Acacia honey: properties and cooking technology

Natural products are popular in the fight against various diseases and their prevention. One of the most popular components of traditional medicine is honey.Of all the varieties of honey, acacia honey is considered the most useful and delicious.

Acacia honey has more beneficial properties than any other variety. It turns out it is from nectar of white varieties of acacia or yellow shrubs, which grow in large numbers in the southern regions of our country. The special value of this honey is due to the fact that bees have the opportunity to collect nectar only a few weeks a year - at the time of flowering trees. Flowers have a strong sweet aroma, which is transmitted to honey, as well as honey-like color. White flowers produce a very light, almost pearly-white liquid honey, which forms a fine-grained structure when it hardens and becomes completely white. Yellow acacia allows you to get a product of yellowish-green color, which when fresh is almost as thick as water. After crystallization, it becomes white and fatty substance of medium grain.

Both varieties have a bright sweet taste without bitterness due to the high content in the composition of fructose, which is enhanced after swallowing delicacy.

The composition of this beekeeping product contains many vitamins of various groups and microelements useful for humans, as well as organic acids:

• almost all the vitamins from group B, as well as vitamins from groups C, E, PP, A (carotene), H (biotin), K;
• chromium and boron, particles of nickel and manganese, tin, zinc - all this leaves acacia flowers in the finished product;
• mineral salts necessary for a healthy skeleton, such as sodium, iodine, calcium, phosphorus and iron;
• apple, citric, lactic and other fruit acids, which have a tonic and rejuvenating effect on the human body.

The caloric value of 100 grams of such sweet foods is as much as 288 kcal for the white and 336 kcal for the yellow variety, but at the same time its glycemic index is below 32. This is the lowest figure when compared with other apicultural products, so it can be used even by diabetics.

The ratio of BJU is as follows:

• protein - 0.8 g;
• carbohydrates - 71 g;
• fat - 0 g.

Such an impressive composition of nutrients causes many uses of acacia honey.

• It is easily digestible and increases the rate of metabolic processes. Its hypoallergenic properties allow it to be used for the prevention and treatment of even the youngest children, and its bright sweet taste is used in a healthy diet to replace high-calorie sweets and sugar.
• Regular addition to the diet of fresh bee products from acacia flowers helps to normalize blood pressure by expanding blood vessels, cleans the liver and helps the gastrointestinal tract. A few spoons of daily performance improves and improves vision and memory.
• This sweet treat has an anti-inflammatory effect and soothes when you are stressed or sleepless. The use of acacia honey by men increases the potency and increases the quality of seminal fluid. This sweet medicine helps women regulate hormones, and also reduces spasms and pain during menstruation.

White or yellow acacia honey is also used to treat the following diseases:

• infectious inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis), loss of visual acuity;
• acute respiratory diseases, rhinitis, bronchitis, laryngitis;
• hypertension;
• liver disease;
• atherosclerosis;
• inflammation of the genitourinary system;
• various dermatitis, sores, blisters from burns and ulcers;
• periodontitis, stomatitis and other mucosal inflammations;
• decrease in tone, memory loss and concentration, seasonal depression.

In addition to medical use, the use of an acacia shrub beekeeping product in home beauty recipes is even more widespread. On its basis, you can prepare a variety of nutritional masks and fat creams, which have a restorative effect for the epidermis.It becomes elastic and dense, acne and peeling goes away, the complexion and body color becomes more healthy and shining. Honey reduces hair loss and restores their protection, it is often added to various shampoos and balms. Baths for nails with its addition can strengthen the nails and prevent their exfoliation. Especially effective this product has shown itself in the fight against obesity and cellulite. Honey massage or body wrap makes the skin smooth and literally “drowns” subcutaneous fat.

Last, but not least, is the use of natural sweetness in cooking. The taste of acacia honey, soft without bitterness, is perfect for making pastries, desserts and various beverages. It is often added to a cream or cake soak because of the pleasant floral aftertaste that it leaves on the tongue. It is undesirable to subject such a natural product to high temperature treatment, because it is most useful in its original form. Therefore, the best of all their taste and benefits of this delicacy reveals when used with cereals, cottage cheese or hot tea.

Unfortunately, in every barrel of honey you can find at least one spoonful of tar, and nectar from the flowers of acacia is no exception.

Despite the impressive list of various micronutrients and vitamins, there are certain risks and contraindications for its administration, such as:

• Allergies should be treated with great care. Despite the low content of pollen in this variety, people with individual intolerance to acacia honey can get a whole bunch of side effects, there may be pockets of rash or swelling of the nasopharynx, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes;
• You should not use it to women during lactation and children under the age of one and a half years;
• people with asthma should also limit the use of this delicacy, as it can cause another attack;
• this sweet molasses destroys the teeth so quickly that dentists recommend rinsing the mouth and well cleaning out all the remnants of honey after each ingestion.

In the absence of allergies and bronchial asthma, acacia honey can be safely used for external and internal use. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to lean heavily on such a rich dessert. The recommended dose is 2 tbsp. spoons and less for adults, 2 teaspoons and less for children. Separately, it is worth noting the danger of heating bee products above +45 degrees, since at this temperature they can begin to release toxins.

