The concept of "honey" has a very unusual meaning - in translation, the word means something mysterious, enigmatic, endowed with some kind of magical properties. And this is not surprising, because this product is able to cure any ailments, cope with serious diseases, and also endow with vitality, beauty and wisdom. What are the types of honey? The answer to this question will be detailed, since this product is also classified depending on its origin and preparation technology.
The varieties of this product are classified according to several criteria, but the main ones are technological, regional and floristic.
Floral or floral honey
It can be floral and honeydew, depending on the source from which insects collect pollen. Flower honey can be monofloral (collected from one type of plant) and polyfloral (made from several types of honey plants). Absolutely monofloral varieties are extremely rare - honey from forbs does not differ in taste and aroma from other varieties from this category. Depending on the type of bee pastures, flower honey can be meadow, forest, steppe, fruit, taiga, mountain, etc.
regional honey
The product is classified according to the place of origin. Far Eastern linden, Altai or Bashkir honey - all these names speak of the place of bee pastures and production technology. The collection method and production technology determine another classification of the product: depending on the method of production, honey can be centrifugal and trigger.
Bees pour it into special cells, which are sealed with wax - this is how honeycomb is obtained, which comes to the consumer in a pure and mature state, without impurities and preservatives. The product is sterile - so say the data of bacteriological studies.
The centrifugal method of obtaining is as follows: bee products are pumped out of the combs in a honey extractor.
Other varieties
What are the types of honey? It turns out that there are many varieties. So, it differs in color, taste and aroma. Honey can be dark, light or medium shade between them. Absolutely colorless, light and completely transparent, like water, varieties of a sweet product are also known. For example, honeycombs filled with acacia honey seem empty, although in fact they contain the most valuable and delicious product - white varieties of honey. There are also species that, when crystallized, acquire a slightly greenish tint.
Some argue that dark honey is a first-class product, as it contains a large amount of mineral salts, manganese and copper, which is important for health.
There is also a gradation depending on organoleptic indicators. The most fragrant is tobacco honey, having felt the smell of which, it is impossible to confuse it with any other kind.
To date, connoisseurs of a healing product know several types of this product. To understand what varieties of honey are, it is worth getting to know its main varieties.
Buckwheat honey
It is considered one of the best varieties. Due to the special taste that tickles in the throat, it is almost impossible to confuse buckwheat honey with any other variety. How to distinguish buckwheat honey?
It is characterized by a darker shade that varies from dark yellow to dark brown. Hardworking bees, pollinating buckwheat flowers, produce a natural product that has healing properties. Molasses is distinguished by a high content of useful trace elements and amino acids, which means that the benefits for the body are obvious.
It is used to treat leukocytosis, bronchitis and hypertension, beriberi and stomatitis, skin and colds. In addition, buckwheat honey is effective as a means of restoring protein metabolism. The product is widely used in cooking - it is often used to make confectionery and delicious compotes.
Linden honey
A distinctive feature is the almost complete absence of color and an incredible aroma. Linden honey can only have a slight light amber hue. Another characteristic feature is high organoleptic characteristics. Linden honey is very tasty and fragrant - the aroma can be heard even from a closed jar.
Molasses has healing properties and is distinguished by a delicate taste that pleasantly tickles in the throat and leaves a mild aftertaste. Linden honey collected in the Far East differs in all respects from the product obtained in other regions of the country.
Linden honey is an indispensable natural medicine and an effective prevention of viral and colds. The product is used to treat bronchitis, asthma, diseases of the liver and stomach, kidneys and intestines. It has also become widespread in cosmetology - masks based on it moisturize and nourish the skin well.
Acacia honey
It is considered the most famous variety of a sweet product. From one hectare of a flowering plant, you can collect up to 1500 kg of honey, and from just one bush, a bee colony can produce about 8 kg. The mature product has practically no color - it is transparent, but at the time of crystallization it acquires a slightly white tint. By the way, it becomes white not earlier than one year. A distinctive feature of this variety is the equal ratio of sucrose and fructose.
Acacia honey is an effective remedy for the treatment and prevention of nervous diseases, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and kidney diseases. In addition, molasses is used to strengthen the nervous system and treat insomnia.
heather honey
It is an ideal product for those who prefer a slightly bitter taste. It has a tart, slightly bitter taste. The color range varies from dark yellow to brown with a red tint. It slowly crystallizes (the process can drag on for a whole year) and is characterized by increased ductility.
