It's no secret that, depending on the plant from which the bees collect nectar, the taste and benefits of honey differ. Today we will talk about the most valuable - buckwheat honey. To get buckwheat honey, bees must collect nectar exclusively from flowering buckwheat, which, as you guessed, gives us buckwheat. You will learn about the benefits of honey for the body and how to properly use it in traditional medicine or cosmetology.
The difference of buckwheat honey from other varieties
Honey is most often distinguished by color, since, depending on the zone in which nectar was collected (steppe, forest-steppe or forest), the color of honey also differs. It can be rich yellow or dark brown, including all shades of these colors.
The color of buckwheat honey is dark. It is easiest to recognize it in high containers, as in it it takes on the color of "Coca-Cola", or, when compared with other drinks, "Baikal". This sign will recognize the honey in a store or supermarket, but if you have the opportunity to try it - use this chance.
The fact is that the dark color is also honey, nectar for which the bees were collected in the forest. Therefore, it can be confused with buckwheat and get a completely different product.
Buckwheat honey has a slightly bitter and tart taste. After the use of one honey in the throat begins to tick a little, which is associated with the composition of the product.
Important! Buckwheat honey begins to sugar much faster than other types of honey.
Buckwheat honey: calories, vitamins and minerals
It is rather difficult to talk about the exact composition of honey, since it is impossible to “program” bees to collect nectar only from buckwheat. They can bring nectar, for example, from ordinary field herbs, and the composition has already changed. 
It is important to note that buckwheat honey has a lot of iron, enzymes, sugars, vitamins and minerals.
Minerals:
- iron;
- phosphorus;
- calcium;
- potassium;
- chlorine;
- magnesium;
- copper;
- iodine;
- zinc;
- aluminum;
- nickel.
Vitamins:
- B1, B2, B5, B6;
- biotin (vitamin H);
- niacin (vitamin PP);
- tocopherol (vitamin E);
- vitamin C.
Buckwheat honey is rich in various sugars: glucose (42%), fructose (41%), sucrose (2%).
The presence of sugars determines the calorie content of buckwheat honey, which is equal to 309 kcal. For comparison: the caloric content of 100 g of honey is equal to the caloric content of 150 g of fried chicken.
However, it should be understood that honey is not consumed in large quantities even for medicinal purposes, which means that this useful product will not affect the shape.
How is buckwheat honey useful for the body?
Referring to the composition of buckwheat honey, it can be concluded that this beekeeping product is rich in various vitamins and microelements, which means it is very useful for our body.
Honey can be called "natural preservative", as this product not only does not spoil, but also kills all bacteria. This property can be used not only in cooking or preservation, but also for the treatment of various bacterial diseases.
Honey is able to fight viruses, so it is successfully used to treat colds and infectious diseases.
Buckwheat honey is successfully used in cosmetology, so its benefits for women cannot be overestimated. With the help of bee products cleanse the skin, give it elasticity and relieve inflammation. Also, it is worth noting that honey is very useful for pregnant women, since its composition is similar to that of blood plasma, rejection does not occur.
The product helps to strengthen the immune system, to saturate the body with all the necessary vitamins and trace elements. An interesting property of honey is that when taking a product before birth, it stimulates blood circulation in the uterus and helps the mother survive the painful sensations.
Important! Before taking honey you need to consult a doctor. If you mindlessly use a bee product, you can “reward” your unborn child with allergies.
In winter and springtime, honey helps to fight against avitaminosis and the lack of mineral substances. The product is sufficient to be consumed daily in small quantities in order to get rid of overwork and apathy and to give the body additional energy for full-fledged work.
Honey helps people who suffer from anemia, hypertension, gastric ulcer, problems with blood vessels and acidity.
Bee product is famous for the fact that removes radionuclides from the body, that is, is an indispensable product for people who work at nuclear power plants or near radioactive objects.
Thus, the medicinal properties of buckwheat honey are difficult to overestimate. The product can be used as a food additive to replenish the supply of vitamins, so necessary for the treatment of various diseases.
How to check buckwheat honey for naturalness and quality
Buckwheat honey is a rather expensive beekeeping product, so we will talk about how to check it for naturalness and quality.
The first, than good natural honey differs from a fake, - consistency.
Honey must be either very viscous, or sugar and turn into a dense homogeneous mass.
Next, look on color. The fact is that not natural honey has either incomprehensible blotches of a different color, or too light shade, which is darker or lighter in certain parts of the container.
Did you know? Honey is one of the most falsified products, as the cost of sugar substitutes is 5-10 times cheaper than the original product. Substitute to honey starch sugar is used in Switzerland, where in high use "Swiss honey", which consists of a mixture of 30% bee honey with 70% starch syrup.
During the purchase is to open the container with honey and smell it. The smell of buckwheat honey gives out any fake, since the natural product smells like flowers, and the smell itself is quite strong and does not "disappear" over time. If honey does not smell anything, you should not take it.
Now let's talk about practical ways to identify a fake or diluted product:
- Put a tablespoon of honey on paper. If after a while a water stain appears on the sheet - honey is diluted with water or syrup.
- With the help of a chemical pencil, you can also learn about the "hidden" additives. If the honey is not natural, it means that a pencil will immediately react when it comes in contact with the product (the color will change).
- Natural honey is completely dissolved in strong alcohol, and diluted or unnatural - gives the sediment.
