Fingers in the Honeypot...?

Honey is one of the sugars that is advertised as being healthy and nutritious... and yes, it is!
it has the properties of a slight antibiotic, antimicrobial and antioxidant.
The best honey is of course the one that is harvested straight from the beehive, still has some of the resins contained in propolis- bee-glue- sticking to it and has not yet been subjected to artificial heat and centrifuges.
Propolis is a substance bees use to protect the hive from bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Partly  it is made from plants and part of it are secretions from the bees itselves.The medicinal properties of propolis are antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial also for humans. Some research state that propolis has anti-cancer / anti-tumor properties.
The quality of honey depends also on the pollen from which it originated. If the bees collected the pollen from Thyme or Eucalyptus flowers the honey will have some of the medicinal properties of those plants integrated in it.
If the honey is heated those properties are lost!
For irritating dry cough at night, try buckwheat (cosemet) honey; it will give almost instant relief and sleep will be not far behind.
Tests are conducted and found safe for children at the age of two and of course for older individuals.
Infants below the age of two should not be given honey since the risk of infantile botulism (caused by Clostridium botulinum) is a great concern at this age (until further notice!).
How to improve your honey and make it tasty as well as medicinal.
Here are a few tips:
Cover completely with honey:
Thyme sprigs  or/and
Rosemary sprigs or/and
Eucalyptus leaves- young ones- or/and
Lemon grass leaves or/and
Lavender flowers and leaves or/and
Rose petals or/and
any other leave or plant you fancy.
Leave the plant/s covered in honey for a couple of weeks in a shady place until the honey has the taste and smell of the individual plants you have infused in it. Have a teaspoon of this honey 1-3 x daily in a tea or simply lick it from the spoon. Yummi!

Thyme strengthens the immune system and helps digestion too
Rosemary is a great antioxidant (see article about Rosemary)
Eucalyptus is a great plant for respiratory complaints
Lemon grass is a good  aid against the common cold and pneumonia as tea, helps digestion and can reduce fever
Lavender calms and has antimcrobial properties, is anti-inflammatory and good for wounds.
Rose petals are used for cosmetic, are also good for female complaints and taste good!

There are may more plants and spices that can enrich the flavor of honey, i.e. cinnamon, ginger, radish, onion.

Cover an onion or radish in honey, leave in a jar overnight; the next day take a teaspoon of the juice 3x daily as a great cough medicine.
Doesn't sound like much but it is tasty!
A great Aryuvedic recipe for any upper respiratory complaint including asthma prevention is the following:
Mix
1/2 glass of hot water and
1 teapsoon/ or more of freshly grated ginger infused in it.
Add
1/2 glass of fresh lemon or lime juice
1 tablesoon of honey

Drink this mixture hot or cold first thing in the morning!