you stop the rotation, then the flowing stream will form a kind of tower. Unripe or sugar-added product will drain intermittently, quickly leveling out on the surface;
• the heated wire dipped in honey will remain clean if the sweetness is natural. If a fake - sticky mass will remain on it;
• a drop of natural sweetness on paper burns, but does not melt and does not change color. If the drop turns brown, this indicates that the bees were fed sugar syrup;
• the natural product will rub on the skin, while the non-natural product will form grains, revealing low quality.

How to take

Features of the use of acacia honey, as well as the other varieties, is that it is advisable to use it an hour and a half before meals or three hours after its intake. Next, consider how much honey and for what purpose should be used.

In folk medicine

A bee dessert made from acacia flowers is very often used in folk medicine to treat various diseases. Here are a few ways and recipes for using it with the most common ailments.

From the common cold

In colds, substances such as ascorbic acid and carotene, contained in sweets, enhance the body's stability, improve phagocytosis and stimulate the production of antibodies.

You can apply this treatment:

1. With a strong cough, you need to take a radish and make a depression in it, which is filled with honey. After 4 hours, pour the contents into a cup and take 1 tbsp. l 3 times a day. You can do it easier and mix the chopped root crop with sweetness in equal proportions.
2. When coughing, inhalation can also be done. For this, 1 tbsp. the product is dissolved in a liter of hot water and poured into an inhaler or kettle. You can breathe over a basin or plate with a towel. The procedure lasts 10-15 minutes.
3. An effective cold remedy is beet juice (2.5 tsp) mixed with 1 tsp of honey. This liquid must be dripped into the nose - 4 drops in each nostril. After just a few procedures, nasal breathing improves and the runny nose decreases.
4. With laryngitis, the combination of the product with lemon or carrot juice helps a lot. Composition of juice 1 lemon and 1 tbsp. sweets are taken 1 hour three times a day. Or you can dissolve 1 teaspoon of honey in 0.5 cups of carrot juice and drink it once a day.
5. With sore throat and flu, you can use sage with garlic and lemon. 2 tbsp. sage is poured with 1 liter of boiling water. After half an hour, the juice of 1 lemon and 2 minced cloves of garlic is added to the infusion. In a warm potion dissolve 1 tbsp. acacia honey. It should be taken half a cup 3-4 times a day.

For the nervous system

Constant stress and nervous tension negatively affect the emotional state, causing insomnia, headaches and fatigue. The bee product will have a soft sleeping pill and a calming effect - we will consider the application features below:

1. Before going to bed 1 tbsp. honey (without a slide) should be washed down with a glass of warm, but not hot milk.
2. Milk can be replaced with decoctions of mint, lemon balm or motherwort. any of the herbs should be poured with 1 liter of boiling water and insisted until warm.
3. From depressive states, a dessert with beetroot juice will be effective. Both products are mixed in equal proportions and left for 3-4 hours. You need to take 100 ml three times a day.

For the heart and blood vessels

Acacia dessert improves the state of blood vessels, enhances blood coagulation, and normalizes blood formation. The product is characterized by low activity of the diastase enzyme (breaks down starch); therefore, it is recommended for nutrition of people suffering from heart and vascular diseases.

To improve cardiac activity, the following recipes are used:

1. Chop dried apricots, raisins and prunes (200 g each ingredient) in a blender or meat grinder. Add 200 g of honey. Consume 1 tbsp. three times a day for half an hour before eating.
2. It takes 10 minutes to boil 1 tbsp. chopped rose hips in 0.5 l of water. After cooling, strain the infusion and add 1 tbsp. Drink a drink half a glass in the morning and evening.
3. You can increase the elasticity of blood vessels with a composition of 0.5 kg of crushed lemons with 4 cloves of garlic with the addition of 200 g of honey. It will be enough to take a tablespoon twice a day.

For the stomach

Fructose is well absorbed and does not irritate the gastric mucosa, and there are few organic acids in acacia honey, therefore it is allowed to eat sweets with gastrointestinal problems.

The product is also used as an additional therapy for gastrointestinal diseases:

1. With gastritis with high acidity 1 tbsp. Bee treats should be dissolved in a glass of warm water and drunk an hour before meals. With low acidity, you need to do the same, but the water should be cold. Treatment takes about 2 months.
2. With a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer, honey sweetness relieves pain symptoms, relieves nausea and heartburn. The product dissolved in warm water is taken three times a day: 2 hours before breakfast and lunch, and 3 hours after dinner. About 50 g of honey are taken on a glass of liquid in the morning and in the evening, about 70 g in the afternoon.
3. A warm honey solution drunk on an empty stomach will help relieve pain in the intestines (1 tbsp. / 1 ​​cup).

