Honey is a natural ingredient which has been used since time immemorial as food and medicine. It not only contains beneficial plant components but also offers several health benefits.

Honey is useful when it is used instead of refined sugar, as it provides with the same sweetness, but not the calories. Additionally, honey is rich in nutrients.

Nutritionally, 1 tablespoon of honey (21 grams) contains 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar, including fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose, and virtually no protein, fiber or fat.

Some of the anti - oxidants which are found in honey include phenols, enzymes, flavonoids and organic acids. Moreover, the buckwheat honey has been known to increase the antioxidant value of blood-making the consumer healthy and detoxifying the body.

Honey has also been known to lower cholesterol levels if consumed daily. It plays a major role in atherosclerosis, the fatty buildup in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. They are also known to lower triglycerides and type 2 diabetes when used regularly instead of sugar in the diet. The elevated triglycerides are a cause of heart diseases.

For all the burn and wound victims, honey can be a good healing and soothing option. For people suffering from diabetic ulcers, thickness burns, and wounds, which have become infected after surgery, honey can be seriously helpful, according to reports from Eco Watch.

Although there are no clinical studies proving its efficacy, Dr. Matthew Brennecke, a board certified naturopathic doctor practicing at the Rocky Mountain Wellness Center in Fort Collins, Colo., told Medical Daily in an email: "A common theory is that honey acts like a natural vaccine.

"It contains small amounts of pollen, which if the body is exposed to small amounts of it, it can trigger an immune response that produces antibodies to the pollen. After repeated exposure, you should build up these antibodies and the body should become accustomed to their presence so that less histamine is released, resulting in a lesser allergic response."

Thus, honey continues its legacy as a multi-purpose aid.