Sweet, golden, glistening, sumptuous honey, the Ancient Egyptians first domesticated honeybees and artificial hives in 2500 B.C. Honey’s aphrodisiac qualities date back through history. Many medicines in Ancient Egyptian times were based on honey, including cures for sterility and impotence.
The lure of honey is so interesting. One of my favorite stories involves the use of honey mead, an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey, which was first brewed more than 4000 years ago in Babylon.
In Ancient Persia, newly wed couples were expected to partake of the mead everyday for one month, hence the term “honeymoon.” If 9 months after this honeymoon, the wife gave birth to a bay boy, the maker of the honey mead must be congratulated.
Honey mead was believed to increase fertility and sex drive and decrease sexual anxieties. There is some nutritional truth to this, honey and therefore honey mead are rich in many nutrients, B vitamins that help maintain reproductive health. Amino acids that are the building blocks of protein, which increase fertility and nitric oxide, which is good for male sexual health.
The production of honey is really quite amazing. A strong bee hive contains one mature queen, a few hundred male drones and some 20,000 female workers. For every pound of honey taken to market, eight pounds are used by the hive in its everyday activities. The total flight path required for a bee to gather enough nectar for this pound of surplus has been estimated at three orbits around the earth. Sadly, one bee doesn’t have that long of a life span. On average, a single bee will only contribute a small fraction of an ounce of honey to hive.
Honey can add a distinct flavor to your dishes, so use it as a replacement for sugar in your favorite recipes or enjoy it in a cup of tea with your loved one.
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