Honey bees make honey bees. They collect honey dew, which is formed by insects that live on some species of pines, resulting in an unconventional shade. But it is also made artificially from kidneys, pollen, needles. Read more about what pine honey is, what its benefits for the body and what recipes for its preparation should be used - read in the material.

Useful and healing properties of honey

The history of honey as a medicine began a long time ago. Even the ancient Egyptians used it to heal wounds. Today, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of honey are fully confirmed. Therefore, it is used to treat chronic ulcers and pressure sores. Honey also relieves swelling and inflammation of the tissues around the wound.

Pine has a wider range of applications in medicine and the food industry than flower. Comparing these two species with each other, it is worth noting that the first has a lower content of glucose and fructose. Its taste is less sweet and not too bitter. The composition is unique and very dependent on the soil on which the pine forest grows and the nectar of which plants blooming at that time enriched the structure of the final product.

• The main useful properties:
• A large set of biologically active substances helps to strengthen the body as a whole, increase immunity, increase vitality.
• Tea with honey helps the child relieve stress and acts as a natural sedative before bedtime.
• Its amino acids contribute to better digestion and absorption of food, as well as improve the intestinal microflora.
• Some studies show that it completely removes nasal congestion and alleviates allergies caused by pollen. The action is based on the fact that pollen allergens that are present in the composition do not come into contact with the body. Once in the stomach, they are split by acids, without causing an immunological reaction.
• It alleviates the early symptoms of the common cold and relieves cough due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
• The high iron content in its composition cures anemia.
• It brings the content of calcium and phosphorus ions in the blood to a balanced state, thereby relieving muscle fatigue, pain and cramps.
• Improves the functioning of the heart muscle.

Most conifers have strong antioxidant properties. The reason for this is the high level of flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Antioxidants protect cells from oxidation by free radicals, prevent aging and the development of various age-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease.

Important! Patients with diabetes mellitus, as well as elderly people over the age of 60 years, should be wary of products from needles because of their high fructose content.

The most important characteristic of pine honey is that it can be stored for a long time without changing its texture, without crystallizing. This is a spicy, sweet product with woody notes, a resinous aroma and a dark amber color, very useful for the body.

Honey recipes

Most of Siberia is famous for its pine forests. Locals have learned to use everything that harsh nature has to offer. Green pine cones are used as a remedy for bronchitis, pine needles - to maintain immunity and as a source of vitamin C. Resin has found its application in the form of a healing ointment for the skin.

Did you know? Pine honey can contribute to weight loss, provided that it is consumed with a glass of warm water every morning on an empty stomach.

Pine honey itself is produced in 2 stages:

1. Initially, insects settle in the cracks of the pine bark, which parasitize on conifers. They can belong to different species. The result of their life is honey dew, similar to that produced by garden aphids. In the summer months, more of this extract is formed.
2. Then the bees collect this dew, process it and carry it to the hives, where the product matures just like any other type of honey.

Of green cones

The best are green pine cones. They appear on trees in late April or early May.

Step by step recipe:

1. To make honey you need a sterile jar.
2. Cones are cut and laid in layers, pouring sugar. For 1 kg of raw materials you will need 1.5 kg of sugar.
3. The jar is covered with a cloth and left at room temperature for 3 weeks. During this time, juice will stand out from the cones and combine with sugar. A syrupy mixture is formed.
4. After three weeks, the mixture is poured into a dry, sterile jar without cones and refrigerated.
5. The resulting "honey" is added to non-hot tea.

Jam is also prepared from the same raw materials. For this:

1. Young green cones (1 kg) are washed, poured with water and boiled for 30 minutes.
2. Turn off the fire and let it brew for 12 hours.
3. Filter the broth, put sugar in it (1 kg per 1 liter of liquid) and boil until thickened, until the mixture becomes dark raspberry.
4. Next, several previously removed cones are added to it and boiled for another 5 minutes.
5. Poured into sterile jars, stacking 6 cones in each.
6. Close the lids. Cool at room temperature.

From needles

If you collect fresh green cones too late, you can cook honey from needles. It is not necessary to use only pine, in the product combinations of spruce, pine and fir needles can be used.

You should choose fresh needles on the tree - these are light specimens located on the tips of the branches. It is necessary to collect them from trees that are located at a sufficient distance from the side of the road to make sure that the raw material was not exposed to exhaust gases.

Important! You need to boil honey in stainless steel dishes, so that after cooking it can be washed with an iron brush.

Step by step recipe:

1. Separate from the branch, inspect, remove damaged by insects, wash.
2. Grind and sprinkle sugar in a jar at the rate of 1 kg of needles / 1.5 kg of sugar.
3. Cover the jar with a clean cloth and let it sit for 6 weeks indoors.
4. Shake the mixture daily to prevent mold if the needles are not completely covered with syrup.
5. After 6 weeks, strain.
6. Gently heat the product over medium heat in order to increase the viscosity, but do not overheat above + 50 ° C, so as not to destroy trace elements useful to the body.
7. Store in a dark place.

From pollen

Pine pollen has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia, as food and medicine. It contains 18 amino acids, many vitamins, including A, B1, B2, B6, B3, B9, vitamins C, D, E and beta-carotene. Pollen is also a powerful antioxidant.

• Pollen is useful for:
• pain relief for rheumatism;
• fatigue relief;
• increased stamina;
• strengthening the immune system;
• skin improvement;
• strengthening the heart, gastrointestinal tract and stomach;
• improving thinking processes and stamina;
• weight reduction.

