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Many adherents of traditional medicine eat beeswax in moderation along with honey in combs because of its beneficial qualities. And they advise to periodically use a healing product, storing it in the summer for several months. Although the use of wax is contraindicated in large quantities and in the case of serious diseases.
Is it possible to eat honeycombs
Most people who do not have any obstacles in the form of allergies or intolerances from the body to eat honey can also use other beekeeping products, including fresh honeycomb wax. Such a valuable product is purchased in specialized stores or markets. The cost of the honeycomb is high, but it is believed that this honey is very healing. This is ready-made food for the young generation of the bee family, and wax is a kind of jars with blanks. When a person eats honeycomb, the following substances enter the body:
- honey;
- wax;
- propolis;
- pollen;
- perga.
There is evidence that scientists have identified more than three hundred of its active components. Some substances have a similar effect to vitamin A.
Organized insects themselves build honeycombs, creating them from the substance secreted by the corresponding glands that are located on their abdomens. Young, spring and early summer wax is light yellow, by the end of July, in August it gets old, acquires a darker shade. Up to 2-3 kg of wax is taken from one bee colony per year, without affecting the quality of life of the winged workers. When a frame with built cells full of honey is taken out of the hive, it is clear that the top of the bee "blanks" is covered with a so-called bee-board. It is a thin layer of light wax mixed with propolis. Usually beekeepers cut off this layer, and sell open honeycombs, from where liquid honey flows. Combs with beading can contain up to 8-10% of propolis.
When building the cells, the bee colony covers the inside of each cubicle with propolis for disinfection. A substance with antiseptic properties is also produced by the bee's body. If wax is sold overheated, in the form of bars, and not in honeycombs, there is no propolis in it. It is separated during processing in apiaries.
The benefits and harms of honeycomb wax
Based on information from various sources, it follows that you can eat beeswax without fear. But a little, up to 7-10 g for the whole day. All vitamins and other active elements found in honey are also found in combs. Bee cells are considered a medicinal substance that can regulate the functions of the human body. It is argued that a limited amount of wax is beneficial to use due to the following properties:
- the ability to absorb and remove toxins;
- produce an antibacterial effect on the intestinal environment;
- improve peristalsis;
- contain vitamin A and enrich the body with it;
- to inform the body of the light effect of those plants from which the bee family took a bribe.
Even if they do not eat, but chew wax from fragrant bee cells, a positive effect occurs:
- immunity increases, frequent development of bronchial diseases is prevented;
- the state of health is relieved with rhinitis and sinusitis;
- there is a calming effect and relief of the depressive state;
- the gums are strengthened, since they are easily massaged and impregnated with medicinal components;
- those who want it easier to quit smoking, thanks to high-quality sanitation of the oral cavity;
- the hangover syndrome is removed faster and the dependence on alcohol is softened;
- there is an arbitrary weight loss with the systematic chewing of 2-3 cells from the honeycomb with wax per day, which reflexively lowers the appetite;
- teeth are cleared of yellow plaque;
- beneficial effect as a caries prevention of empty wax without honey, which is chewed no more than 2 times a week.
In addition, wax is used:
- in cosmetology, as a substance nourishing cells;
- on its basis, ointments are prepared, which are used to heal wounds of various origins;
- make compresses for the treatment of joints and venous circulation disorders.
When consumed in large quantities with honey, wax can be harmful to the body, causing volvulus or blockage of the esophagus. Allergy sufferers should also not get carried away with the use of a bee product.
What happens if you eat wax
Having accidentally swallowed a piece of beeswax while chewing on a piece of a honey frame, a person will cleanse his body a little. Ingestion of up to 10 g of wax into the food system is unlikely to produce any effect or discomfort. The serious, painful consequences already mentioned occur after extremely high doses that a sane person would normally not eat. You should also control how children chew the honeycomb, and it is better to give small safe portions.
How to eat honeycombs
The ideal answer to the question of whether it is possible to eat a honeycomb whole by swallowing wax is to chew it. Wax with honey is chewed for quite a long time, until you feel sweetness and a unique smell. The remaining product is spit out. When thoroughly chewed with saliva, all the beneficial active substances from beeswax are transferred into the body. Beekeepers warn that it is better to cut it yourself, which is sometimes found on fragments of honey frames. The propolis contained in it is intended for external use. Swallow small pieces of wax purposefully, curing some kind of ailment. At the same time, it is recommended to eat some black bread.
Zabruz chew, be sure to spit it out if stomatitis, pharyngitis or complications in the upper respiratory tract after a cold are treated. Honey in combs is considered to be more useful, fragrant and liquid, since it is preserved by the bee family with the help of an antiseptic of their own "production" - propolis.
Precautions
If they eat honeycombs for medicinal purposes, do not forget about some of the nuances of their use:
- the product contains a lot of carbohydrates, and a high sugar content with regular meals can threaten caries if you do not rinse your mouth;
- honeycombs and wax will be beneficial if the bee family worked in an ecologically clean area;
- in the presence of carcinogens in the bee product, which appear when collecting nectar in contaminated areas, they are released during heating, for example, when the honeycomb is placed in hot tea;
- who counts calories should keep in mind that 100 g of honeycombs contains 328 kcal;
- it is advised to abstain and not eat honeycombs during pregnancy because they can create problems with absorption.
Contraindications
People in good health can eat honeycombs without fear. But with some ailments, they harm.Like any product, honeycomb wax also has contraindications:
- use cautiously for those people who have already been diagnosed with an allergy, maybe not even to honey;
- you can not eat in case of individual intolerance;
- only a small amount for patients with diabetes mellitus, after the permission of the doctor;
- it is forbidden to use honey in combs with exacerbation of gastritis;
- the presence of solid compounds in the bile and urinary tract;
- during the high stages of oncology;
- with a fever, if the body temperature exceeds 38 ° C.
Terms and conditions of storage
The honeycomb will be stored for a long time if the backing remains intact. The cells are sealed, honey under the influence of the antiseptic propolis is in a sterile liquid state. Large pieces of honeycomb are carefully cut into smaller ones and placed in glass, porcelain or enamel containers. In the refrigerator, at a temperature of 4-5 ° C, this version of medicinal honey can be stored for several months. Its properties can change, deteriorate if kept in a hot room, where the temperature is above + 20 ° C. The same effect from frost.
The second condition for preserving the medicinal properties of honey in combs is protection not only from direct sunlight, but also from light. A bee product significantly loses its healing qualities in a bright room. Therefore, the container is placed in a dark place and must be covered.
The third requirement for high-quality storage of combs is their protection from extraneous odors. Honey will quickly absorb any strong aroma: from perfumery, spicy greens to technical means. To protect the honeycomb from losing the bouquet of meadow grasses, placing them in containers with ground-in lids will help.
Conclusion
Beeswax is eaten for health reasons. Moderate use of honeycomb together with wax has a positive effect on the body. But it is preferable to use an inedible substance strictly according to indications. For most people, the usual option is to chew the wax while eating honey and then spit it out.
