Chestnut honey: what is it made of, benefits and harms, uses

A natural healer, created by nature itself, is honey nectar. It contains many different vitamins, trace elements, useful substances that can cope with most diseases. There are many varieties of honey treats. Its variety depends on which plant the worker bees collected the pollen from. Therefore, by tasting and looking at the color of honey, you can guess which variety it belongs to.

Chestnut honey comes from the collection of pollen from chestnut trees. Bees collect nectar from only two kinds of trees: noble and horse trees. So it is from the species of tree that the color and flavour of the honey and its medicinal qualities depend. Chestnut trees do not flower for a long time, and therefore the honey is not much. Because of this, its cost is quite high. In addition, chestnut honey refers to the dark varieties, and they are considered the richest in beneficial trace elements.

Characteristics and Distinctive Features

The chestnut tree is a perennial plant that grows almost all over the world, especially in temperate climates. After flowering, the tree produces delicious, nutrient-rich, vitamin-rich fruits that can be eaten. Bees produce honey from the nectar and pollen grains produced during flowering. Chestnut blossoms in spring, around the end of May and the first weeks of June. The flowering period lasts only 14 days.

Chestnut honey is considered a rather specific sweetness, so the taste preferences will not suit everyone. The most valuable and widespread is sown chestnut honey because of its great aroma and rich flavor.

Color

Horse chestnut honey is virtually colorless and has a liquid, almost watery consistency. The honey from the inflorescences of edible chestnuts is dark in color.

Flavor

The product has a specific smell, a rather pungent aroma of chestnuts. Dark honey varieties are characterized by a more intense smell, bright flavors. Chestnut honey has significant differences from buckwheat honey and linden honey. Its taste is typically unsweetened, bitter, and tart with hints of spice.

Sugaring

The product starts to saccharify at different times, it all depends on what kind of chestnut tree the bees collected pollen from. The closest to crystallization is the honey from the horse chestnut tree. Seed, on the contrary, remains in the liquid consistency for quite a long time.

Composition and calories

Chestnut candy in its composition has beneficial substances for the human body. The product contains large amounts of vitamins, tocopherol and carotene. It contains a considerable amount of iron, potassium, calcium, copper, fluorine, zinc and a number of other macronutrients. Honey has a fairly high moisture content of about 18-21 percent. If this value is exceeded, it indicates that the product is counterfeit and of poor quality.

Honey contains a lot of sugars of natural origin, enzymes, essential amino acids and proteins, flavonoids, plant pollen, tannins, nitrogenous and ashy substances, and phytoncides.

100 g of bee products contain 280-290 kcal. This honey is approved for regular use.

Useful properties of chestnut honey

General benefits

This bee product has a healing effect on the body, so it is used for the following conditions:

• Gastrointestinal problems, ulcers, gastritis, nephritis;
• respiratory and viral infections;
• Respiratory tract pathologies, bronchitis and sore throat;
• diseases of the urinary system;
• lesions on the skin;
• inflammatory foci.

Also the product:

1. Helps to increase the performance of the gallbladder, stimulate the appetite.
2. Effectively deals with bacteria, has expectorant, antipyretic effects.
3. Normalizes the liver, increases efficiency, stamina, combats symptoms of weakness and fatigue.
4. Enriches the body with vitamins and minerals necessary for normal functioning.
5. Helps to increase the body's defenses.
6. It has a calming effect, it combats stress and depression, has a positive effect on the nervous system.
7. Improves the blood supply system, increases the elasticity and strength of blood vessels. Is an excellent means of preventing the development of thrombosis, varicose veins.
8. Normalizes the work of the thyroid gland.
9. Can lower blood pressure, improve the well-being of people suffering from hypertension.

For women

For women, this product is very useful because it increases libido for a partner, stabilizes the menstrual cycle, localizes and serves as an analgesic during menstruation. It has a healing effect when used in the treatment of cystitis and thrush.

For men

For men, the product has the following therapeutic effects: alleviates the symptoms of prostatitis, solves various urethral problems, improves the quality and increases the time and duration of potency, serves as a natural aphrodisiac, accelerates the speed of sperm. This in turn contributes to faster fertilization, changes the qualitative composition of the seminal fluid in a positive way.

During pregnancy

Female members of the fair sex, who are in the position, can include honey in their diet, not only as a sweet treat, full of useful vitamins, but also as an effective remedy for the prevention of many diseases. In addition, used bee product and as a cure for symptoms of toxicity.

Chestnut honey helps to improve the body's defenses. He fights a variety of germs and pathogenic bacteria, and makes the gastrointestinal tract work better. By consuming honey, you can avoid constipation.