In late April, pine trees bloom. Yellow, juicy bright yellow anthers appear on them. They taste a bit sweet with sugary sourness. They can be collected and dried by spreading in one layer on a paper sheet.

Cooking:

1. During drying, pollen will crumble onto paper.
2. Collected, it must be sifted several times, separating dust particles and parts of pine needles.
3. The resulting semi-finished product can be mixed with honey, in a proportion of 100 g of honey per 300 g of pollen.
4. Store in a dry, dark place under the lid.

From the kidneys

Kidneys call the ends of young shoots. They are light brown in color, appear immediately after flowering. The surface of such shoots is covered with neat, resinous scales. They smell strongly of needles and have a bitter taste.

To start making honey, you need to collect the kidneys. This is done in May. Remove them manually or use scissors, do it with gloves, since the kidneys are too resinous and sticky.

Important! Opened buds that have grown in growth are not suitable for making honey. Their useful properties are reduced, as consumed by wood.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Rinse the collected raw materials in water several times to separate dust or mote trapped on the kidneys.
2. Fill with water in the ratio 1: 1 and put on fire.
3. Cook for 20 minutes.
4. Cool and leave to insist during the day.
5. Filter the finished coniferous infusion through a sieve or gauze.
6. Combine it with sugar in a ratio of 1: 2 and boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour until thick.
7. Store the mixture in the refrigerator. You can eat the product for 1 tbsp. spoon three times a day half an hour before meals.
8. Honey is added to tea or dissolved in water.

From the resin

Resin of conifers has been used for centuries to heal wounds. The tree “applies” it in the same way. The substance formed in the pine cells is sent through the ducts to the injured area, rinses and seals the wound, exerting an antimicrobial effect.

Therefore, collecting gum, it is not necessary to interfere with the efforts of the tree to heal damage and take the resin that is below the wound. The collection is carried out in the warm season, when the resin is softer and easier to separate.Zhivitsa is dissolved in oils and alcohols. Therefore, it is used in the form of ointment externally.

To prepare the product:

1. Heat the resin in a double boiler and combine with oil. To do this, you need 50 g of resin and 100 g of oil.
2. Strain the mixture through a filter. Honey may be added to the composition.
3. Store the product in a cool, dark place.

Another use of gum is a combination of grounded to a state of powder resin with any honey in a ratio of 1% resin and 99% honey. The product is taken orally for the treatment of pulmonary, colds and gastrointestinal diseases.

Of young shoots

To make such honey, you need pine buds or the tips of the shoots. They are washed and soaked in water for 10 minutes. This is enough to clear them of insects. Flip into a colander and rinse with running water.

Did you know? The Russian name "resin" is due to the scope of this useful resin: for wound healing and reduce inflammatory processes. As a result of this, a person got the opportunity to recover and live on.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Pour the raw material with clean water so that it is 2 cm higher than the shoots. But you need to measure this distance while there is no water in the pan, since light shoots will float to the surface.
2. Put on the fire and after boiling simmer another 30 minutes.
3. Then remove the pan from the heat and leave to insist for 10-12 hours.
4. Water will draw from the shoots all vitamins and substances useful to humans. When the broth is ready, strain it.
5. Add sugar to the resulting green liquid. The ratio of ingredients will be 1: 1.
6. Put the mixture on medium heat. After boiling, cook on low heat for 1-2 hours.
7. During cooking, the syrup will foam, so the foam must be removed with a slotted spoon.
8. While honey is boiling, prepare sterile jars.
9. Pour the final product there and close the lids.

The product has a pleasant pine tarry aroma and a slightly bitter taste. If lemon juice is added to the composition, then it acquires a pleasant golden hue. Store cooled cans in the refrigerator. Use the product for 1 tablespoon for an adult and 1 dessert spoon for a teenager in the treatment of bronchopulmonary diseases, airborne infections, colds.

How to use

Each product, even one that is made from natural raw materials, should be consumed in recommended amounts. In this case, it will be beneficial, and its excess will not be able to harm. Nutritionists do not recommend giving honey to children under 5 years old. The product may provoke an allergic reaction.

For an adult, the daily allowable dose is 1 tablespoon. It is taken half an hour before meals. You can divide the daily dose several times, but without increasing the volume. If jam was prepared from cones, then you can afford 2-3 tbsp. spoons. They are dissolved in a glass of warm water or washed down. To enhance the beneficial properties, the product is added to tea, mixed with lemon or ginger.

Contraindications

Pine products are safe for oral use at recommended doses. If you use ointments externally, then you can apply them for 6 weeks. Then it is recommended to take a break.

• Presumably in large quantities, pine honey can:
• increase the risk of bleeding in people with pathologies of the circulatory system;
• worsen the liver in patients with hepatitis;
• slow down blood coagulation, which is extremely undesirable before surgery;
• increase blood sugar.

Therefore, those who have the above pathologies, before using the product, you must always consult a doctor. These are not contraindications for use, but situations requiring control by a specialist.Side effects depend not only on the dose, but also on the individual intolerance of the product. And if the resulting harmful effect exceeds the benefits that honey brings to the body, then it should not be consumed.

In addition, there is no confirmed scientific evidence on the effect of such products on the body of a pregnant woman or a nursing mother. Therefore, it is advisable for them to refrain from drinking if pine honey was not included in their diet before pregnancy.

Making honey from pine cones, shoots or needles will be a useful addition to your daily diet and a natural product that protects the body from infections. This is especially important in the fall and spring, when the body lacks vitamins and is more susceptible to virus attacks.