Over time, the product acquires the consistency of a jelly, inside which a huge number of bubbles form. One has only to mix it in a jar, as the honey will again become liquid and homogeneous. Heather honey, reviews of which eloquently testify to its healing properties, is rich in minerals and has a whole range of healing properties. It is used to reduce appetite, to prevent cardiovascular diseases, and also helps to strengthen the nervous system and forget about insomnia.
chestnut honey
Useful properties and contraindications of the product have not yet been thoroughly studied, accompanied by numerous disputes and contradictions. Nevertheless, this variety has no less value and uniqueness than other species.
It has a slightly bitter taste, with a characteristic tart note, and a pronounced chestnut flavor. High viscosity, rich dark shades and slow crystallization are other distinguishing features of the sweet product. Chestnut honey has pronounced antimicrobial properties, helps to cope with diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, and is also effectively used to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Bees collect fragrant nectar from white and pink flowers of decorative horse chestnut, resulting in an incredibly tasty and fragrant product - chestnut honey.
- Promotes healing of wounds and skin lesions.
- Used as an effective remedy for the treatment of respiratory organs.
- Normalizes blood pressure and improves heart performance.
- It helps to strengthen the immune system, and is also used as a prophylactic for colds.
Chestnut honey also has some disadvantages:
- The product should not be consumed with individual intolerance (after all, any variety of this product is a fairly strong allergen).
- People suffering from pathological blood diseases and diabetes should also eat honey with great care.
At its core, chestnut bee products are a universal natural antibiotic, whose bactericidal effect is several times higher than the effectiveness of most drugs.
Fireweed honey: useful properties and contraindications
Ivan-tea honey contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals that are simply necessary for the human body. The appearance of the healing product is embarrassing even for true connoisseurs of sweet treats. The fact is that the natural products of striped workers have a yellowish, and sometimes greenish tint, and the consistency of heavy cream. And the ability of fireweed honey to quickly crystallize, while changing its shade to a lighter one and forming small grains of white color, completely confuses adherents of traditional medicine.
In fact, these are the unique features of this variety, thanks to which beekeeping products received a second name - “snowy”. Special attention deserves the qualities possessed by fireweed honey.
Useful properties and contraindications:
- Used as an analgesic and vasodilator.
- An excellent prophylactic for the treatment of colds and viral diseases.
- It is used to treat peptic ulcers and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Natural raw materials that help to forget about insomnia and calm the nervous system.
The product obtained from a medicinal plant is undesirable for people with diabetes mellitus and individual intolerance to bee products.
sweet clover honey
This is one of those varieties that has an incredible variety of colors. Its gamut varies widely: from light amber to white with a slight greenish tint. Sweet clover honey has a great taste, which is harmoniously set off by a slight bitterness. This variety of bee products is highly valued across the ocean due to its unique properties and qualities.
The aroma of sweet clover honey is impossible to forget - sweet and tart at the same time, it has a pronounced vanilla smell.
The product from sweet clover is widely used in folk medicine - it is used in the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases and to normalize metabolic processes in the body, as well as an effective vasodilator. In addition, it is a good sedative of natural origin, which helps to cope with insomnia. Its use as a propolis compress is an effective remedy for sore muscles and joints, as well as the right solution to relieve tension from tired legs.
Dandelion honey
Speaking about what sorts of honey there are, one cannot fail to mention the true embodiment of summer - an amber product collected by striped workers. Dandelion honey has a thick texture and fast crystallization, a pronounced aroma and an unsurpassed taste that eloquently conveys all the sunny shades of summer. Perhaps no bee product is more associated with warm days than dandelion honey.
Useful properties and qualities:
- An effective remedy for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Therapy for anemia.
- An effective product that improves appetite.
Many also harvest because this product is incredibly tasty and fragrant.
Not useful honey
The fact remains that there are also poisonous varieties of honey. Xenophon of Athens, an ancient Greek writer and commander, described one case in which it was said that the soldiers who tasted honey from Colchis seemed to be sick. Some complained of nausea, dizziness and vomiting, others, frankly, suffered from diarrhea, and several people even died as a result of poisoning with a sugary product.