The most useful for pregnant women are the dark varieties, because they contain large amounts of iron, copper and magnesium. But to include chestnut honey in your diet is possible only in the absence of contraindications. If there is a hypersensitivity to the components of honey, it is better to refuse to use it. It is manifested by headache, fever, rashes on the skin, runny nose, gastrointestinal disorders. If a woman has diabetes, the appropriateness of using honey should be determined by a specialist.

When breastfeeding

Chestnut honey is undoubtedly useful when breastfeeding due to its rich nutrient composition. However, you should use it with great caution, not exceeding 2 teaspoons a day, as the composition contains substances that can cause allergies not only in the mother, but also in the baby.

For kids

Honey has a beneficial effect on growth and teething. Together with honey, the body receives a sufficient amount of calcium and magnesium, necessary for bone growth and normal development of the child's body. By taking 5 grams of honey every day, your baby will fall asleep faster and sleep better. Honey in babies can treat jaundice, infection, vomiting. It is also an effective remedy for gastrointestinal disorders. It is taken with milk.

For babies who are fed formula, honey will be especially useful, since the bacteria that promote fermentation during this type of feeding do not work. And the carbohydrates in honey are quickly and completely absorbed into the intestinal wall, which is very important because undissolved food in the stomach causes the development of pathogenic bacteria, leading to disorder.

Honey has a healing effect, helps the body to fight various diseases, and with prolonged use of drugs helps to reduce their harmful chemical effects. Children's bedwetting can also be treated with this product. Honey can replace white sugar, as it is the least stressful on the pancreas. Giving your child honey every day in small amounts, you can protect him from many viruses and strengthen the immune system.

For weight loss

Chestnut honey helps to reduce appetite and triggers metabolic processes in the body. This product is very nutritious and caloric, so it is not recommended to exceed the daily rate of consumption - no more than 30 g. During the diet, it will help to quench the desire to eat something sweet. In the same way on the same weight loss honey does not affect.

How to use chestnut honey for medicinal purposes

In order for chestnut honey to bring the greatest benefit to the body, it is recommended not to subject it to thermal processing before using. Heating over 60 degrees contributes to the fact that all of its useful and healing properties will be lost. This is why chestnut honey is not recommended to be added in the process of cooking at high temperature and in hot tea.

