Investigating the therapeutic role of honey in history (review)

Honey, as one of the most important medicinal products of bees, has been important content in many tribes and religions since the past. In eastern traditional medicine, such as that which flourished in Iran, China, and India, the features of healing wounds, curing digestive diseases, increasing energy, and strengthening the body's powers, etc., have been mentioned from honey. Also, various tribes such as Maya in South America, Greece and ancient Egypt and other nations have mentioned honey as a sweetener, treatment and even a tribute and a material for economic trade, which shows the value of this bee product.

In this study, which is a library and review, the therapeutic role of honey based on the data from scientific sources has been investigated.

In general, it can be said that honey is mentioned as a healing substance with the ability to treat various diseases that mentioned in all historical sources, including religious and scientific texts. Also, in some Eastern or Western religious sources, honey or bees are mentioned as valuable and sacred substances.

It has been confirmed in the sources of traditional medicine and religious texts that honey, as the oldest and most widely used product of this valuable insect, has been of interest in the field of food and medicine. In this research, the medicinal and historical aspects of honey in different nations and ethnic groups have been discussed.