Rules for storage of buckwheat honey
Many are concerned about the question of how much buckwheat honey is stored. As stated above, honey is a natural preservative, which means that it practically does not deteriorate. Nobody thought that honey, in fact, is a semi-finished product that bees produce. Insects process nectar, which then turns into honey (that is, it is digested).
A small digression helps to understand that honey is a durable product. However, storage conditions greatly affect its usefulness.
The temperature from -5˚С to + 20˚С is suitable for storage of the product
Important! If the honey warms to a temperature of 40 ° C and above, it will lose some of the beneficial vitamins and enzymes.
Next is to take care of the packaging. Honey absorbs moisture very well, so you can not leave it open. Any glass jar that fits tightly with a lid is suitable for tare. In this dish, honey will not be able to absorb excess moisture from the air, which means it will not become watery.
Also take care that the direct rays of the sun do not fall on honey, otherwise the beekeeping product will lose some vitamins.
Moreover, the lost vitamins, minerals or enzymes do not affect the taste of the product.
Accordingly, if honey becomes less useful, then you will not even recognize it.
Important! Honey shelf life is not limited! If a small shelf life is written on a container with purchased honey, it is worth thinking about its naturalness.
The role of buckwheat honey in cosmetologists
Buckwheat honey is used not only as a component of face masks, but also to strengthen hair.
Let's start with the masks. Since honey nourishes the skin with vitamins and microelements, it can be used as the main element of the mask.
Did you know? The largest exporters of honey in the world are four countries: China, Turkey, Argentina and Ukraine.
Mask for normal skin. Take one egg yolk and rub it with 1 tsp. honey and fresh apple juice. The resulting mixture is applied to the face and hold for 15 minutes. After that, wash off the mask with warm water.
Mask for oily skin. Mix 1 tbsp. l starch, 1 tsp. honey and as much salt. After thorough mixing, add 1 tbsp. l sour milk and apply on face. Hold the mask for about 15 minutes. After time, wash off with cool water.
Mask for dry skin. Mix 2 tbsp. l bee product with 2 tbsp. l olive oil and the same amount of sunflower oil. Next, the mixture is heated to 35-38 ˚ C and put it on gauze or napkins. Next, put them on the face for 15-20 minutes. Remove the mask from the face with a paper napkin and lotion.
Important! If after applying a mask itching, redness or burning, it is urgent to rinse the mixture with warm water.
To strengthen hair with honey, just add a tablespoon of the product to your shampoo. However, it is worth remembering that if the honey is candied, it will simply settle to the bottom and there will be no effect.
In addition to adding honey to shampoo, you need to rub it daily in the hair roots. It is best to do this for half an hour before going to the shower.
Recipes of traditional medicine
In order for honey to become a real medicine, it must be taken in a specific dosage or in combination with other components.
Important! If you are allergic to buckwheat honey, in no case should you take medications based on it.
With anemia. In 1 l of honey you need to add 8 g of dry ginseng root (in powdered form) and insist a week, mixing several times a day. Take 1/5 tsp 2 times a day.
When hypertension, nervousness or insomnia you need to add 1 tbsp to 1 cup of mineral water. l honey and squeezed juice of one lemon zest. Drink this drink on an empty stomach. Reception course - no more than 14 days.
Important! This recipe is not suitable for people who suffer from increased acidity of the stomach.
Cleansing the body of toxins. You will need 400 g of dried prunes, 200 g of dried apricots, 200 g of figs and 200 g of buckwheat honey. Dried fruits need to grind to a state of homogeneous mass and mix with honey. Take such a tasty medicine you need to 1 tbsp. l before bedtime.
Avitaminosis prevention. To prepare the mixture, take 3.5 kg of walnut peel, 1 kg of hazelnut peel and 1 l of buckwheat honey. Finely chop the nuts and mix with warm honey (so that the ingredients are better mixed). Take in small doses during the winter and spring deficiency of vitamins.
Treat a cough. The old method very well helps to overcome even the strongest cough. 350 ml of warm boiled milk take 1 tbsp. l buckwheat honey and a third teaspoon of soda. Take better before bedtime to warm the airways.
Treatment of the genitourinary system. We make a tincture of the fruits of mountain ash (3 tsp. Crushed fruit per 400 ml of boiling water). After rowan lasts a few hours, the infusion can be taken in conjunction with buckwheat honey.
There are many recipes that help get rid of the most "popular" ailments. Remember that a medicine, albeit based on natural ingredients, can cause problems if it is abused.
Contraindications and possible harm to buckwheat honey
The product of beekeeping has its own contraindications, as it contains a large number of a wide variety of trace elements and enzymes. So that treatment with honey does not "reward" you with other health problems, you need to know for sure in which cases honey will hurt rather than help.
What are the contraindications for buckwheat honey?
Honey can not take diabetics. Although natural sugars are part of the product, it is still dangerous, as it can affect the exacerbation of the disease.
Honey is as dangerous for young children as it is for diabetics, as it is a strong allergen.
At the age of 5-6 years, children can be given honey only after consulting a doctor.
You should also understand that an overdose of a product can have a variety of consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to limit yourself in taking this product, especially if you have problems with excess weight.
After talking about the benefits and dangers of buckwheat honey, we can say with certainty that, despite the progress of the food industry, it is impossible to replace such a valuable bee product. Use this storehouse of vitamins and minerals to support your body, cleanse it and fight diseases.
