Honey is used in our daily food supplement at home. There are many Ayurvedic medicines and herbs in which honey is mixed-up to make the complete medicine.
Recently, there has been a report about honey. According to a report by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE), 10 out of 13 big brands of honey in India are adulterated.
As soon as this report has come out, the questions about honey have increased slightly. This report also named Patanjali, Dabur brands which considered pure but they are very much adulterated.
There is a shocking fact in the report – along with the names of big brands, it has been written in the report that what is adulterated in honey. All the big brands of honey have a sugar added to them, due to which it appears pure in the initial tests.
CSE director general Sunita Narayan says that the institute started an investigation for beekeepers (beekeepers) of North India as honey sales were increased due to Covid-19 Pandemic.
According to Sunita this is very worrying because it will reduce the benefits of honey and will also affect the health of the people during the Covid-19 Pandemic phase. Being a organic and natural source of sugar it is being use more at homes, so this report is certainly very shocking.
What will happen with adulterated honey?
If there is adulteration in honey, sugar intake increases due to this. Most of the honey is mixed with sugar and in such cases the problems of obesity, BP, diabetes etc. can increase because inadvertently the right people consume the sugar.
This ends the quality of honey, and if honey is being consumed for Ayurvedic herbs as well and it is adulterated, it will reduce the benefits.
Which brands have passed the test
In lab test 13 brands of honey were tested and out of them Safola, MarkfedSohna and Nature’s Nectar have been passed test. However, spokespersons of Zandu, Patanjali and Dabur say that this report is not accurate and their honey passes all tests of FASSAI.
You can check the purity of honey like this-
Now, where all these things have come to light, it has also become necessary to know whether the honey kept in your house is adulterated?
There are certain tips and formula to test whether honey is pure or not.
- Water test
For this test, mix 1 teaspoon honey in a glass of water. If honey easily dissolves, it is not pure and if it remains slightly thick then it is pure. Pure honey will thicken and begin to freeze under the glass, not mixing easily. - Thumb test
Take a little honey and try it with your thumb. If it looks like a common liquid then it is full of adulteration. As we have already said that honey is thick, its consistency will be thicker than sugar syrup and it will not flow easily through the thumb. - Vinegar Test
Take some water. Mix honey in it and add three drops of vinegar. Mix it well and if you see froth forming then it is a throw honey. - Flame Test
If honey is flammable then this test can be a bit risky. You will need to be a little more careful before doing this. First, dip a matchstick in honey. Now try to burn it. If it burns, honey is pure and if it does not burn, it is adulterated.
Benefits of pure honey
If honey is pure, it will have many benefits. It gives relief in throat cough, phlegm etc. in winter. Many herbs are mixed-up and taken with honey. Honey has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that make it very special. If we take honey properly, it can also help in metabolism. Honey is also very beneficial for skin and hair and along with its intake, many DIY packs can also be made from it.
Honey can be used substitute of sugar in soft drinks. Many nutrition and fitness experts advice to take honey instead of sugar in food. But at the same time it is also important that you use pure honey.