To be sure of the quality of honey and the absence of carcinogens in it, it is necessary to choose it correctly when buying.

• If the medicinal properties of the product are important, not just its taste, then honey is best purchased directly from the manufacturer in the apiary, and not from dealers and not in large shopping centers. It is advisable that the beekeeper fill the container already in front of you; the honey prepacked in small containers sooner loses its healing properties.
• High-quality acacia nectar is thick, homogeneous and practically transparent. It does not drip off the spoon when scrolling and shines brightly in the sun. The aroma of acacia is slightly reminiscent of ascorbic acid.
• Honey is advisable to choose monoflora (that is, collected by bees from flowers of exclusively acacia, without admixtures of pollen from other plants), since it does not sugar be longer and remains suitable for making various masks and balms.

The purchased product does not require special storage conditions and feels great in any ground and basement rooms. It must be stored in a sealed, carefully closed container in any closet, pantry or even on the balcony. The temperature should not be below -35 and not above +35 degrees, otherwise honey will quickly lose its properties. In order to keep it in liquid state as long as possible, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the region of + 10- + 20 degrees.When deviations from these temperatures and just over time, any apicultural product begins to crystallize, and this process is irreversible.

After the honey has begun to thicken and the first crystals are formed, the temperature should be reduced to + 7- + 10 degrees in order to slow down this process as much as possible. If the lid of the container is not sealed, and the humidity of the air is quite high, the honey can begin to sour. Eating soured honey as food is strongly discouraged to avoid side effects. Optimum air humidity is 60%. And also it is not recommended to store the container (regardless of its transparency) under direct sunlight, otherwise its structure will soon be destroyed. Plastic containers and metal containers are not the best option for storing acacia, and even any honey. Best of all, it will remain in a glass container, while remaining liquid and transparent for a long time.

Honey from the flowers of acacia can be bought from a beekeeper’s friend, and you can make your own if there is a white or yellow acacia growing nearby.

To do this, you need the following ingredients:

• 1000 ml of water;
• 1100 g of sugar;
• 250 g of acacia flowers;
• vanilla powder 1 tsp. and citric acid 1⁄4 tsp.

Flowers are detached from the branches and, without being cleared from the “cups”, laid out in a deep pan or stew pan. Water is poured, the pan is put on the fire, its contents are boiled for 25-30 minutes after boiling. The welded workpiece must be cooled and infused under the lid for 10–12 hours. After this time, the infusion is filtered to clear it from flowers. Sugar, vanilla and citric acid are added to the flavored infusion, after which the product is brought to readiness within 1.5 hours. As soon as the honey gets the desired color and thickness, it is poured into a glass container and sealed. There are many different recipes with this sweet product.

To date, one of the most popular honey drinks is non-alcoholic or alcoholic mulled wine. It is indispensable for cold winter evenings as a warming treat, which at the same time contains a huge amount of useful vitamins and acts as a prevention of colds. For the simplest mulled wine, 1 cup of cherry or pomegranate juice or dry red wine, 1–4 lemons, 3 tbsp is needed. spoons of honey and spices to taste (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg). All ingredients are placed in a deep container and brought to a boil, after which the broth is cooled to a temperature at which it will be comfortable to drink.

To treat a cold, mix 1 cup of hot milk, 1 tsp of honey and 1/3 tsp of baking soda. Drink this sweet medicine before bedtime, it helps relieve inflammation and simplifies the release of sputum. With increased anxiety and stress, the honey-beet juice mixed in equal parts will calm the nervous system. The effect will increase several times, if you leave the mixture to infuse for 3-4 hours. This medicine is taken in 100 ml every 3-4 hours. A mixture of dried apricots, prunes and other dried berries with honey improves the cardiovascular system and normalizes blood pressure. A mixture of the same product of beekeeping, but with garlic and lemon will help in the fight against atherosclerotic plaques. Even a teaspoon of golden delicacy just divorced in a glass of water will help with mucosal inflammation, clean the intestines, improve visual acuity and much more.

For the skin of the neck and face will be very useful mask of 3 tsp of honey and 1 tsp of olive oil. This composition nourishes the skin and gives it a glow, slowing the aging process. A body scrub of 40 grams of ground, left over from freshly brewed coffee, and nectar of acacia in the amount of several tablespoons will improve blood circulation, thereby reducing the risk of cellulite. In addition to the skin of the face and body, honey treat will appeal to the hair.Nutritious and regenerating mask of egg yolk, 5 tbsp. spoons of any vegetable oil and 4 tbsp. spoons of honey will strengthen the hair roots and nourish them along the entire length. The mixture is rubbed into the skin at the roots of the hair, covered with a plastic bag and a towel for one hour, then washed off using a regular shampoo. Several teaspoons of fresh honey can be added to any shower gel, cream or oil, with it make baths for nails, anti-cellulite massage and wraps.

See the following video for the beneficial properties of acacia honey.