Mountain Honey

Mountain Honey

　　The mountain honey from Jixian mainly includes acacia honey, vitex honey, motherwort honey, and jujube honey

Physical characteristics of honey: Pure, high-quality, freshly matured honey is a thick, transparent or semi-transparent gel-like liquid, sweet in taste, and has a relatively strong aroma. Lower quality honey often carries bitter, astringent, sour, or foul tastes. When the temperature is below 10°C or the honey is stored for too long, it tends to crystallize to varying degrees. The type of nectar source affects the physical properties of the honey. Due to its acidity, high osmotic pressure, and the presence of enzymes such as peroxidase and lysozyme, honey possesses strong antibacterial properties. Since honey is composed of monosaccharides like glucose and fructose, it can be directly absorbed by the human body without the need for enzymatic breakdown. Research has shown that honey is effective against 15 kinds of pathogenic bacteria, including E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, as well as both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Therefore, honey and propolis are essential daily health supplements.

Honey is the main product of bees, a sweet and sticky, transparent or semi-transparent liquid. Honey mainly comes from floral nectar, and secondarily from honeydew and nectar dew. Floral nectar is secreted by the nectaries inside flowers, honeydew is the excretion of aphids and leafhoppers, and nectar dew is secreted by the extrafloral nectaries of plants. Bees use their proboscis to suck the sweet fluid secreted by the floral or plant nectaries, tree sap, or the honey tubes of aphids and leafhoppers. This fluid is mixed with saliva via the bee’s mouthparts and temporarily stored in the honey sac. Upon returning to the hive, the bees regurgitate it into the honeycomb cells, where it is repeatedly processed to create honey.

Honey is produced when bees use their proboscis to extract nectar from the floral organs and nectaries of nectar-producing plants. They carry it back to the hive and deposit it into the honeycomb cells. Through repeated ingestion and regurgitation by the bees, the nectar — mixed with enzymes secreted by the honey sac — is stored in the comb. Enzymes break down the polysaccharides in the nectar into glucose and fructose, reducing the moisture content to about 20%, thus forming mature honey. At this point, centrifugal force from a honey extractor can be used to obtain raw, finished honey. From a food science perspective, honey is classified as a plant-based food. Bee products not only provide essential nutrients to meet human dietary needs and preferences but also elicit various physiological responses. Scientific studies have found that bee products are rich in nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, fats, and carbohydrates. They also contain numerous bioactive substances that regulate metabolism, earning them the title of “all-natural, complete-nutrition foods.” It has been discovered that bee products either directly contain or significantly enhance the effects of specific nutrients. These include peptides and proteins, flavonoids, active polysaccharides, functional sweeteners, functional oils, free radical scavengers, vitamins, trace bioactive elements, and ecological factors. These nutrients not only ensure normal human growth and development, but their nutritional, natural, safe, and functional properties also greatly promote human health.

Osmanthus Honey: This honey is clear and transparent, richly fragrant, sweet, and delicious, and is hailed as the “king of honeys.” It can clear heat and detoxify. Mixed with vinegar, it helps with weight loss, and when blended with milk, it moisturizes the skin.

Coptis Honey: This honey is crystal-clear, fragrant, and pleasantly sweet with a hint of bitterness. It is not cloying. Historically a royal tribute, today it is a treasured delicacy among the people. Herbal texts record that coptis is bitter and cold in nature, clearing heat and drying dampness, refreshing the heart, relieving irritability, purging fire, and detoxifying. Its honey shares the same benefits, proving effective in treating dysentery and infected sores, making it suitable for all ages.

Wolfberry Honey: This honey is dark amber in color, fragrant and rich, containing the essence of wolfberries. It helps tonify qi, nourish kidneys, moisten lungs, and invigorate yang.

Codonopsis Honey: Light amber in color, thick and sticky, this is considered top-grade honey. It helps strengthen the spleen and stomach, and benefits qi and blood. The elderly use it for tonic purposes, while the middle-aged use it to build strength.

Longan Honey: Fine in texture and rich in aroma, it carries a strong longan flavor. Among China’s monofloral honeys, it has the highest protein content at 1.699%. It helps strengthen the spleen, nourish blood, refresh the mind, and improve intelligence.

Loquat Honey: Primarily produced in the Jiangnan region, it is a rare type of honey, rich in nutrition, fragrant, and sweet, and has been highly regarded since ancient times. It helps relieve coughs, clear the lungs, reduce heat, promote urination, and decrease water retention.

Ginkgo Honey: This honey contains unique ginkgo medicinal compounds such as ginkgo ketone and ginkgolide. Ginkgo ketone acts as a vasodilator, treating cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and cerebral ischemia. Ginkgolide is an antagonist of platelet activating factor, helping to prevent blood clotting and thrombus formation.

Wild Chrysanthemum Honey: This honey quenches thirst, promotes saliva production, clears heat, reduces internal heat, dispels wind, detoxifies, calms the liver, and improves vision. It is especially effective against scabies and acne, and makes a great drink for preventing heatstroke and cooling down.

Schisandra Honey: This honey contains schisandrin, malic acid, citric acid, vitamin A, and vitamin C, and can treat neurosis, dry eye syndrome, and oral diseases.

Scrophularia Honey: Contains volatile alkaloids, sterols, fatty acids, linolenic acid, stearic acid, and other organic acids. Clinically used to treat sore throat, dry mouth, red eyes, ear swelling, and intestinal pain.

Hawthorn Honey: Contains hawthorn acid, tannins, and lactones, primarily used to treat indigestion, bloating, and abdominal pain.

Buckwheat Honey: This honey is dark in color and strong in flavor, with a pungent aroma. It is high in protein and iron, and contains rutin, which helps soften blood vessels. It is particularly effective in preventing and treating anemia and kidney diseases.

Motherwort Honey: A women’s health remedy, sourced from motherwort flowers. It contains various vitamins, amino acids, natural glucose, and fructose. Regular consumption helps activate blood circulation, dispel wind, nourish skin, and enhance beauty. For sore throats or hoarseness, take it directly, twice a day for best results. It can be dissolved in warm or cold water, or mixed into other beverages. No refrigeration needed; store at room temperature in a cool, dry place. (It can still be consumed if crystallized.)