If you haven’t already, you can read my previous post about raw honey and all of its amazing benefits HERE.
This post is dedicated to my one and only true love, Manuka Honey (MH). The first time I came across MH, I was in a tea shop in Culver City, CA (Bird Pick Tea to be exact) and I was intrigued by this jar of honey. Firstly, I love honey, but secondly, the jar was worth $50. Why was this honey so expensive? Why was the packaging so dark and mysterious? What was so special about it? I had to know.
I later found out that MH was a special type of honey that was imported from New Zealand. To the natives in New Zealand, MH is known as medicine for it’s miraculous and amazing healing properties. This being the reasoning for the dark container, which prevents light from destroying the beneficial properties.The difference in this type of honey is while most common raw honeys have their source of hydrogen peroxide, MH has a special ingredient derived from the tea tree bushes along the coast of New Zealand. This ingredient from the tea tree bush makes MH’s antibacterial properties significantly higher than a regular jar of honey. This is known as the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). The UMF is used to measure and identify the level of strength of each strain. You will see some starting as low as 10+ and reaching higher than 25+. In a nutshell, The higher the UMF the higher the price.
Think of MH as your natural antibiotic/probiotic. Some of the common uses for MH are to aid Gastritis, soothe tonsillitus, wounds, boils, common flus and colds, soothe sore throat, cuts and burns, eczema, rosacea, rashes, stomach ulcers and to improve overall condition of the skin.
Research shows that the amount of MH sold is 10 times is more than actually produced. How? Misleading packaging, labeling and lack of education from buyers. Be very cautious, a jar with false advertising can cost you about the same if not more than a jar of genuine MH.
Here are a few things to look for when buying Manuka Honey:
- UMF – this stands for Unique Manuka factor, this should be on the front of the packaging and sometimes also on the top of the lid. UMF can range from 5+ to over 25+
Stay away from labeling such as Bio Active Factor and KMF
2. Ingredient List. Yes, you’d be surprised how many jars do not list manuka honey as their only ingredient. Stay away from things like “honey blend”
3. It’s imported, made, packaged, and all that good stuff IN NEW ZEALAND
4. License number. Manuka honey brands are licensed and trademarked. Currently there are a little over 70 brands who are licensed with the UMFHA (I know, it’s pretty serious)
You can check the UMF site HERE to see who is on the list. I have found that stores like whole foods do carry brands that are licensed and certified genuine manuka honey. The brand I currently use is Arataki Honey a.k.a US Fancy Grade with a UMF of 10+
I know this is a lot of information! Do you see why I needed to make this in a separate post? I couldn’t just give you half-assed information on something so precious!
I have decided that I will be giving away a jar of manuka honey to one subscriber. I will not post the details anywhere else but here. Here are the rules: Subscrib or follow the blog & comment below with “Honey Love” The winner will be chosen July 30th (exactly 2 weeks from now).
Update: the giveaway has been closed and winner is Juice! Stay tuned yo my other bog posts for more impromptu contests and giveaways.
Thank you for reading
xo
Knight