1. As a preventive measure, honey should be used daily for 5 g three times a day. In addition to honey, other bee products such as propolis, pollen can also be used. You can add chestnut honey in various herbal decoctions and tinctures.
2. Chestnut honey is an effective therapeutic aid in the treatment of colds and respiratory viral infections. It is used together with tea or decoction. For its preparation, you need to brew a cup of tea, let it cool to 45 degrees and then add 5 g of chestnut honey, you can additionally put a slice of lemon for flavor. Such a drink should be taken three times a day.
3. Gastrointestinal ulcers can be cured with the following home remedy. To do this, cut off a few fresh aloe leaves and put them in the refrigerator for a week. After the required time, put the leaves through a meat grinder or chop them in a blender. Add to the resulting mass of the same amount of chestnut honey. Means to take on an empty stomach in the morning by 15 grams. This course lasts a month, but you can continue to take up to 60 days.
4. To eliminate the symptoms of diabetes you can also use home remedies with honey. It has several options for use. The remedy can be combined with vegetables and fruits, with baked goods from wholemeal flour, which has a low caloric content, dissolve in tea or boiled water with a temperature not exceeding 45 degrees. It is better to take the healing mixture in the morning on an empty stomach. The maximum daily intake of chestnut honey for this disease is 30 g. Unfortunately, this remedy cannot completely cure diabetes mellitus, but when used regularly, it significantly alleviates the condition of the patient.
5. In order to get rid of coughs that occur after colds and respiratory viral infections, bronchitis, it is necessary to perform the following therapeutic procedure. It is necessary to peel a black radish, grate it and squeeze 30 ml of juice from the resulting mush. Add to the liquid 15 g of chestnut honey. Take it right away. Repeat the procedure every two hours. A fresh mixture should be prepared each time.
6. The following mixture is an effective remedy for sore throat. It has anti-inflammatory, antiviral and analgesic effects. To prepare it, you need to mix 15 g of chestnut honey with a glass of water. Dissolve the honey completely in the water, then rinse your throat. After the procedure, refrain from eating and drinking for 30 minutes. It is recommended to perform this procedure at least three times a day. The temperature of water for preparing the healing liquid should not exceed 40 degrees.
7. For the treatment of kidney stones, a decoction of medicinal herbs with the addition of chestnut honey is used. To prepare it, you need to take currant leaves and hop cones, each ingredient 10 g. Also add prickly tatarnik in the amount of 2 tablespoons, corn stigmas and chamomile - 1 tablespoon each, the cinquefoil - 1 teaspoon. Pour the resulting collection of boiled water. Leave to insist at room temperature for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and add to it 5 grams of chestnut honey. It is recommended to drink the decoction before going to bed.
8. Honey is a natural antiseptic, has a restorative effect on the body has an anti-inflammatory effect, so it is almost always prescribed for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. In case of sore throat, this remedy helps to neutralize streptococci and eliminate even the neglected purulent state of the disease. To relieve the pain syndrome, it is recommended to rinse the throat with water with the addition of honey. Rinse the throat sometimes it is not possible, then you can simply suck 1 teaspoon of honey in the mouth. To achieve the desired result, the sweet product should be taken at least three times during the day, 5 g or 1 teaspoon. It is not necessary to swallow it right away. It is better to hold the chestnut sweet liquid in the mouth until it is completely dissolved, and then as if to sip, but not to drink water. Due to this action, an antiseptic honey film is formed on the back of the throat.
9. Wounds have been treated with honey since ancient Egypt. The product has an antiseptic effect, is able to disinfect the damaged area. It dries the injured area of the skin and accelerates its recovery. Honey compresses are still in demand in folk medicine. Prepare them quite simply. You need to soak gauze or absorbent cotton with honey and put it on the sore spot. You can mix 3 tablespoons of chestnut honey with 1 tablespoon of fish oil. The resulting mixture is applied to the damaged epidermis and wrap a clean bandage.
10. To prevent varicose veins, you need to include 10 grams of chestnut honey in your daily diet. You can get rid of the manifestations of the disease by making honey compresses. To do this, you need to smear the problem area with honey or a mixture consisting of 1 tbsp. butter and 3 tbsp. chestnut honey. Wrap the treated area with a gauze bandage and polyethylene. It is better to do this procedure before going to bed.
11. Honey should be consumed daily to maintain normal blood pressure. Hypertension is also not contraindicated for hypertensive people, but you need to be careful, because honey helps to reduce blood pressure. If you do not exceed the allowable daily rate, it will tone the cells, improve blood circulation and eliminate weakness.
12. To prevent hypertension, phytotherapists recommend eating 10 grams of honey with 5 ml of garlic juice every day. A mixture of chestnut honey and black currant can lower high blood pressure in a short period of time. In order to prepare it, you need to take half a kilogram of fresh black currants and add 75 g of honey. Take such a remedy for 15 g three times a day. The course lasts for 1 month.
13. To treat kidney disease use the following remedy. For its preparation you need to take 250 grams of chestnut honey. Pour it into a glass container and put on a water bath. Add to it 15 g of powdered calamus root. Mix the ingredients together until smooth. Remove from the bath and allow to cool at room temperature. Take 5 g up to 4 times a day before meals. This remedy fights inflammation, soothes and relieves pain. Alternate this remedy with a tincture of radish. To prepare the tincture, you need to grate the black radish on a fine grater, add to it 250 g of honey and the same amount of vodka. Take this remedy should be 40 ml three times a day.
14. In the case of progression of urolithiasis, the formation of kidney stones and gallbladder use the following folk remedy. Need to mix dried lavender flowers with thyme flowers in a ratio of 1:2, strawberries and melissa in a ratio of 1:2, add to them catnip and peppermint, mixed in a ratio of 2:2. All plants are mixed together. Take 5 grams of the collection and pour it with 250 ml of boiled water. Leave to infuse for a quarter of an hour. This collection has a beneficial effect on the diseased organ. Useful trace elements of thyme and strawberry can break up large stones, turning them into sand.
15. As a preventive measure against the appearance of stones and sand in the kidneys, you can apply the following composition. You need to grate black radish on a fine grater, add honey to it in a ratio of 1:1. The resulting mixture to eat 70-100 ml during the day, gradually increasing the dosage to 250 ml.

Folk medicine recommends preparing a decoction of dried chestnuts in the treatment of colds and respiratory viral infections, with gastrointestinal problems, weak and frequent stools, to relieve swelling as a diuretic. Preliminary chestnuts should be poured with water in a ratio of 1:10. The resulting mixture put on the stove, after boiling heat for another 30 minutes. Take 30 g up to 5 times a day.

