[DixyDoodle]

I happen to like honey in the comb but wonder if there is really any difference in that and just the honey that has been removed from the comb? Nutritionally-speaking, I mean? I seem to recall that some people think the comb has beneficial qualities also, or as herbal remedies for something?

I do eat the wax: basically I just scoop out a bit and spread it on toast in the morning.

Just thought I would ask the experts here.

PS> This is organic honey from a local beekeeper, not commercially-sold honey from the stores.

 

[damoc]

you know for a fact comb honey has never been heat treated much better taste.

 

[DixyDoodle]

So it is considered "raw" as opposed to that in bottles--even if sold by a farmer's market type setting?

Do you know if there are any supposed health benefits to eating raw honey? I know that they say heat often does destroy certain qualities in some foods. Hmmmmmm......

 

[Batt]

With comb honey you get wax....That's all. Now there may be some things (enzymes, minerals, bee parts) in the wax that are not in the extracted honey, but that is the only difference.

Local (as opposed to imported) honey is usually just de-capped comb honey that is spun in a centrifuge to get it out of the comb and then strained thru a mesh to remove loose wax and before mentioned bee body parts. Very few bees are injured in the process, but occasionally....Then the comb can be reused by the bees for the next batch of honey. The comb can be used several times.

 

[Ed0517]

So it is considered "raw" as opposed to that in bottles--even if sold by a farmer's market type setting?

Comb honey HAS to be raw. Bottled MAY be raw, but large producers are going to heat it in processing so it flows better. Farmer Jim may not. He may just put his frames in an extractor, spin, filter, and bottle. Then Jim's is raw, even in the bottle.

 

[indypartridge]

I heard a lecture from an apitherapy guru awhile back. He claimed that when the bees polish the cells before depositing honey, they use small amounts of propolis, and thus eating honey in the comb had additional health beneifits due to the propolis. During the lecture, he asked for volunteers - anyone with sinus congestion - and had them eat some comb honey - a couple teaspoons. Several reported that their sinuses cleared shortly afterward.

 

[DixyDoodle]

indypartridge, that's interesting! Perhaps I'll do a search of propolis and see what I can find out.

Ok, a few more questions:

---is honey bought from large supermarkets ALWAYS processed? I was thinking maybe it's something like milk, that processing kills possibly harmful bacteria? Oh well, IMO, I think raw honey is better, anyhoo!

---and what about if someone is allergic to bee venom, is there any chance that they could have a reaction to comb honey? I know, the venom isn't actually getting into their blood this way, but eating bee parts includes a possible venom sack in there somewhere, at least theoretically?

 

[boren]

I eat comb while extracting, I eat honey out of my backyard, it doesn't change my allergies the least little bit.

 

[turtlehead]

I was thinking maybe it's something like milk, that processing kills possibly harmful bacteria?

I was reading something recently that actually stated the opposite. Heating honey destroys good enzymes and helpful bacteria. Racking my brain to remember the source...

 

[indypartridge]

indypartridge, that's interesting! ---is honey bought from large supermarkets ALWAYS processed? I was thinking maybe it's something like milk, that processing kills possibly harmful bacteria? Oh well, IMO, I think raw honey is better, anyhoo!

Turtlehead is right: honey in the supermarket has been heated. Heating improves shelf-life, but destroys many of the good enzymes (not to mention it ruins the flavor). As for bacteria, honey is a natural antibiotic. Because honey is hydroscopic (absorbs moisture) it kills bacteria. I use honey instead of neosporin. One more thing, if you read the labels you'll see that honey in the supermarket is nearly always imported, often from China. Chinese honey has a long history of chemical contamination.

---and what about if someone is allergic to bee venom, is there any chance that they could have a reaction to comb honey? I know, the venom isn't actually getting into their blood this way, but eating bee parts includes a possible venom sack in there somewhere, at least theoretically?

I'd say that the chances of this happening are about equal to being simultaneously struck by both lightning and a meteorite!