The curative power of honey has been known for thousands of years and many of the old remedies are still very effective.

Hippocrates advised eating honey if you wished to live a long life and Democritus is said to have lived to the age of 109 with the aid of honey.

According to Plutarch, the longevity of the Ancient Britons was entirely due to the amount of honey they consumed. He wrote: ‘These Britons only begin to grow old at one hundred and twenty years of age…’ And it is no myth that the bee-keepers of Azerbaijan in the Caucasus live to a 100 and even 150 years. During the Middle Ages, honey was used to treat boils, wounds, ulcers and burns. Sword cuts were dressed with honey and cobwebs. Honey was used throughout history, not only for its curative but also for its restorative power.

RAF pilots were given honey during the Battle of Britain to help them bear the strain of frequent flying. Honey was given to Greek athletes of the past, and is still given to athletes of today. Because the glucose it contains does not need to be digested but passes directly into the bloodstream, it is the ideal pick-me-up to take during strenuous exercise.

Honey is pure, soothing, non-irritant, safe, comparatively cheap and antiseptic; no bacteria can survive in it. It is a gentle laxative, is effective for dressings burns and abrasions; for treating cuts and bruises; for respiratory problems and diseases of the lungs. It soothes a cough and eases a sore throat.

It helps to keep the heart healthy. Many of the following remedies are easy to make, pleasant to use and cost very little.

They can be kept for a limited time in a cool place such as a shelf in the fridge.

Some will keep well on the kitchen shelf or in the bathroom. The honey content in them prevents them from going bad.