Natural sweet clover honey is a real work of art. Outwardly, it does not even look like the sweet product that bees produce. This is a thick, white-creamy mass that has magical healing and taste qualities. To understand and fully appreciate the taste of melilot honey, you need to look at the plant from which it is extracted at least once in your life.
Typically, the honey variety gets its name from the flower or tree from which it was harvested. Linden - from linden, buckwheat - from buckwheat, and sweet clover - from the color of sweet clover. Today we dedicate our article to this beautiful, aromatic variety. And we will tell you about what melilot honey is.
Surprisingly, the sweet clover plant spreads in nature like a weed. For example, in America, it is planted along the roadside, in the steppe and forest zones. The fact is that practical Americans do not want to plant fields with ineffective crops: why plant something for the bees? But the yellow and white sweet clover planted in such places still attracts insects. It is this plant that has been providing the American continent with a sweet treat for over 10 years. In our country, sweet clover is sown as a silage additive or to improve the condition of the soil.
Whatever it was, but sweet clover is an excellent honey plant. The plant has a long flowering period, for two whole months yellow (medicinal) or white flowers cover the ground with a dense layer. Beekeepers observe this picture from July to September. During this period, clover and alfalfa no longer bloom. These indicators have become the reason that many farmers in Canada (in this part of the world also revered melilot honey) changed the form of animal husbandry from dairy to meat. In September, the flowers of the sweet clover are mowed, and it blooms again. The second flowering of the plant lasts until the very frost.
That is why honey from sweet clover is considered one of the most useful, and the plant is included in the list of the best honey plants. Let's take an example. 1 hectare of sunflower brings 50 kg of honey, the same amount of buckwheat will give up to 90 kg of delicacies. But from the wild sweet clover, they collect up to 200 kg of fragrant, delicious honey. Crop crops of this plant bring up to 300 kg, and in good weather and favorable conditions, the figure reaches 600 kg.
As a weed, sweet clover is unpretentious. It grows up to 1 meter in height, scattering succulent leaves and bright inflorescences of flowers.
Melilot honey can be yellow or cream-white. The shade depends on the plant from which the sweet clover honey was collected. Honey differs with different colors, taste and smell.
You will recognize yellow melilot honey by its soft, pleasant aroma and no less mild taste. But honey from white sweet clover is a little bitter, and its taste is very sharp. The aroma resembles vanilla shades, it cannot be called unpleasant.
The composition of sweet clover honey is dominated by fructose up to 40%, and glucose - almost 36%. Therefore, honey from melilot slowly crystallizes, after a while it becomes very viscous, resembling condensed milk.
But this calorie content is a plus to the beneficial properties of honey. Doctors recommend giving melilot honey to maintain strength, recover from serious illnesses or accidents. Honey also helps to relax the nervous system, as a result, improves sleep. But we will talk about useful properties a little later. Now let's look at what vitamins and minerals honey contains:
It should be noted that sweet clover honey contains 50 times more vitamin A than fresh beef.
This sweet delicacy is very fond of children and adults. It has a lot more vitamins than regular sugar and sweetness. The product will add a light, floral aroma to a cup of tea or a glass of juice. It has been noticed that sweet clover treats increase appetite. And we all know that little kids really don't like to eat. And if your little one doesn't want to have a full breakfast or dinner, give him a sweet drink several times. You will find that the child will show more interest in food.
Do not put the product in milk, this composition can cause upset and bloating, flatulence and diarrhea.
Each type of honey has its own beneficial properties. Linden will help heal coughs and colds, buckwheat will give strength, but sweet clover honey is useful for nursing mothers.
It has been observed that the consumption of this type of sweet product by a woman before feeding increases the amount of milk. Also, experienced midwives advise to eat honey from sweet clover after childbirth, so that the milk comes on time and there is no need to feed the baby with a mixture.
In addition, the medicinal properties of sweet clover extend to diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, bladder, it is indispensable during the treatment of gout.
The medicinal variety effectively copes with the restoration of the nervous system. It is recommended as an aid for nervous breakdowns, chronic fatigue, overwork, depression. For people who have experienced severe emotional stress, honey from sweet clover will also come to the rescue. For women who have reached menopause, the product must be taken in order to calm the raging hormones in order to avoid sudden tantrums and nervous breakdowns.
The beneficial properties of melilot honey extend to the immune system. During or after seasonal illness, take a few tablespoons or teaspoons of sweet clover honey daily to support a weakened body.
