The're three tests to name a pure honey

The're three tests to name a pure raw honey namely through: dissolving test, burning test and stain removal test. Apart from the tests, there are small number of things to think about when identifying a genuine honey such as: the presence of ants, texture, density, acidity, flavor and aroma, and the price.

It is tough to distinguish pure honey from diluted or fake one by simply looking at the visual aspect. The're three tests to settle on the pureness of honey, which are as follows:

Dissolving test

Get a glass of water and pour some amount of honey and observe. It is considered diluted if it totally dissolves in water, but if it settles at the bottom of the glass as a solid lump, then it is genuine and pure.

Burning test

Gather all essential materials for the test namely honey, lighter, candle and matchstick. Dip the candle wick into the honey while, removing the excess. Light the candle using a matchstick and observe the effect. If the wick starts to burn, then the honey is pure. The opposite happens if the honey is not genuine.

Stain removal test

Another way of identifying pure from a fake honey is through stain removal. Pour a tiny amount of honey on a cloth and wash after more than one minutes. If the stain persists after washing then it is not pure.

Apart from the three tests, he're some methods on how to figure out fake from genuine honey:

Presence of ants

Be on the lookout for ants near the vicinity where honey is located. Ants don't go near pure honey unlike the fake one, which contains high amount of sugar.

Texture

Pure honey is coarse and thick in texture when equated with the fake one, which is more fluid and clear.

Density

Pure honey is denser than the fake one containing an assortment of water. Hence, it doesn't go through the fabric easily once spilled.

Acidity

The pH level of a pure honey is higher when equated with the diluted honey. This acidity prevents the growth of bacteria; hence, allows preservation of honey.

Flavor and aroma

One way of distinguishing a genuine from a fake honey is through its taste and smell. A genuine honey has a more certain taste and aroma over the fake one, which contains more artificial sweetener.

Cost

Since pure honey is rare because of the limited production by the giant bees, it expenses a lot above the fake or diluted honey.

Top Natural Ways to Fight Allergies

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_Robert_Ehinger]Benjamin Robert Ehinger

Do you suffer from allergies that you are sick of? Are you ready to be able to enjoy life without the worries of having allergy attacks and sneezing like crazy? You should know that consulting a doctor is always a recommendation before trying anything that has to do with curing allergies, but here are the top ways to naturally fight allergies.

- Do a nasal rinse a couple of times each day. You can do a rinse that is as simple as sea salt and hot water. This will help to drain the nasal cavities and flush out bacteria as well. This is a great way to help cure your allergies.

- Add air purifiers to your home. This can be one of the most effective ways to combat any allergies to things that are in the air like pet dander, dust, pollen, and other pollutants. An air purifier can eliminate these things from the air and can also help you stop snoring if you are a snorer. Make sure to get one with a HEPA filter because it will get rid of most of the pollen.

- Honey. Honey can help cure your allergies because it has many nutrients in it that are great for you. Make sure you are getting the local grown honey if you can if if not get yourself natural honey and eat a couple teaspoons per day. Honey contains low levels of pollen and this will help your body build up immunity to these pollen levels and will prevent you from having as many allergy attacks.

- Get a detailed allergy check done by your doctor. This will give you a better idea of what you are actually allergic to and what you should be avoiding due to your allergies.

- Bath your pets on a regular basis to eliminate some of the pet dander. Now if they are younger or are puppies, then you cannot bath them very often because it will dry out their skin and is not good for them.

- Drink plenty of hot liquids. Teas are the best and the best teas are natural teas unlike black tea that has had all the nutrients dried right out of it. These help relieve congestion and can have many good anti oxidants in them to help as well.

- Light exercise can help was well. This will help your nose not run and cure some of your congestions. A brisk walk, slow jog, or anything that gets your heart beat up a bit will help you out. This is a great way to help with your allergies.

- Shower twice a day instead of once. When you come home a nice shower will help to eliminate any of the allergens you might have picked up during the day.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_Robert_Ehinger http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-Natural-Ways-to-Fight-Allergies&id=1462633

Organic Honey Benefits

Cool lemon juice and honey are a great soother for a sore throat and gives the body much-needed vitamin C at the same time The juice of one lemon in a glass of water is sufficient. Melt the honey in a little hot water for ease of mixing.

And don't watch those scary movies just before retiring! If you still can't sleep, make a tea of lemongrass or drink a nightcap of herbal tea containing chamomile. It's easy to grow lemongrass in your garden or start a flower pot on the balcony for ease of picking. Simply steep a handful in boiling water for five minutes. Honey may be added for a sweetener.

