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Honey and Warm water good or bad ? Ayurvedic Facts

Hi, today we are back with another article on things we see or hear about Ayurveda in Daily life. So, you might have heard about Honey and it’s effects on immunity and weight loss, when mixed with warm water. Many advertisements are shown in social media regarding it. Now the question is, Has Ayurveda said the same thing?? So, in Today’s article we will decode it together.

Let’s proceed with Qualities of Honey :-

Properties of Honey:-

In Ayurveda specifically in Nighantus; 8 (eight) types of Madhu (Sanskrit name of Honey) are told along with their properties. If you wish you can read them in detail. Please Click here. In this article we will let you know common properties of all types of Madhu, which are as follows:-

  • Cold
  • Light
  • Dry
  • Sweet
  • Vishada
  • Kapha – Pitta nashak
  • Vata janak in small amount
  • Good for vocal cord
  • Good for eyes
  • Helps in controlling loose motions, vomiting
  • Helps in digestion of undigested food
  • Lekhan karma
  • Helps in curing signs of inflammation.
  • Useful in cough, Asthma, excessive thirst, hicupps
  • Good for memory
  • Good for male power
  • Helps in skin problems
  • Useful in piles
  • Useful in Diabetes, tuberculosis, plural infusion
  • Treats intestinal worms (Krimi nashak)
  • Has mood lifting properties
  • Good for heart

New and old:-

  • New honey :- helps in Weight Gain
  • Old honey ( more than 1 year ) :- helps in Weight Loss

It has so many qualities, but has Ayurveda mentioned the qualities of honey mixed with warm water ??? Before we proceed with this, let us see effects of Heat on Honey.

Relation of Honey and Heat:-

Honey when heated is equal to poison for humans –

उष्णैः सहोष्णकाले वा स्वयमुष्णमथापि वा। आर्तं मधु मनुष्याणां विषवत्तापदायकम् ।।

One should not intake Madhu (Honey) with hot things. Not even in summers. Because during this time, it is equal to poison for humans.
Honey and heat
Even in Dhanvantari Nighantu it’s told that Madhu should not be taken in a disease caused due to heat/ pitta.

Reason-

विषपुष्पादपि रसं सविषा भ्रमरादयः । गृहीत्वा मधु कुर्वन्ति तच्छीतं गुणवन्मधु ।। विशेषाच्छीतना ओ शैये नष्टे विषं हि तत्।।

Bees are poisonous. They take nectar from poisonous flowers. Poison when comes in contact with other poison, it increases it’s toxicity but when madhu looses it’s cold nature it becomes poisionous.

Modern perspective on this:-

  • Heating honey upto 37°C (98.6 F) causes loss of nearly 200 components, part of which are antibacterial.
  • On heating upto 40°C (104 F), destroys invertase, an important enzyme that makes it taste bitter.
  • Heating upto 50°C (122 F) for more than 48 hrs, turns the honey into caramel (the most valuable honey sugars become analogous to sugar).
  • If heated for a temperature higher than 140 degrees F for more than 2 hours, it will cause rapid degradation.
  • Heating it for higher than 160° F for any time period will cause rapid degradation and caramelization.

Loss of properties-

  • Loss of antioxidant properties
  • There was a significant rise in Hydroxymethyl furfuraldehyde (HMF) in 60º C and 140°C heated honey samples.
  • Loss of antimicrobial and antibacterial capabilities.

After reading this, i won’t be heating honey any longer. Hope you will also not do the same. [Check out how Honey chilli potato and other recipes use honey by heating it.]

Now let us see what Ayurveda says about Honey and water.

Honey and water according to Ayurveda:-

Finally we are here and the answer to question is Yes!! Yes, Honey and water reduces weight. It is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts.

प्रातर्मधुयुतं वारि सेवितं स्थौल्यनाशनम् । उष्णमन्नस्य मण्डञ्च पिबन् कृशतनुर्भवेत् ॥

Drink of Madhu mixed with water, reduces Weight. (Should be taken in the morning.)

Honey shouldn’t be mixed with rain water or purified RO water.

तत्सोकुमार्याच्च तथैव सेव्यं वनौषधीनां रससम्भवाच्च । उष्णैविरुध्येत विशेषतस्तु तथाऽऽन्तरिक्षेण जलेन वाऽपि ॥

Because madhu is made from nectar of flowers, so it is soft in nature, which makes it intolerant to heat and fresh rain water.

but one thing should be kept in mind that ‘warm water isn’t mentioned‘. There are some other alternative ways of having madhu with water which gives you better results and do not harm your body in any way, like:-

शीतीभूतं तथोष्णाम्बु मेदोहृत्क्षौद्रसंयुतम् ।।

Having honey mixed with water (made cool after heating it) helps in reducing weight. Same can be done with Triphala kwatha.

Other way is Madhu paka vidhi, so let’s have a view on that too.

Madhu paka Vidhi :-

क्षौद्रस्य पाके चाष्टांशे नवमांशं जलं क्षिपेत् । दुर्भासे मूत्रसंयुक्तं स्थौल्ये तु त्रिफलारसम्’ ।। रोपणे क्षीरसंयुक्तं शोधने रजनीरसम् । सर्वरोगेषु पानीयं दत्वा मृद्वग्निना पचेत् ।। क्षिप्तं जले निमग्नं स्यादथवा पिच्छिलं भवेत् । वस्त्रे दय विलेपीति मधुपाकस्य लक्षणम् ॥

Take 1/8 part of honey and 1 part of water. Now heat it. When the honey settles down, becomes sticky, and starts getting stick to the spoon or vessel in which it’s being heated. This shows that madhu paka is completed successfully.

Alternative ways of Madhu paka :-

In Madhu paka vidhi, instead of water we can use the following for better results :-

Summary :-

  • You should never heat/ warm honey.
  • Honey should not be mixed with rain water
  • Yes, honey and water reduces weight
    • Water should be heated and made cool before adding madhu.
    • By Madhu paka Vidhi. (mentioned above)

You liked it? Or have some questions or views regarding this, let us know in comments. 👍

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