But the medicinal properties of melilot honey are enough to cope with coughs, improve sputum output, and soften a sore throat. It is used to treat bronchitis, it is taken for pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Melilot varieties are also used for skin diseases, purulent or inflamed wounds, apply compresses, make lotions and smear them on the chest to warm up the respiratory system. With inflammation of the mammary glands or stagnation of milk in a nursing mother, the beneficial properties of melilot honey help quickly and, most importantly, painlessly cope with an unpleasant situation.
Women use the sweet clover product to make homemade grooming products. So, for example, they dilute it in water and wash the hair, rub it into the skin of the hands in half with cream, and then put on gloves so as not to stain everything around with a sticky composition. Many people note that the condition of the skin improves, it becomes softer, the hair stops breaking and drying out, and even pigmentation spots disappear, which lose their pronounced color. And there are legends about "crow's feet" and mimic wrinkles that become invisible. Girls share recipes with each other, post their photos on blogs before and after. Be sure to review them and make sure it's true.
But do not get carried away with self-medication and home care. Any remedy is good in moderation, and especially honey, which is a pure allergen.
The useful properties and contraindications of the product are divided by a fine line. To begin with, excessive consumption can cause an allergic reaction. A rash or spots on the skin, itching, irritation, swelling and redness of the mucous membranes is an unpleasant picture. To avoid this, eat a little bit of the sweet treat. And if you are giving to a small child for the first time, dose the amount: a little into tea or milk, gradually increasing the grams of the product. From habit, the baby may develop diathesis.
Due to the high calorie content and the same high sucrose content, the product is strictly prohibited for people suffering from diabetes mellitus, with a weak pancreas, and being treated for obesity.
Melilot honey has a diuretic effect, it cannot be taken together with drugs of the same action. When dieting, it is also better to forget about this product, a high calorie content can bring a few extra pounds. The calorie content of honey is equal to the calorie content of sugar - 314 kcal. Therefore, take honey carefully, even without special contraindications.
Melilot variety is rare, even very rare. You will not meet him by chance in a store, and not every apiary can find him. They buy a treat at specialized fairs, via the Internet or from friends. Therefore, fakes are often passed off as an elite product. Cheaper rapeseed honey is converted into melilot honey with the help of flavors and dyes. The result is a sweet and completely useless mixture that can be poisoned.
When purchasing this variety, ask the seller for a certificate. Take a closer look at the sweet substance and smell it. The natural product has a mild vanilla hue, the fake smells like perfume with the appropriate flavor. Rub the mixture between your fingers: if it is absorbed, this is natural honey, if not, it is a crude fake.
Melilot honey is a natural medicine collected by hardworking bees. It does not kill the microflora of the stomach, but, on the contrary, heals all the weak points in our body. Take sweet food gently and you will be healthy!
Bees collect nectar from two types of sweet clover: white and yellow. This plant is prized for its medicinal properties. Melilot honey takes them over, enhancing its usefulness. This bee product is rare, but belongs to the reference varieties. The useful properties of sweet clover honey are represented by a long list, but there are also contraindications.
Melilot is a herb belonging to the legume family. It became famous for its large list of medicinal properties. The thickets are widespread throughout Russia. They are found everywhere - on forest edges, fields, near ditches, roadsides.
Donnik is a good honey plant. Bees collect nectar from white and yellow flowers. They are attractive to insects by the special smell that coumarin spreads.
Melilot yellow and white
As a honey plant, sweet clover is valued for its ability to bloom for a long time. The plant pleases bees all summer until September. By this time, buckwheat, clover, alfalfa have already faded. Interestingly, a wild plant produces less nectar than a sweet clover grown under cultivated conditions.
The nectar from the flowers determines what the freshly harvested product looks like:
Melilot nectar is easy to confuse. They are similar in color and appearance after sugaring. However, the varieties differ in aroma and taste.
Useful substances in melilot honey pass from. The plant is saturated with medicinal components, the concentration of which in the finished product increases. Chemical composition:
The calorie content of a bee product is 309-312 kilocalories per 100 grams, which is considered the average for beekeeping products.
The rich component composition, along with external data, allows melilot honey to be attributed to the elite varieties and determines the medicinal properties. What is the benefit?
Pleasant taste and aroma determine the use as an additive to dishes, but not everyone knows how useful honey from sweet clover is. It exhibits a complex action, useful properties:
The listed properties determined the benefits of sweet clover nectar and their use in folk and traditional medicine. Before including this product in the diet for medicinal purposes, a doctor's consultation is required.
It has long been known that melilot honey is especially effective in treating diseases of the lower body. However, the beneficial properties have found application to combat other disorders.
Melilot honey also helps with diseases of the cardiovascular, urinary, reproductive system, migraines, dizziness. Effective.
