Honey can promote digestion and absorption, increase appetite, calm the mind and aid sleep, and improve the body's resistance. It has a positive effect on promoting the growth and development of infants and young children. For elderly people with high blood pressure, drinking a glass of honey water in the morning and evening is very beneficial, because the potassium in honey helps expel sodium after entering the body, maintaining the balance of electrolytes in the blood. For patients with chronic hepatitis or poor liver function, regular consumption of honey can improve liver function. For patients with chronic illnesses such as tuberculosis and gastrointestinal ulcers, honey is a good nutritional supplement that can enhance physical fitness.
However, there are many considerations when consuming honey. While most people are aware of the general taboos associated with eating honey, many do not know that eating raw honey harvested in autumn can also easily lead to poisoning. Medical experts remind that plant pollens in autumn are often toxic. Honey harvested during this season often contains toxic alkaloids, so consuming raw honey that is freshly harvested and sold can easily lead to poisoning.
According to experts, plants in nature can be divided into two major categories: non-toxic and toxic. Non-toxic plants mostly bloom in spring with a shorter flowering period, while toxic plants have their flowering period after autumn. Consuming raw honey harvested in autumn can lead to poisoning, with symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and skin allergies. It can also affect mental and emotional state and sleep.
Many people like to buy freshly harvested and sold raw honey from apiaries. However, honey harvested in autumn must be cooked into mature honey before it can be consumed. The elderly and infants, due to their weaker gastrointestinal function and poor liver detoxification ability, should not consume autumn-harvested honey.