Honey-Vinegar Tonic
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp raw honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions:
While water is warming up, place the raw apple cider vinegar, raw honey and cayenne in the bottom of a teacup. Pour water over the honey and stir to dissolve the honey.
Drink this while liquid is warm. It does not work as well or taste as good when it is cold.
Makes one serving.
**NOTE**
For this tonic to work raw honey and raw apple cider vinegar must be used.
John the Baptist survived on locusts and wild honey when he lived in the wilderness. During a retreat, a monkey brought Buddha honey to eat.
In fact, honey is mentioned in the Bible, Qur’an, Talmud and the scrolls of the Orient.
The first recorded use of honey is found in a Mesolithic cave painting in Spain. The 8000-year-old drawing shows a person taking honey from a tree. In 5500 B.C., lower Egypt was known as “Bee Land.”
Honey was offered to the gods, and some believe it to be ambrosia, the food of the gods. Honey found in King Tut’s tomb was still edible even after 2,000 years.
Honey was not always taken for granted
It was highly prized and valued so much that it was used for money, food and medicine. German feudal lords wanted payment in honey from their peasants.
For almost as long as man can remember, honey has been used to treat all kinds of ailments. Five thousand years ago, people knew of honey’s healing abilities, and modern research shows that honey has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
Hannibal fortified his army with honey and vinegar, both of which are known for a variety of healing properties, as they crossed the Alps to fight Rome.
Romans soldiers would take it with them and use it on their battle wounds. Australian researchers found that when diluted honey is applied to a moist wound, it creates hydrogen peroxide.
According to British researchers when raw honey is applied to new wounds, infection is prevented and antibiotic need is eliminated. Some research has shown that honey helps to protect against heart disease.
Just eating a daily tablespoon of local raw honey can help with seasonal allergies
All the wonderful healing properties of honey are found in raw, unpasteurized honey. Raw honey contains vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants and has no fat or cholesterol.
Today, most commercially available honey is pasteurized or cooked which can create cellular toxicity in the body. Not only is pasteurized honey not beneficial for the body, it does not taste as good. I highly recommend buying raw or unpasteurized honey.
Most experts will agree that while honey is good for people, it should not be given to children under one year of age as their immune system is still developing.
For more tips about living a balanced life, visit Summer Bear at www.summerbear.org
