Consuming honey regularly in the autumn can prevent the harm caused by autumn dryness to the human body, and has the effect of moistening and nourishing the lungs. However, caution must be exercised when eating honey, as carelessness can lead to danger.
Honey has the effects of strengthening the body, improving intelligence, increasing hemoglobin, and improving myocardial function. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: "Honey has five functions: clearing heat, tonifying the middle, detoxifying, moistening dryness, and relieving pain." Therefore, consuming honey regularly in the autumn can prevent the harm caused by autumn dryness to the human body, and has the effect of moistening and nourishing the lungs. Consuming honey regularly in the autumn can prevent the harm caused by autumn dryness to the human body, and has the effect of moistening and nourishing the lungs. However, caution must be exercised when eating honey, as carelessness can lead to danger.
In late autumn, eating raw honey harvested after autumn (the "raw honey" that beekeepers sell freshly collected from the beehives) can easily lead to honey poisoning. Why? In fact, the cause of honey poisoning is related to the toxic components in the nectar of plants.
Plants in nature can be divided into two major categories: non-toxic and toxic. Non-toxic plants generally have earlier flowering periods, mostly in the spring. Toxic plants, on the other hand, have later flowering periods. After autumn, the flowering periods of most non-toxic plants have passed, while toxic plants are in their season. If bees collect pollen from toxic plants to make honey at this time, it is likely to mix in toxic substances—alkaloids. When people eat this raw honey containing toxins and without processing, they generally experience several symptoms: allergies, asthma, skin rashes, or dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain. It may also cause irritability, easy anger, and affect sleep.
Therefore, when we buy honey, we need to understand the origin and harvest season of the honey to avoid accidental poisoning. When consuming, it is best to boil mature honey first, especially for the elderly and infants, because their gastrointestinal function is weaker and their liver's detoxification ability is poorer, making them even less suitable for eating raw honey harvested after autumn.