General view on Honey

Honey is the best Yogavahi substance i.e. it carries the properties of its own as well as that of the drugs added to it.

In Ayurveda, its qualities are described in Charaka Samhita as –

•••••••••••••••••••••••(C. S. Sutrasthana 27/254)

As it originates from the flowers having different tastes, potencies etc.

Properties :

Colour : Pale yellow to yellowish brown

Odour : Characteristic, pleasant

Taste : Sweet and faintly acid

Standards :

Weight per ml : 1.35 to 1.36 gm

Specific rotation : + 30 to – 100

Total ash : 0.1 to 0.8%

It is syrupy thick liquid, translucent when fresh and on keeping it becomes opaque and granular due to crystallization of glucose. It is soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol.

Chemical constituents :

It is an aqueous solution of glucose (35%), fructose (45%) and sucrose (2%). Other constituents of honey are maltose, gum, traces of succinic acid, acetic acid, dextrin, formic acid, colouring matters, enzymes (invertase, diastase, inulase) and traces of vitamins, proteins and pollen grains.

Uses :

Demulcent, sweetening agent, nutrient to infants and patients,

as an antiseptic.It is a common ingredient of several cough mixtures, cough drops and vehicle for Ayurvedic formulations like chywanprash etc. Recently it is also used in the preparation of creams, lotions, soft drinks and candies.

Purpose in rasa Shastra( metal science) : For Amritikarana of Tamra Bhasma