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Many adherents of traditional medicine eat beeswax in moderation along with honey in combs because of its beneficial qualities. And they advise periodically using the healing product, storing it for several months in the summer. Although the use of wax is contraindicated in large quantities and in case of serious illnesses.
Is it possible to eat honeycombs from honey?
Most people who do not have any barriers to eating honey, such as allergies or intolerances, can also consume other bee products, including fresh honeycomb wax. Such valuable goods are purchased in specialized stores or markets. The cost of honeycombs is high, but this honey is believed to be very healing. This is ready-made food for the younger generation of the bee family, and wax is a kind of jar with preparations. When a person eats honeycomb, the following substances enter the body:
- honey;
- wax;
- propolis;
- pollen;
- bee bread
There is information that scientists have identified more than three hundred of its active components. Some substances have similar effects to vitamin A.
Bee honeycombs are built by organized insects themselves, creating them from the substance secreted by the corresponding glands that are located on their abdomens. Young, spring and early summer wax is light yellow; by the end of July, in August it ages and acquires a darker shade. Up to 2-3 kg of wax is taken from one bee colony per year, without compromising the quality of life of the winged workers. When a frame with constructed cells full of honey is taken out of the hive, it is clear that the top of the bee “blanks” is covered with the so-called backbar. This is a thin layer of light wax mixed with propolis. Usually beekeepers cut off this layer and sell open honeycombs from which liquid honey flows. In combs with a backbone there can be up to 8-10% propolis.
When building cells, the bee family covers the inside of each chamber with propolis for disinfection. A substance with antiseptic properties is also produced by the bee’s body. If the wax is sold melted, in the form of bars, and not in honeycombs, there is no propolis in it. It is separated during processing in apiaries.
The benefits and harms of honeycomb wax
Based on information from various sources, it appears that you can eat beeswax without fear. But not much, up to 7-10 g for the whole day. All the vitamins and other active elements found in honey are also found in honeycombs. Bee cells are considered a medicinal substance that can regulate the functions of the human body. They say that it is beneficial to consume a limited amount of wax due to the following properties:
- ability to absorb and remove toxins;
- produce an antibacterial effect on the intestinal environment;
- improve peristalsis;
- contain vitamin A and enrich the body with it;
- inform the body of the light effects of those plants from which the bee family took a bribe.
Even if they do not eat, but chew wax from fragrant bee cells, a positive effect occurs:
- immunity increases, frequent development of bronchial diseases is prevented;
- makes you feel better with rhinitis and sinusitis;
- there is a calming effect and relief of depression;
- gums are strengthened, as they are easily massaged and soaked in medicinal ingredients;
- for those who want to quit smoking easier, thanks to high-quality sanitization of the oral cavity;
- The hangover syndrome is relieved faster and the dependence on alcohol is mitigated;
- voluntary weight loss occurs by systematically chewing 2-3 honeycomb cells with wax per day, which reflexively reduces appetite;
- teeth are cleaned of yellow plaque;
- the beneficial effect of empty wax without honey, which is chewed no more than 2 times a week, as a prevention of caries.
In addition, wax is used:
- in cosmetology, as a cell-nourishing substance;
- ointments are prepared on its basis, which are used to heal wounds of various origins;
- make compresses to treat joints and venous circulation problems.
If you eat wax together with honey in large quantities, it can harm the body, causing intestinal volvulus or blockage of the esophagus. Allergy sufferers should also not get carried away with consuming bee products.
What happens if you eat wax
By accidentally swallowing a piece of beeswax while chewing a fragment of a honey frame, a person will cleanse his body a little. Ingestion of up to 10 g of wax into the food system will most likely not produce any effect or any unpleasant sensations. Serious painful consequences, which have already been mentioned, occur after extremely large doses, which a sane person would not eat under normal circumstances. You should also monitor how children chew honeycombs, and it is better to give small, safe portions.
How to eat honeycombs with honey
The ideal answer to the question is it possible to eat a whole honeycomb by swallowing the wax - you just need to chew it. The wax and honey are chewed for quite a long time until the sweetness and unique smell are felt. The remaining product is spat out. When thoroughly chewed with saliva, all beneficial active substances from beeswax pass into the body. Beekeepers warn that it is better to cut off the bar, which is sometimes found on fragments of honey frames, yourself. The propolis contained in it is intended for external use. They swallow small pieces of wax purposefully, curing some kind of ailment. It is recommended to eat some black bread.
The zabrus is chewed, always spat out, if stomatitis, pharyngitis or complications in the upper respiratory tract after a cold are being treated. Honey in combs is considered more useful, aromatic and liquid, since it is preserved by the bee family using an antiseptic from their own “production” - propolis.
Precautionary measures
If you eat honeycombs for medicinal purposes, do not forget about some of the nuances of their use:
- the product contains a lot of carbohydrates, and the high sugar content when eaten regularly can lead to caries if you do not rinse the mouth;
- Honeycombs and wax will be beneficial if the bee family worked in an ecologically clean area;
- if there are carcinogens in the bee product, which appear when collecting nectar in contaminated areas, they are released during heating, for example, when honeycombs are placed in hot tea;
- whoever counts calories should keep in mind that 100 g of honeycomb contains 328 kcal;
- It is recommended that you refrain from eating honeycomb during pregnancy because it may cause digestion problems.
Contraindications
People in good health can eat honeycombs without worry. But with some ailments they are harmful. Like any product, honeycomb wax also has contraindications:
- Use with caution for those people who have already been identified as allergic, maybe not even to honey;
- you cannot eat in case of individual intolerance;
- only a small amount for diabetic patients, after doctor's permission;
- It is prohibited to use honey in honeycombs during exacerbation of gastritis;
- the presence of solid compounds in the biliary and urinary tracts;
- during high stages of oncology;
- in a feverish state, if the body temperature exceeds 38 °C.
Terms and conditions of storage
Bee honeycombs will be stored for a long time if the bar remains intact. The cells are sealed, the honey, under the influence of the antiseptic propolis, is in a sterile liquid state. Large pieces of honeycomb are carefully cut into smaller pieces and placed in glass, porcelain or enamel containers.In the refrigerator, at a temperature of 4-5 ° C, this version of medicinal honey can be stored for several months. Its properties may change or deteriorate if kept in a hot room where the temperature is above + 20 °C. Frost has the same effect.
The second condition for preserving the healing properties of honey in combs is protection not only from direct sunlight, but also from light. The bee product significantly loses its healing qualities in a bright room. Therefore, the container is placed in a dark place and must be covered.
The third requirement for high-quality storage of honeycombs is their protection from foreign odors. Honey will quickly absorb any strong aroma: from perfume, spicy herbs to technical products. Placing them in containers with ground-in lids will help protect the honeycombs from losing the bouquet of meadow herbs.
Conclusion
Beeswax is eaten to take care of your health. Moderate consumption of honey from honeycombs along with wax has a positive effect on the body. But it is preferable to use an inedible substance strictly according to indications. For most people, the usual option is to chew the wax while there is honey, and then spit it out.