The healing properties of melilot honey are used to combat negative changes in the condition of the skin. In cosmetology, a bee product forms the basis of masks made for different types of skin: dry and oily.
Beneficial effects include:
The main method of application is dissolving melilot honey in warm water, which is used for daily washing. , nourish and moisturize the skin. To inhibit age-related changes, cosmetologists recommend adding the product to anti-aging creams.
It is difficult to identify a fake or distinguish the presented product from similar varieties. Therefore, it is better to imagine. It is carried out by smell, taste, appearance.
How to distinguish real sweet clover honey from other varieties or fakes:
It is easy to confuse the presented variety with rapeseed honey, as they are very similar in appearance. The main differences are taste and smell. The rapeseed product has a very sweet, cloying aroma and no vanilla notes.
Limitations and contraindications for use:
Melilot honey is an undeservedly forgotten variety. It is valued for its medicinal properties and is used in cosmetology and cooking. The harm and benefits of sweet clover nectar are incomparable, since with many contraindications, doctors sometimes allow the use because of the effectiveness and healthiness of the product.
And a seductive scent. Of course, this is sweet clover honey. The beneficial properties and contraindications of this product should be known to everyone.
As mentioned above, melilot honey has an amber-transparent color. It has an original taste: sweetness is interestingly combined with some bitterness in the aftertaste. If you smell this honey, you can smell the light scent of flowers with hints of freshly cut grass and a hint of vanilla.
This product is quite high in calories, as it contains more than 300 kilocalories per hundred grams.
The plant from which this honey is created is called melilot. It is also called Italian grass or royal clover. Sweet clover, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which have been studied for a long time, has found application in folk medicine. But it is also a popular crop.
Every day, the list of areas in which sweet clover is used and the application of which are discussed in the article is expanding. In recent years, it has been increasingly used in cosmetology as part of trends associated with increased interest in healthy lifestyles and cosmetic preparations made from natural ingredients.
What is this unique product used for? It can help maintain your beauty, prolong youthfulness and take care of your appearance. There are several ways of application:
For the general healing of the body, you can also use sweet clover honey, a composition whose beneficial properties are well known to traditional healers. It has a mild laxative and diuretic effect, resulting in:
Sweet clover honey, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which are familiar only to a few, is used not only in cosmetology and for the general health of a person. It is an excellent medicine and is used for the following purposes:
Despite the beneficial properties of such a product as sweet clover honey, it also has contraindications. Moreover, there are even more of them than most other beekeeping products.
It is worth limiting the use of such honey:
These contraindications are due to the fact that the substances contained in the product contribute to blood thinning.
A description of the ways of using honey from sweet clover can fill the pages of more than one reference book on traditional medicine. Therefore, it makes sense to focus on the most popular recipes:
In the literature on traditional medicine, you can find a recommendation for the use of such honey to enhance lactation. This is a rather dangerous and not very reliable method, since any honey is a strong allergen and can cause an unwanted reaction in the fragile body of an infant.
When using sweet clover honey for medicinal purposes, it should be remembered that it is not an independent medicine, but can act as an auxiliary agent. It is imperative to seek the advice of a doctor, since only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis and identify the presence of contraindications.
Unfortunately, there are many counterfeit products on the market, including fake honey. Naturally, such a product has no healing properties. In the best case, the use of a counterfeit product simply will not bring the expected benefits, at worst it can cause significant harm to health.
To distinguish a quality product, you should pay attention to a number of characteristic features:
Sweet clover honey, the beneficial properties and contraindications of which you have learned, is undoubtedly a valuable product. However, caution is required in its use. It is also important to choose the right product at the time of purchase.
So, we have studied the beneficial properties and contraindications of sweet clover honey. We hope the information provided will be useful to you.
Nature provides many beneficial plants to humans that help maintain health. Among them there are species used by insects for the production of melilot honey, which eliminates some diseases. In ancient times, it was also called bottom honey, although today this name is already considered erroneous.
Melilot belongs to the legume family. It is a perennial herb that grows in wastelands and meadows. Traditional medicine uses this plant as an expectorant, wound healing, pain or cramps relieving remedy.
The description of the herb is as follows:
The plant is distributed almost all over the globe, but Eurasia is considered its homeland. It is very fond of bees, which then produce melilot honey. Sweet clover is famous for its unique medicinal properties, which are completely and completely adopted by the honey obtained thanks to it.
Melilot honey
Melilot honey consists of carbohydrates (80 g per 100 g of the preparation) and proteins (0.7-0.9 g per 100 g). There are practically no fats in it. The composition also includes the following components:
The calorie content of the product ranges from 306 to 310 kcal.