Visit our site on organic honey benefits

Honey and other Alternative Sweeteners for Sugar Free Desserts

Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you crave sweet desserts? Have you ever felt like a sugar addict? Most desserts are packed full of sugar, and yet there is plenty of evidence that sugary desserts are not healthy foods. You may decide to cut your sugar intake for a number of reasons: - To eat a more natural diet - sugar is a highly processed food, and our hunter gatherer ancestors did not evolve to eat such a concentrated source of 'empty calories'. - To assist in the control of your blood sugar - research shows that low sugar diets do help to control your blood sugar levels. - To lose weight. A high sugar intake is a diet buster, regardless of which weight loss diet you try. So how can you satisfy your sweet tooth without sugar? There are a number of strategies: - Create desserts from fresh, unprocessed fruit, with no sweeteners added. Sugar free fruit salad is a classic example of this approach. There are a number of classic desserts that can be served in a version based on this theme, such as Ambrosia, Balsamic Berries and Minted Melon. - Cut out desserts, or only serve dessert as a very occasional treat. Believe it or not, even the strongest and most demanding sweet tooth will eventually quiet down, if your sugar addiction is not being fed. - Use alternative sweeteners. Which alternative sweetener you use will be influenced by your reasons for giving up sugar, and by your own taste buds. Natural sweeteners include honey, and Stevia. - Honey is still a very concentrated food, and should be used very sparingly, if at all, if your goal is to control blood sugar or to lose weight. However, honey, in very small quantities, does still have its place in a natural foods diet. - Stevia is an extract from the leaf of the Stevia plant. It is intensely sweet, and only tiny amounts are needed to sweeten a dessert, so it's more suitable than honey for blood sugar control and weight loss. But there are a couple of catches with Stevia: It is approved as a supplement, rather than as a food additive, so you can only use it for foods that you sweeten yourself. And, depending on the brand, it can have a slightly 'liquorice' taste. It’s well worth experimenting with different brands, to find the brand most acceptable to your taste. Generally speaking, the white extracts have less taste. Oh yes, and watch out for the fillers! There's not much point in using a low-calorie / low-carb sweetener like Stevia if it's a brand that's packed with a high-calorie / high-carb fillers, so remember to read the labels. Artificial sweeteners include saccharine, aspartame and Splenda. It’s worth bearing in mind that some people are sensitive to one or more artificial sweeteners, and report headaches and other side effects. Whether or not you use them is ultimately your decision. Many people have decided that when the only drinks available are artificially sweetened diet drinks or sugary drinks, that for them, the artificial sweetener is the lesser of the two evils. If you're cooking with artificial sweeteners, read the label and avoid those with high calorie / high-carb fillers. But don't bother cooking with aspartame - its sweetness disappears with the heat of the cooking. This is why aspartame is mainly used for drinks. And it’s worth noting that if you'd like to reduce your artificial sweetener usage, but don't like the taste of Stevia, a combination of Splenda and Stevia is pleasantly sweet and virtually tasteless - somehow the Splenda 'smoothes out' the Stevia flavor. Ultimately, it’s a personal decision which sweeteners or combination of sweeteners that you use, but with the range of alternative sweeteners available you can make delicious sugar-free choices.

organic honey

I hope to provide organic honey lovers sites where they can get more information on organic honey. There are sites for organic honey suppliers.I remember once in Zambia, Africa when I had the chance to taste what I can consider the most organic honey I had ever tried. It was given to us by a Zambian who lives in a village around 3 hours motorcycle ride. After visiting his place that one weekend, we realized that he left us a bottle of organic honey from his backyard the week after our encounter.Organic honey is really healthy. It can boost immune system. Organic honey is said to be therapeutic. There are many tasty organic honey around the world. The taste of the honey can be also of the place where it is. There are very good honey in Hawaii too is there is in Canada.

In UK, organic honey is said to be regulated by strict guidelines. This is maybe to maintain the quality and the standard of honey. In fact, there is what we call organic honey standard.

Raw Honey

What is raw honey?

Raw honey is an unprocessed honey. Meaning it is natural honey. It has not been heated, filtered, or processed. It is honey that is straight from the hive.

Raw honey has healing capabilities as tested. This honey can heal allergies. It can be used as an anti-bacterial soap. Heal ulcers. Boost immune-systems. Cures mouth soars.Antifungal. Not to mention that it is sweet and delicious.

I use honey almost daily and I buy it from my brother who gets it from a natural honey farm.

I use it as a sweetener - replacement for sugar.

My children get them as part of their nutritional diet - like a vitamin.

Do you use honey too at home?

UK Shortage of Honey

Are you a honey producer? You can help fill in the shortage; yet make sure your honey is really an organic honey.

Here is a article from BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1870976.stm

There is a UK-wide shortage of honey after a ban on the sale of Chinese supplies because of health fears.

An EU-wide ban on honey from China followed concern about the lack of controls on the use of veterinary medicines.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) called for the withdrawal from sale of all jars of Chinese and blended honey last month.

Tests had revealed traces of an antibiotic called chloramphenicol in 10 out of 16 samples.

A team of independent scientific experts said there was only an extremely small risk to the consumer, but in larger doses chloramphenicol can cause cancer.

It is estimated that between a third and a half of all blended honey on sale in the UK comes from China. Approximately 80% of honey consumed in the UK is blended.

Another big honey supplier is New Zealand, whose bee population has been plagued by an outbreak of blood-sucking mites.

Along with Australia, it supplied 8.5% of imports before the ban on Chinese honey and it had been hoped it could make up the shortfall.

Mexico, Spain and Canada are now among the likely sources of extra supplies, the Honey Association said.

A spokesman said: "There is honey available out there but it will take time to arrive."

It is unlikely British honey producers will be able to take up all of the slack.

Well I just hope producers of honey should really help in the health consciousness of the people and not just go for how much money they can take from the honey they made.