Katherine Martinko @ TreeHugger.com reviews some information on raw honey vs refined honey, and, loving honey, I had to read it. This caught my eye:
1. Raw unfiltered honey contains bee pollen, which has long been considered one of nature’s most nourishing foods. Bee pollen is packed with protein, and has been used in Chinese medicine to improve unbalanced nutrition, vitality, longevity, and energy. It is also used for weight control, beauty, anti-aging, allergies, and overall health.
Any time I see a reference to Chinese medicine, holistic medicine, etc, my ears prick up. So I checked on bee pollen on WebMD. It doesn’t address the topic directly, but rather simply says,
You may also hear recommendations for using bee pollen for alcoholism, asthma, allergies, health maintenance, or stomach problems, but there is no proof that it helps with these conditions. Before you take any natural product for a health condition, check with your doctor.
Bee pollen is also recommended by some herbalists to enhance athletic performance, reduce side effects of chemotherapy, and improve allergies and asthma.
At this point, medical research has not shown that bee pollen is effective for any of these health concerns.
Or anything at all, really. On the other hand, it’s not considered dangerous except to pregnant women. Another case of greener grass in other pastures, I suppose. The nitty-gritty of the local variety of medicine can’t compare to the unverified claims for the one in the next valley over.
But I still like most honey. (Didn’t care for buckwheat-derived honey so much, though.)