For sight

The optimal ratio of carotene, thiamine and vitamin C has a positive effect on vision. The bee product not only improves visual acuity and eye adaptation in the dark, but also helps in the treatment of:

1. With keratitis, blepharitis, from dry eyes and to strengthen the lens, it is recommended to instill the eyes with a honey solution (1 part honey / 2 parts water). The procedure is carried out 3 times a day.
2. With conjunctivitis, rinses or lotions with a honey solution are practiced (1:10).
3. With cataracts, 0.5 parts of honey is dissolved in 50 ml of warm liquid. The solution is instilled into the eyes twice a day (3 drops in each eye).
4. To improve vision 1 tbsp. honey is dissolved in warm water (1 cup) and drunk in the morning on an empty stomach and before bedtime.

With diabetes

The predominance of fructose over glucose makes acacia honey possible for use by diabetics, since insulin is almost not needed for its digestion. It is hardly possible to recover from a violation of carbohydrate metabolism or reduce sugar, but a positive effect for the whole body will be guaranteed.

However, sweets must be taken in limited quantities:

1. For the first type of disease, honey treats are not consumed regularly and not more than 2 hours a day.
2. In the second type of diabetes, regular intake is admissible, but not more than 1 tbsp. in a day.

In cosmetology

Acacia honey is used not only in treatment, but also for cosmetic purposes. Its positive impact is versatile:

• restores skin elasticity and fresh look;
• pure application moisturizes the skin;
• promotes the regeneration of the skin;
• has an anti-inflammatory effect;
• prolonged crystallization makes the product possible to use year-round.

For face

Depending on the skin type, the following masks can be used:

1. With oily skin, you need to beat 2 proteins and mix with 1 teaspoon of honey until smooth. The composition is applied in a circular motion to the face (avoid the area around the eyes). After 20 minutes, the mixture is washed off with warm water.
2. If the skin is dry, then a mask of equal proportions of honey and olive oil will help. The composition must be kept on the face for about 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
3. A composition of banana pulp and 1 tbsp will have a beneficial effect on normal skin. acacia honey. The mixture is applied to the face for 15 minutes and washed off with warm water.

For body

The following procedures will help refresh, cleanse and rejuvenate the skin of the body:

1. A scrub of equal parts of oatmeal and acacia sweet should be rubbed with massage movements for about 5 minutes, and then washed off in the shower. Flakes can be replaced with ground coffee beans or salt. But if the skin is very sensitive, then a composition of honey with cream (equal proportions) is suitable.
2. A clean product applied to problem areas helps to get rid of cellulite. The treated areas are wrapped with cling film and a towel, after 30–40 minutes they are washed with water.
3. For a quick refreshing effect, a mixture of equal proportions of honey and milk is used. The mass is applied to the skin for 15-20 minutes, and then washed off. This mask is equally good for the face and for the whole body.

For hair

To give hair shine and silkiness, as well as to improve their growth, you can use the following recipes:

1. Burdock or olive oil is mixed with the honey component in equal proportions. The mixture is applied to the hair for 30 minutes, then it is washed with shampoo and rinsed well.
2. Honey mask with onion perfectly strengthens the hair and promotes their growth. The pulp of 1 onion must be mixed with 4 tbsp. bee product.The mixture is applied to the roots and along the entire length of the hair, washed off after 30 minutes. To get rid of the onion aroma, wash your hair with shampoo 2 or 3 times.
3. The perfect shine to the hair will give the composition of the juice of half a lemon and 2 tbsp. The product is applied to the hair and distributed along the entire length using a comb or comb. After 10 minus, everything is washed off with warm water.

How to store and in what conditions?

So that the delicacy in question does not lose its unique properties for a long time, the storage rules must be observed:

• the sweetness must be stored in a dark place with a temperature of + 10 ... + 15 ° C and a humidity of about 70%;
• so that the essential oils present in the product do not evaporate, it must be kept in an airtight container;
• glassware will be a suitable container. The ideal container for a honey product is wooden barrels. From a tree linden will do. The aspen container will give the product bitterness, the oak will change its color, and coniferous trees will add a resinous aroma.