Application in cosmetology

If you are not allergic to chestnut honey, you can safely use it for home cosmetic procedures: make masks for face, body and hair. The weekly use of this product will transform not only the skin, but also give a healthy look and shine to the hair, saturating the body with useful vitamins and trace elements. Including honey in decoctions of medicinal herbs, you can save yourself from a number of problems and quickly refresh your appearance.

Compounds based on chestnut honey perfectly disinfect and cleanse the skin. Applying them, you can get rid of acne and inflammation on the surface of the skin.

1. The mask has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It perfectly copes with acne. For its preparation you need to grind to powdered state 3 tablets of aspirin. Add to them 5 g of chestnut honey. You will be able to use it as a tool for the treatment of pimples and pimples. Apply the product to the problem areas of the skin and do not wash off for a third of an hour. After that, remove the remains of unabsorbed mass with a cotton pad soaked in cold water. On the skin is better to apply moisturizing cream. You can make this mask no more than twice a week. The course lasts for 45 days. After that you need to give the epidermis a rest for 30 days.
2. In order to improve the root system of hair, strengthen it, as well as to get rid of excessive hair loss apply the following mask. For its preparation, you will need one medium onion and two slices of fresh garlic. Peel, wash and grind the vegetables to a mushy state with a blender or meat grinder. Add to the vegetable pulp chestnut honey in a ratio of 4 to 1. Pour into the liquid 15g of olive oil if your hair is very dry. When using a mask for hair with high oiliness oil is not recommended. The resulting product is applied to the entire length of the hair, especially thoroughly rubbing it into the root part. Put a polyethylene film on your head and wrap it with a warm towel. The mask should be kept on the hair for half an hour, then rinse.
3. To accelerate hair growth, give them volume, as well as a therapeutic agent, beneficial to the scalp, able to eliminate dandruff, use the following mask. For its preparation you need to take 30 clay, 200 ml of kefir or yogurt, 15 grams of honey and one raw egg. Heat kefir to 30-40 degrees, add clay, honey and an egg, pre-whipped. Apply the mixture to wet hair along its entire length. Wear a cap of polyethylene on your head and over it wrap a warm terry towel. Hold the mask for about an hour, then rinse with shampoo.
4. To make the hair smooth, to get rid of brittleness and split ends, to nourish and restore the structure of the hair, this mask is suitable. To make it, you need to whip two chicken eggs, melt honey and pour it into the egg mixture. Squeeze 5 drops of aloe juice, but remember that before using this plant, its leaves must rest in the refrigerator for at least 10 days. Add to the eggs. Mix all the ingredients well together. If the mask is thick, you can dilute it with milk. Spread the mask on the entire length, paying special attention to the tips and roots of the hair. Put a plastic cap and wrap a towel around your head. Keep the product on your hair for an hour. Rinse with warm water and shampoo.
5. For cleansing, disinfection and elimination of oily shine on the hair, as well as a nourishing agent, use the following mask. For its preparation you need 5 g of chestnut honey, the same amount of lemon juice and aloe juice, 1 clove of garlic crushed in a garlic maker, 5 g of lecithin. To the honey, add lemon juice, garlic pulp, aloe juice and lecithin. Aloe can be used only after it has been in the refrigerator for 10 days. Mix all the ingredients and apply the resulting mixture to clean, damp hair along its entire length. Wear a shower cap and wrap your head with a towel. Hold the mixture for 40 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.
6. To eliminate hair dryness, nourish and restore the hair, use the following mask. You can prepare it with 5 g of honey, 10 g of burdock oil, two egg yolks, 15 g of mayonnaise and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Mix all the ingredients, rub the mixture into your scalp and then distribute the remaining ingredients on the entire length of your hair. Wear a shower cap, wrap your head with a warm towel for 40 minutes, then wash off with warm water.

Harms and contraindications

Do not use this product in the presence of individual intolerance. Suffering from such a disease as diabetes, you can include honey in your diet only after consulting with a specialist. It is important to observe a strict dosage of the product. Side effects can occur only as a result of overdose.

Self-appointed chestnut honey for the treatment of a particular disease is not worth it. Be sure to consult with your doctor. Women in the position, as well as breastfeeding should also be careful to include the product in their food.

If after taking chestnut honey, a rash with itching appeared on the body, stomach problems or nausea, swollen mucous membranes, headaches and runny nose, these are signs of allergy. In this case, you should immediately stop eating honey and other food and drinks in which it is present. Otherwise you can cause irreparable harm to your health.

There are no other contraindications, but it is worth noting that the product should not be consumed in huge quantities.

How to choose and store

To choose a quality product, you need to pay attention to external factors, consistency, taste and try to feel the aroma.

