Raw Honey - Real Raw Honey
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Raw honey in its pure healthy form. It is in the natural granulated state and is spreadable as desired. What distiguishes our real raw honey is the flavor of the Star Thistle nectar that thrives in wilds of Northern Michigan so well. Our real raw honey is simply exquisite. Raw honey is not filtered or heated. Real raw honey contains all the enzymes, pollen, and floral essences that the honeybees put into it. |
Raw honey contains all the floral essences from the flowers where the bees collect the nectar. Our raw honey is right from the hive with all the goodness from nature. We pack our real raw honey in a 2 and 1/2 pound jar (40 oz.) with a large opening to spoon out the honey.
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For at least 2700 years, honey has been used to treat a variety of ailments through topical application, but only recently have the antiseptic and antibacterial properties of raw honey been chemically explained. Antibacterial properties of real raw honey are the result of the low water activity causing osmosis, hydrogen peroxide effect and high acidity.
Osmotic effect
Raw honey is primarily a saturated mixture of two monosaccharides. This mixture has a low water activity; most of the water molecules are associated with the sugars and few remain available for microorganisms, so it is a poor environment for their growth.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide in raw honey is activated by dilution. However, unlike medical hydrogen peroxide, commonly 3% by volume, it is present in a concentration of only 1 mmol/l in real raw honey. Iron in raw honey oxidizes the oxygen free radicals released by the hydrogen peroxide.
glucose + H2O + O2 → gluconic acid + H2O2
When used topically (as, for example, a wound dressing), hydrogen peroxide is produced by dilution with body fluids. As a result, hydrogen peroxide is released slowly and acts as an antiseptic.
Acidity
The pH of real raw honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5.[26] This relatively acidic pH level prevents the growth of many bacteria.
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