Typically, honey is created when bees harvest nectar from flowers. But not all honey is floral honey.
A special variety of honey is formed when bees harvest honeydew from trees, as opposed to nectar from blossoms. Honeydew itself is a nutrient rich liquid on bark and leaves created by tree bugs, such as aphids, from sap. In sum, honeydew honey is the result of a beautiful and natural collaboration.
Given that honeydew and nectar do not share the same biochemical composition, the honeys they yield also differ greatly in nutrition and health promoting benefits, with honeydew honey offering amino acids, vitamins, and minerals not found in traditional floral honey.
What is oak honeydew honey?
Floral honey offers a variety of flavors and benefits depending on its source: from the healing properties of bitter strawberry tree honey, to the throat soothing properties of wild thistle honey, to the pure sweet flavor of clover honey.
Like floral honey, honeydew honey also offers variety dependent upon which type of tree sap the honeydew is derived from (e.g. fir trees, pine trees, oak trees, etc.) – each offering a unique flavor and mineral composition.
On the uncontaminated island of Sardinia, for example, oak honeydew honey is created when wild bees harvest honeydew specifically from ancient quercia (oak) trees – renowned by one of the world’s longest living populations for its tremendous longevity-fueling properties.
What are the health benefits of raw and organic honey made from honeydew?
Raw and organic oak tree honeydew honey is noted for its numerous health benefits. For example:
- lower & more complex sugar content
- rich source of essential minerals & amino acids
- antiseptic & antibacterial properties
- antioxidant effects
Honeydew honey has a lower & more complex sugar content than floral honey
Oligosaccharides (complex sugars) make up a larger percentage of the overall sugar found in honeydew honey as compared with flower honey. Furthermore, the total content of sugar and calories in oak honeydew honey is lower than its traditional nectar-based counterparts.
Honeydew honey is a rich source of essential minerals & amino acids
Raw honey made from the honeydew of oak trees offers levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and iron not found in any floral honey. Vitamins A, C, and B (B1, B6, B12) are also found in oak honeydew honey.
Complementing its source of minerals, oak honeydew honey also consists of several essential amino acids – another fact that distinguishes it from nectar-based honeys.
Honeydew honey has antiseptic & antibacterial properties
Like floral honey, honeydew honey is a natural antiseptic with antimicrobial properties. Of note are the elevated levels of glucose oxidase in honeydew honey, which exceed those found in manuka honey. As such, oak tree honeydew honey has been used by locals (for example in Sardinia) to disinfect skin wounds and treat sore throats since ancient times.
Honeydew honey contains health promoting antioxidants
Honeydew honey is higher in the antioxidant, polyphenol, than traditional honey. The consumption of antioxidants, particularly polyphenol, has been linked with reduced rates of heart disease and certain cancers.
What does raw, organic, and wild oak honeydew honey taste like?
A dark rich amber-brown, oak honeydew honey offers a unique flavor in the kitchen.
A slightly bitter, woody taste with reminisce of cocoa, chicory, and fresh walnuts.
How do I eat oak honeydew honey? What does honeydew honey pair well with?
Due to its slightly bitter, nutty flavor and lower sugar content, honeydew honey lends itself perfectly:
- At breakfast, drizzled over toasted cereals.
- As an appetizer, served with Crispy Pane Carasau and light soft cheeses.
- In a marinade calling for brown sugar or maple syrup.
- As a snack, melted in warm milk with a hint of cinnamon or turmeric.
- As dessert, swirled in a small cup of fresh ricotta cheese with crushed walnuts.
Where can I buy organic and raw oak honeydew honey online?
Not all honey is created equal…. or treated equal!
When selecting honeydew honey consider both the source and the processing.
Think: RAW, WILD, ORGANIC. Choose raw honey, collected from wild bees harvesting honeydew from organic oak trees. Doing so will ensure that the maximum amount of nutrients and health promoting benefits remain present in the end-product, as well as the absence of harmful pesticides and chemicals.
Check out The Longevity Shop at nuraxilife.com for raw Oak Honeydew Honey collected from wild honeybees near indigenous, organic, and ancient Sardinian oak trees.
Calories in honeydew honey: Nutritional information for oak honeydew honey
The calories in all forms of floral honey remain, more or less, identical. However, the calorie, sugar, and mineral content do vary between floral vs honeydew honey.
20 grams of oak honeydew honey (1 tablespoon) contains less sugar and fewer calories as compared with traditional honey made from flower nectar:
Calories: 56 calories (vs 64 calories in traditional honey)
Fat: 0 grams
Carbs: 14 grams (vs 17 grams in traditional honey)
Sugar: 14 grams (vs 17 grams in traditional honey)
Protein: 0 grams