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What are the Health Benefits of Buckwheat Honey?
Buckwheat honey is a dark-colored honey that is sweet and delicious, with a distinctive spicy-malt flavor and an aftertaste that is reminiscent of molasses. With a range of vitamins and minerals, as well as polyphenols antioxidants, honey made from buckwheat flowers has many health benefits, too. In fact, this type of honey is now recommended for children under six years of age as a healthier alternative to cough syrup.
One of the main health benefits of buckwheat honey is related to the honey’s dark color. It has been established that dark honeys are generally richer in antioxidants than lighter colored honeys. This is because the antioxidants that are present in honey are one of the chemicals which give it color. Honey made from buckwheat flowers contains a type of antioxidant called polyphenol, which gives the honey its distinctive dark copper color.
Darker honeys such as buckwheat also tend to contain more vitamins and minerals in addition to antioxidants. Buckwheat honey is a minor source of eighteen amino acids. This type of honey also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can hasten wound healing and may even reduce scarring.
One of the factors that gives honey made from buckwheat some of its nutritional benefits is that it is a monofloral honey. This means that the honey is entirely made from buckwheat flowers, and is not blended with other types of honey that may contain fewer antioxidants or other nutrients. Raw honey may be even more beneficial, as some of the honey’s nutrients may be destroyed when it is heated during processing.
Particularly for children under six, one of the most important buckwheat honey health benefits is that this type of honey is a safer and more effective cough suppressant as compared to over-the-counter cough syrups. Children who are given a small dose of buckwheat honey before bed cough less and sleep better than children given a dose of cough syrup. Additionally, many parents report that if they give their children the honey as a cough suppressant, parents themselves sleep better too, because their children’s sleep is more restful.
Dark colored honeys are noted to be more effective in this role than lighter honeys, due to their higher antioxidant and nutrient content. In addition to these nutrients, the texture of honey also makes it a more effective cough suppressant than over-the-counter syrups. Honey is stickier and is much more viscous, which helps soothe the throat and suppress the coughing reflex. It should be noted that pediatricians say that children under one year of age should never be given honey of any kind, due to the risk that botulism spores may be present. If these spores are present in honey, they can be harmful to very young children.
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![Buckwheat honey is known for its dark color and spicy-malt taste.]()
By: TombakyBuckwheat honey is known for its dark color and spicy-malt taste. -
![Honey made from the buckwheat flower has many health benefits.]()
By: VidadyHoney made from the buckwheat flower has many health benefits. -
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![Buckwheat honey may be used as a cough suppressant.]()
By: hartphotographyBuckwheat honey may be used as a cough suppressant. -
![Buckwheat honey is used as a cough suppressant to allow sleep.]()
By: Anna KhomuloBuckwheat honey is used as a cough suppressant to allow sleep.
Discussion Comments
Should it be hard or runny? I bought a bottle at Loblaws and it is not the usual honey consistency.
There is nothing about the odor or flavor here. I just bought some last week because my nurse recommended it for my sore throat. When I got it home and mixed it with lemon and water, the aroma reminded me of being in an open cow pasture. The flavor was very unlike the honey I grew up (bear-bottle honey) with. Anyway, I was planning on taking it back today, but wanted to do a bit more research.
I am on a wheat free diet. Is buckwheat syrup a wheat product?
I own an online store and our main specialty is local (So. California) raw unheated, unprocessed, unfiltered honey.
I agree with a comment by CopperPipe that you should always stick to local honey. A lot of low quality, often times adulterated, honey is being brought from China and other countries. Some honey packers advertise it as raw while it has been processed at 125-140 degrees. This is not raw honey! Yes, true raw honey, especially if it is local will cost more, but you get all the wonderful benefits of it.
To eliminate all the concerns regarding the temperature at which our honey has been bottled, we decided to go with raw, absolutely unheated honey. We work with local beekeepers and made special arrangements with our packer. It cost us more to pack it, and it is pricier for our customers but they know they are getting the best quality honey. Please, do not put your raw honey in hot tea, or don't cook with it, as the high temperature destroys a lot of valuable nutrients. Find your local beekeeper and buy from him. Make sure you deal with a producer, not an importer. Thank you, Anna
I love using buckwheat honey for cooking, but my favorite buckwheat honey recipe has to be a Honey Cake.
It's really easy to make. You just take a cup of self-rising flour and mix it with a half a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of cinnamon, two tablespoons of sugar, four ounces of softened butter, a tablespoon of water, two beaten eggs, and four tablespoons of buckwheat honey.
Mix them all together until you get a pretty smooth consistency, then put the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan. You should bake it in a 375 F oven for thirty minutes until it gets springy and brown on the top.
That's my all time favorite recipe for a simple honey cake -- there are a lot more difficult recipes (some even include tea leaves!), but this one will get you started off right.
I think it's really important to remind people to check the source of their honey. When you're buying buckwheat honey, or any food, for that matter, you really should try to buy as locally as you can.
It's not only better for the local economy and the bee-keepers, but it's better for your health too, since you get the honey in a fresher condition.
Another important thing to remember is to only buy from responsibly sourced brands -- honey is an industry like any other kind of food, and there are some very unscrupulous companies that put their bees through a lot just to get the honey.
The sad thing about that is that they really don't need to -- there are much less harmful ways of getting honey, but it just takes a little longer.
So next time you're buying your buckwheat raw honey, take a little time to check up on the producer and source of the honey. You might be surprised what kind of information you come up with.
I got turned on to using organic buckwheat honey a few years ago from a friend who works at a health food store, and I'm really addicted to it now. I use raw buckwheat honey whenever I'm making tea with honey and lemon, or to put on top of my oatmeal.
I don't cook a lot, but I know a lot of people who buy buckwheat honey just for use in recipes. They say that it gives their food a much richer taste than you get with a syrup or even a lighter honey.
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