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This week we have a great article that was passed on to us about honey and some of the wonderful things you can do with honey.  The article was written by Elizabeth Cole, who also wrote the book, "101 Things To Do With Honey" (distributed online as an e-book).  Unfortunately the e-book is no longer being distributed, so this short article is all that is left of that book (by the way - if anyone has a full copy of the book we would love to see the entire thing!).

We are also excited to announce and feature the winners of our dessert recipe contest!  You will see them in the Recipe section of the newsletter.  If you are one of the winners you will be e-mailed your prize by the end of the week.

If you have been a subscriber for a while you may have noticed that the last few weeks we haven't featured the most recent "A Healthier You" free program.  This should be back up to speed by next week's newsletter.

By Elizabeth Cole, author of 101 Things To Do With Honey

Apitherapy, the treatment of various conditions using honeybee products, has been around a long time. Honey is one of the oldest medicines we have, with proof of its healing power dating back more than 5000 years. Even Hippocrates found that honey "cleans sores and ulcers of the lips, heals carbuncles and running sores." It has been a staple ingredient of folk medicines throughout the ages and now, it is even gaining credibility with current medical and scientific communities. British researchers have proven that applying raw honey to fresh wounds prevents infection as well as any medication and often eliminates the need for antibiotics. They have also learned that honey-treated cuts and scrapes heal quicker than those treated with medicated ointments. Other researchers have found that honey can alleviate asthma, calm nerves and induce sleep, ease pain and relieve diarrhea.

Raw honey can be a valuable part of your "First Aid Kit." Here's a few suggestions:

Bee Stings: Dab on a bit of honey immediately. It helps draw the stinger out, eases the pain and neutralizes poisons.

Blisters: Combine 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. Aloe Vera gel and 10 drops lavender oil. Dab on blister, cover with bandage. Change bandage and repeat 2 to 3 times per day.

Burns: Immediately spread a thin layer of raw honey over the burn. Especially good for oil splatter type burns and steam burns, but of benefit to all types of burns. It relieves stinging, prevents blisters and infection, and speeds healing.  NOTE: While The School of Natural Healing does recommend you use honey for burns, it is a very different procedure from the one mentioned here.  Please read http://articles.herballegacy.com/treating-burns/ for full details.

Sunburn: Combine 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of Aloe Vera gel. Paint onto sunburned skin with pastry brush or damp sponge.

Wounds: The high levels of potassium found in honey make it very difficult, if not impossible, for bacteria to survive. Applying a thin layer of raw honey to any cut, scrape or scratch is beneficial.

Beyond treating injury and illness, there are other reasons to pay attention to honey. Incorporating it into your daily diet is an excellent step to take towards maintaining general good health. Dr. D.C. Jarvis says, "I am saddened when people tell me that they don't eat honey because it costs more than white sugar. In the long run, you must pay either the grocer or the druggist."

Honey can be substituted for white sugar very easily, even in baking, and the health benefits for everyone but especially for children are worth every penny.


What have YOU done with honey, ?  Let us know by visiting our blog and leaving a comment so other readers will know what other things honey can do!  Maybe we will come up with our own 101 Things You Can Do With Honey!  Visit the blog at http://articles.herballegacy.com

The following recipe, from T. Sellers, is the winner of the Raw Dessert Category.   Congratulations!

RAW RASPBERRY ICE CREAM

2 c almond milk (to follow)
1 c raw cashews
2 t golden flax seed
2 c water
¾ c light olive oil (Bertolli's is the only truly raw light olive oil)
¾ c honey
¼ t sea salt
The tiny seeds scraped from the inside of one vanilla bean (or 2 t pure vanilla extract, but it is not nearly as good!)
¾ c frozen (unsweetened) raspberries, crushed into little pieces

1.      Place almond milk in jar or mixing bowl.  Set aside

2.      In blender, combine cashews, flax seed, water, oil, honey, salt and vanilla seeds.  Blend on high several minutes until very smooth.  I dip out small amounts and check for smoothness.

3.      Combine with milk.  Chill completely, about two hours, in refrigerator before using.  This also allows the flax particles to thicken mixture.

4.      Stir mixture and Freeze in a conventional ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  When ice cream is almost completely set up, add crushed raspberries and continue freezing until set.  It should be the consistency of thick soft-serve ice cream.

ALMOND MILK

½ c soaked, sprouted almonds
1 T sweetener - honey or agave
2 c water
1/8 t sea salt

1.      In blender combine nuts, sweetener, salt and ½ c of the water, blend on low until it is thick and smooth, adding more water if necessary to keep mixture moving.

2.      Add remaining water while blender is running and blend for four minutes

3.      Strain milk through wire mesh strainer lined with porous cloth, like that used for thermal underwear (very important for a completely smooth texture).  This may yield slightly more milk
 than required for the ice cream - measure before using.

And the winner of our "Baked Dessert" goes to A. Jones.

Keep in mind that most baked recipes are transitional recipes - you shouldn't be doing a lot of baking, but occasionally you want a tasty baked dessert that is "healthier" than what you can find in your traditional cookbooks.

"NOT" GRANDMA'S BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

These cookies really remind me of my Grandma's Butterscotch Cookies, but they are way easier to make.  The frosting recipe that I include is NOT a healthy frosting in any way since it uses powdered sugar, but it is the only way to get my Grandma's Butterscotch flavor.  You can just eat them plain - they won't taste like butterscotch, but they still have a great flavor.

1 cup applesauce
½ cup canola oil
1 cup honey
2 t vanilla
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 ¼ t baking soda
1 t salt
2 cups whole wheat flour

In a medium mixing bowl blend together applesauce, oil, honey, vanilla and vinegar until smooth.  In a separate bowl mix soda, salt and flour.  Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and stir together.  Scoop out batter by tablespoons and place on a greased cookie sheet.  These are more of a cake-like cookie.

Bake at 325 F for 8-10 minutes

Yield: 3 dozen

If desired you could add ½ cup of carob chips.  I like to add chopped pecans and make a simple glaze frosting out of powdered sugar, soy milk and vanilla.

We don't have printable versions of the recipes for you this week (computer issues!) but we will include them in next week's newsletter (as long as the computer is up-to-speed again, that is!).

Do you have a healthy, tasty recipe that you would be willing to share with other health conscious readers, ?  Please share your recipes at http://www.herballegacy.com/Recipes.html (this page also has our database of recipes!).