For the first time, poisonous honey was discovered in 1877, in the Batum valley. Local beekeepers used only wax, as the sweet product caused signs of acute poisoning (dizziness, nausea and vomiting). The fact is that this area is characterized by a large population of rhododendron - a plant that contains a large amount of an alkaloid dangerous to the human body. Natural, collected by bees in the northern and middle parts of Japan, also does not differ in healing properties. The hotsutsayi plant related to contains dangerous substances that should never be eaten. In addition, the flowers of azalea, aconite, sepal heather and wild rosemary growing in the Far East are raw materials for poisonous beekeeping products. For example, just 100 grams of honey can cause severe hallucinations and loss of consciousness.
Unusual varieties of honey
A sweet product is obtained from a wide variety, and sometimes unusual honey plants. Surely few people know that there is also rose honey. No, this is not a tomato variety - it is a valuable product obtained from a delicious plant. Wild rosehip flowers have absorbed the most valuable thing that this plant can give - rose honey is effective in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, it is widely used for the prevention of colds and viral infections during the season, and is also used as an exquisite dessert on cold winter evenings. Rosehip honey is a storehouse of vitamins and valuable substances necessary for the human body and enhancing its protective functions.
Pumpkin and carrot honey are another varieties that are distinguished by their unusualness and uniqueness. Bright carrot honey is natural vitamins for the eyes in its purest form. The product has a golden color and is characterized by fairly rapid crystallization. It is used most often for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Honey from Bashkiria
The sweet product from Bashkortostan is famous all over the world. Beekeeping products are very rare and expensive, but this is due to the amazing and truly magical properties that local honey has. And the point is not only in the unique plants growing on the territory of Bashkiria - a great merit belongs to the Burzyan bee, which easily tolerates frosts, which means that it works much more than its relatives.
Bashkortostan received the status of "land of honey" long before the arrival of the Turkic tribes. Even the name speaks eloquently about the sights of this region - Bashkortostan is translated as "bee" and "head". Beekeeping has been developing on the territory of the republic for several hundred years - archaeologists managed to find buried beekeeping equipment and rock paintings, indicating that even in those distant times, especially valuable and useful honey was collected on these lands.
There are no analogues to Bashkir honey all over the world. Finding a truly high-quality and natural product is quite difficult - you will have to go to the Republic of Bashkortostan itself and visit one of the fair exhibitions for it. Of course, such a product will not be cheap, but its quality more than pays for all the costs. By the way, abroad, real Bashkir honey is served exclusively in elite restaurants.
The unique properties of molasses are due to the special climatic and natural features of the region, thanks to which frost-resistant molasses creates a real natural medicine that allows you to cope with any ailment. The raw materials for the production of Bashkir delicacy are rose hips, dandelion, St. John's wort and feather grass, thyme, chamomile, oregano and sage.
All the beauty and range of taste of honey with a wild character
Wild bee honey is a unique product in all respects, speaking of which, the good Soviet cartoon about Winnie the Pooh immediately comes to mind. It is not surprising that this clumsy bear cub wanted to get some honey, which was made by wild bees, by all means.
What is good about this product? The fact is that wild bees differ from domestic individuals - they are not so capricious and spoiled by human attention, they tolerate frosts more easily and are less susceptible to various diseases.
Wild honey is also of particular value because it is collected only once a year - as a result, the product has time to mature well and collect all the most valuable qualities and useful properties. Wild honey, the price of which is significantly different from home-harvested molasses, has a tart taste with a characteristic bitterness, a dark color and high viscosity.
The high cost of wild bee production is also due to the fact that insects are on the verge of extinction - their habitats are protected at the state level in order to prevent interbreeding with domestic individuals and preserve the gene pool. Wild honey is made from plants created naturally, which means that the healing properties of this product are many times higher than those created with the help of man.
Honey has long been targeted and used as a natural medicine. The unique healing properties of plants, combined with the industriousness of bees, harmoniously intertwined in this amazing product that helps get rid of various diseases. Real honey is a storehouse of vitamins, a source of health and vitality, a valuable raw material for cosmetic procedures, as well as an incredibly tasty delicacy that will appeal to everyone.
