This Is What Makes Manuka Honey Very Expensive
Native to New Zealand, Manuka honey is a dark honey produced by bees that pollinate the flowers of the Manuka bush. Manuka honey contains active ingredients that give it its natural antibacterial properties – this differentiates it from regular honey.
What Is Manuka Honey?
Manuka honey is the product of bees visiting the Manuka plant native to New Zealand. The main active ingredient in Manuka honey is methylglyoxal. Therefore, Manuka honey is known for its healing properties. In contrast, regular honey is the product of bees visiting different types of flowers. As a result, it is rich in nutrients and is suitable for diabetes. Therefore, the main difference between Manuka honey and regular honey is their origin, composition, and meaning.
Manuka honey is a dark, viscous honey with many delicious and beneficial compounds and excellent antibacterial properties. Australia and New Zealand have their standards for Manuka honey. In New Zealand, honey must be tested for four chemical markers from nectar and one DNA marker from manuka pollen. In Australia, Manuka honey must meet minimum standards for naturally occurring methylglyoxal, dihydroxyacetone, and arginine.
Where Can You Buy Manuka Honey?
Manuka honey is a rare type of honey because bees spend less than six weeks a year pollinating Manuka plants, it’s more expensive than other types of honey, up to $99 for 100 grams. However, it also offers more medicinal benefits than other forms of honey.
Manuka honey used to be hard to find outside of New Zealand. But because of its growing popularity, you can now buy this honey at many natural and grocery stores and select club stores across the United States as well as in other countries. You can also find it online.
Manuka honey was rare in the US but is now readily available in health food stores and online. Before buying this type of honey, check the UMF label on the bottle. This label indicates that the product is genuine and strong enough to make a difference.
Other Health Benefits
Manuka honey is believed to have antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, it benefits oral health, soothes sore throats, prevents stomach ulcers, and eliminates digestive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fine arginine and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are two other beneficial compounds in manuka honey.
The health benefits of Manuka honey have long been touted in the natural health community. They have become even more touted recently as more research has begun to support the millennia-old folk medicine use.
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