Pharmacognosy of Honey

                                                                               Honey
Family: Apidae
Biological source:
Honey is the saccharine liquid prepared from the nectar of the flowers by the hive-bee Apis mellifica and bees of other species of Apis.

Geographical source:
Honey is produces in certain parts of West Indies, California, Chile, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand and also in India.
Preparation:
Nectar of the flowers is mainly watery solution of sucrose and contains about 25% sucrose and 75% water. The worker bee sucks the nectar by means of a long hollow tube of the mouth (proboscis). The saliva of the bee contains enzyme invertase. Sucrose along with invertase goes to the honey sac, which is located in the abdomen of the bee and is hydrolyzed by invertase into invert sugar. Some invert sugar is utilized by the bee for its nutrition.
The bee reaches the honeycomb and regurgitates the remaining invert sugar and deposits it into a special cell prepared earlier. In the next three days at the temperature of honeycomb, invert sugar is converted into honey and then water is lost by evaporation and in this process, honey contains about 80% invert sugar and 20% water.
When the honey cell is completely filled, the bee closes it by a cap of wax. Collection is made by means of sharp knife previously immersed in hot water. The wax cap is removed and honey is separated by keeping hive-comb in a centrifuge. Sometimes honey is separated by means of pressure. By this method honey comb breaks and wax finds its way in honey as in impurity.
Description:
(i) Honey is viscid, translucent, and white to pale yellow or yellow brown- coloured liquid. On keeping it crystals of glucose separate. Odour is pleasant and characteristic and taste is sweet.
(ii) The odour and taste depend on the flowers from which nectar is sucked.
(iii) Specific rotation of honey is +3° to -10° and total ash 0.1 to 0.8%.
Chemical constituents:
(i) Honey consists chiefly a mixture of dextrose and laevulose (70-80%) and water (14-20%). contains sucrose (1.2-4.5),
(ii) Dextrin (0.06-1.25%), volatile oil, pollen grains enzymes
(iii) Vitamins
(iv) Amino acids
(v) Proteins
(vi)Colouring matters, etc.
Uses:
1. Honey is used as nutritive.
2. Demulcent
3. Mild laxative.
4. It is used as an important component of linctuses and cough mixtures.
5. It is a sweetening agent.
6. It is used as antiseptic and bactericidal.
7. This is also used as a vehicle in Ayurvedic and Unani preparations.
8. As a pill recipients
9. Recently, it is used in the preparation of creams, lotions, soft drink and candies also.
Adulterant: Artificial Invert sugar

Comments

  1. thehoneyshopindia19 November 2019 at 02:54

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  2. thehoneyshopindia14 May 2020 at 22:24

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