1. From natural honey comes a pleasant aroma of pollen and chestnuts, the smell is not very saturated, it is light and airy.
2. Tasting the product, you can feel a slight bitterness. But the taste of burnt sugar should not be felt when tasting it. This is one of the ways in which honey is faked: it is the burned sugar that makes it look like chestnut honey, which darkens the honey.
3. A chestnut honey should be a darker color. This is because honey contains large quantities of chestnut pollen and enzymes. It is important not to confuse this with buckwheat honey.
4. Chestnut honey is many times more expensive than other honeys.
5. When purchased in August, the honey should have a liquid consistency. After a couple of months, it will thicken a bit, but this depends on the variety of chestnut from which the bees collected the nectar: horse chestnut or seed chestnut. Because the product collected from the horse chestnut begins to thicken and crystallize after a couple of months. Honey made by bees from another variety of chestnut stays liquid for a long time. In summer, however, there is no fresh thick chestnut honey; if it is on sale, it means it is fake or a product of last year's harvest, which is better not to eat.
6. When you put chestnut honey on a spoon, it does not drip from it very quickly, but as if slightly envelops it.
7. In real chestnut honey you can see small remnants of flower pollen.
8. It is better to buy honey from proven suppliers. At fairs and honey shows you can also buy a natural product.
9. In order to accurately determine the genuineness, you need to do the following experiment: take a piece of heavy paper and drop honey on it. If after 8 minutes a stain appears on the other side, then it is a fake product.

Chestnut honey can be stored in a dark room for no more than two years. In order that the product has not lost its useful vitamins and minerals, it is better not to heat more than 60 degrees. The container in which the liquid is stored should be kept tightly closed, otherwise honey will absorb a lot of extraneous odors. Be sure that the container should be made of glass.

How to detect a fake.

When choosing honey, be sure to taste it before buying. To determine the authenticity of the product a small amount of it should be heated, the heat effects honey will lose its bitter taste. To do this, simply heat the product in a steam bath to 50 degrees. If after that the taste has not changed, there is bitterness, then it is a fake honey.

Often starch is added to the fake, and its presence can be detected with regular iodine. Honey is also diluted with burnt sugar. Its presence can be determined by performing the following experiment: drop a few drops of the test honey on a piece of paper and set fire to it. If nothing happened to the drops, it is a real product. If the sugar droplets began to burn with the sheet, it is a fake.

To determine the presence of sugar syrup, you should smear honey on your hand in a thin layer. A line should be drawn on the composition with a soft chemical pencil. If it is fake, you can see a trace of the pencil.

Interesting facts about the chestnut

1. In the southwestern Swiss city of Geneva, there has been a special tradition for a couple of years now. The arrival of spring is proclaimed by a special decree when the first leaf on the "main" chestnut tree blossoms. It's worth noting that the "main" chestnut grows just below the windows of the cantonal government building. Most of the time, the first leaf blossoms in March, but sometimes before that. In 2002, for example, spring was proclaimed at the end of December, the 29th. In 2006, spring was announced twice; the first time the tree blossomed out in March, and then unexpectedly in October.
2. Since 1969, the coat of arms of the city of Kiev depicts a chestnut tree. The plant had a very neat appearance, its leaves and flowers were clearly shaped.
3. On the Sicilian Peninsula grows the oldest and thickest chestnut tree in the world. It has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records. The circumference of its trunk is 57.9 m, and the exact age could not be determined (about 200-400 years).
4. Only chestnut trees contain vitamin C.
5. No spider's threads can be found in the structures, which are made of chestnut trees. That is why European castles were most often built from such wood.
6. Inside the chestnut, as in popcorn, there is moisture. When heated, this moisture contributes to a strong bloating of the nut, capable of rupturing the shell. A soft pop can be heard. That is why an incision is made on the shell before cooking these nuts.
7. Chestnuts have a rich carbohydrate composition similar to that of potatoes.
8. Chestnuts make excellent flour due to their high starch content.
9. The average life span of a chestnut tree is five centuries, but with proper care and a favorable climate even longer.
10. The Romans used chestnut flour as an ingredient in baking bread.
11. Chestnuts are nutritionally very close to brown rice, which is why the product is sometimes called tree rice.
12. Most chestnuts in the world are eaten by the Chinese (just under half, about 40 percent). They are stewed, added to soups, and baked in hot sand. The traditional treat at Christmas and New Year's is candied chestnuts.
13. During Easter, the local population of Corsica brings and consecrates chestnuts in church instead of kuliches and dyed chicken eggs.

Photo of chestnut honey