People are often interested in honey from sweet clover - what kind of medicinal preparation it is, how it is used. You can use it neat or by adding the product to food. This product has a vanilla scent. It is white or yellowish in color and crystallizes quickly (in 1 month), so it can be purchased in liquid form only from a beekeeper in an apiary.
In medicine, this honey is used due to the following properties:
For treatment, you can use both white honey (sweet clover means it had white inflorescences), and its yellow counterpart. The only difference between these species is that bees collect nectar from 2 different types of the same plant. What type of medicine to use, the patient will find out at a consultation with a doctor.
Often buyers confuse a medicinal product with the same type of rapeseed product. To distinguish between these two honeys, it is enough to smell them or eat 1 teaspoon. Melilot has a vanilla aroma, but rapeseed does not. When tasted, the first food has a normal sweetness, and the second is so cloying that most people cannot eat it without dilution.
What are bees collecting honey from?
There is another way to detect a fake: two test samples are diluted in water. Melilot honey quickly dissolves in liquid, and the rapeseed analog remains the same for a long time.
There is another method to distinguish these 2 types of product from each other. You just need to leave the honey at room temperature for 1 day. The natural remedy will practically not change its consistency, the fake drug will begin to ferment.
Important! Buyers need to know that real sweet clover honey cannot be found in the supermarket or bazaar, it is sold only in apiaries.
Counterfeit medicinal products can also be found at specialized fairs organized by honey producers. To recognize them, you need to take a close look at the appearance of the product.
This product must have:
If a person cannot recognize honey by the indicated signs, then after the purchase the authenticity of the product will manifest itself in a month - after sugaring it will turn white or look like a colorless mass.
Positive properties are shown in the treatment of certain diseases of the stomach and other organs. The medicinal properties of melilot honey are as follows:
Collecting nectar for honey
Product harm:
Important! When drinking sweet clover honey, it is recommended to cut back on tea, coffee, tonic and energy drinks.
When using an agent for treatment, it is necessary to take into account its characteristics, which make it possible to obtain a healing effect. At the same time, it is important not to forget that, like any drug, sweet clover honey has its own contraindications and limitations:
Important! Treatment with the product is limited to children under 1 year old and women during pregnancy.
Doctors have established the maximum intake of sweet clover honey throughout the day for an adult. It is equal to 100 g. With a larger amount, indigestion begins.
Typical daily doses for different age groups are as follows:
Note! Elderly people have a norm - Art. spoon in 24 hours, and this dose helps to slow down the aging process, improves memory, and stimulates the correct functioning of various organs.
For patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, sweet clover honey can only be used as directed by a doctor. Dose - no more than 1 teaspoon per day.
Honey is used in its natural form or diluted in water. For hypertensive patients, doctors recommend its constant use in a dosage of 0.5-1 tbsp. spoons per day. This helps keep blood pressure within the normal range.
To combat skin rashes (boils, pimples, etc.), cosmetologists use the product in face masks and as wraps. During the procedures, medicinal mixtures are used, in which 2 tbsp. tablespoons of honey are dissolved in 1 liter of warm water.
Thus, the product is indispensable both as a sweet treat and as a medicine. However, in the second case, any use of melilot honey must be coordinated with the attending physician.
Have you ever had this, it smells of freshly cut grass, well, it’s like you’re next to a big haystack, but there’s no hay. Here is such a joke that nature has set up on you, and this is a sweet clover growing next to you. It is from him that such an incredible aroma of hay emanates, this smell is also called coumarin. Melilot grows in meadows and wastelands, belongs to the legume family. On its numerous tassels, clusters of yellow flowers are arranged, opening out like flared skirts and blooming almost all summer.
Both white and yellow melilot are excellent honey plants. This plant is well visited by bees to collect nectar from flowering flowers. Melilot honey is white or amber in color, has a specific vanilla smell and creamy consistency.
100 grams of bee delicacy contains: 0.8 gr. proteins, 0 gr. fat and 80 gr. carbohydrates, here's more:
Some of the types of sweet clover are medicinal, so honey from it is doubly beneficial for human health. The coumarin contained in the plant determines its biological activity. Thanks to coumarin, improves brain activity and blood circulation of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, blood pressure rises. Therefore, honey can be used in the form immunosuppressive therapy, and in the treatment of colds, in small quantities no more than 20 grams per day for an adult.
Melilot honey is believed to help with diseases of the upper respiratory tract(bronchitis, cough, pneumonia). Melilot honey has a calming effect with overexcitation or insomnia... It can also be used as a component in face masks; in the classic, fresh cucumber is also added there (to moisturize the skin and cleanse the pores on the face).