Say it with me………How did August come and go so quickly?
The evenings that arrive quicker than last month and the leaves already finding their resting place below the trees are a sure reminder that Autumn is around the corner. Soon we will be fishing out our most comfy and softest sweaters and smelling all those amazing fall scents.
And sneezing. Coughing. Scratchy throats. Yucky germs.
Yes, we all know what comes along with the change of seasons. Not only those wonderful fall allergies, but all the icky germs we are all too familiar with that seem to invite themselves into our homes, and bodies.
Besides practicing good hygiene habits, getting plenty of rest, fresh air and exercise, and of course proper nutrition, do you wonder what else you can do? Keeping your immune system supported is an easy task anyone can do. Pickup some local honey, elderberry syrup and propolis products to help ease in the change of seasons. Local honey not only helps with seasonal allergies but relieves that scratchy throat and quiets that tickly cough.
Here is an abstract from Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran
Department of Immunogenetics, BuAli Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Department of Neurosurgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Correspondence: Prof. Saeed Samarghandian, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical of Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran. E-mail: ri.ca.smum@snaidnahgramas
ABSTRACT
“Honey is one of the most appreciated and valued natural products introduced to humankind since ancient times. Honey is used not only as a nutritional product but also in health described in traditional medicine and as an alternative treatment for clinical conditions ranging from wound healing to cancer treatment. The aim of this review is to emphasize the ability of honey and its multitude in medicinal aspects. Traditionally, honey is used in the treatment of eye diseases, bronchial asthma, throat infections, tuberculosis, thirst, hiccups, fatigue, dizziness, hepatitis, constipation, worm infestation, piles, eczema, healing of ulcers, and wounds and used as a nutritious supplement. The ingredients of honey have been reported to exert antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancer, and antimetastatic effects. Many evidences suggest the use of honey in the control and treatment of wounds, diabetes mellitus, cancer, asthma, and also cardiovascular, neurological, and gastrointestinal diseases. Honey has a potential therapeutic role in the treatment of disease by phytochemical, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Flavonoids and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants, are two main bioactive molecules present in honey. According to modern scientific literature, honey may be useful and has protective effects for the treatment of various disease conditions such as diabetes mellitus, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems, even it is useful in cancer treatment because many types of antioxidant are present in honey. In conclusion, honey could be considered as a natural therapeutic agent for various medicinal purposes. Sufficient evidence exists recommending the use of honey in the management of disease conditions. Based on these facts, the use of honey in clinical wards is highly recommended.
WOW! Go honey!
We also make a delicious syrup in our commercial kitchen that has been used for centuries to boost your immune system. This is especially useful during the cold and flu season of the fall and winter months. With the kiddos heading back to school now is the time to share the great tasting syrup with the family. Enjoy it right off the spoon, in your water bottle, over oatmeal or yogurt and even on ice cream. The elderberry proves to be a functional food and we make a great tasting syrup. I mean, it’s kid approved!
The University of Sydney conducted a study on April, 23, 2019 . The study was conducted by Professor Fariba Deghani, Dr Golnoosh Torabian and Dr Peter Valtchev as part of the ARC Training Centre for the Australian Food Processing Industry that was established in the Faculty of Engineering and IT, the study showed that compounds from elderberries can directly inhibit the virus's entry and replication in human cells, and can help strengthen a person's immune response to the virus.
"What our study has shown is that the common elderberry has a potent direct antiviral effect against the flu virus," said Dr Golnoosh Torabian.
"It inhibits the early stages of an infection by blocking key viral proteins responsible for both the viral attachment and entry into the host cells."
The researchers used commercially farmed elderberries which were turned into a juice serum and were applied to cells before, during and after they had been infected with the influenza virus.
The phytochemicals from the elderberry juice were shown to be effective at stopping the virus infecting the cells, however to the surprise of the researchers they were even more effective at inhibiting viral propagation at later stages of the influenza cycle when the cells had already been infected with the virus.
"This observation was quite surprising and rather significant because blocking the viral cycle at several stages has a higher chance of inhibiting the viral infection," explained Dr Peter Valtchev.
"In addition to that, we identified that the elderberry solution also stimulated the cells to release certain cytokines, which are chemical messengers that the immune system uses for communication between different cell types to coordinate a more efficient response against the invading pathogen," said Centre Director, Professor Fariba Deghani.
The team also found that the elderberry's antiviral activity can be attributed to its anthocyanidin compounds -- phytonutrients responsible for giving the fruit its vivid purple colouring.
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