Milk thistle honey: what it looks like and composition, useful properties and contraindications

Milk thistle, or Mary's thistle, is a herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family. It has many useful properties. Therefore, honey from the milk thistle plant is considered very valuable for the body. This product is quite rare, so getting natural nectar is not so easy. It is important to consider that it must have a viscous homogeneous consistency and persistent floral aroma.

Appearance of milk thistle honey

Milky thistle honey is quite rare, because the bees are not too fond of this plant. To buy a natural product, you need to know how it looks. Real honey should have a fairly thick and viscous consistency.

As for the color, it is most often close to a light shade of yellow. Depending on the area and growing conditions, the shade may be light yellow or dark amber.

The taste of Mary thistle honey should be pronounced and sweet. After using the product, a persistent aftertaste is felt. The fragrance is reminiscent of a regular honey smell, but it has a tart note.

Honey from this plant is characterized by fairly rapid crystallization. After sugaring, the product is easy to consume. It contains soft particles that break easily.

Chemical composition

Milk thistle honey contains the following ingredients:

fructose, glucose and sucrose;
water;
dextrin - is a decomposition product of starch;
organic acids - affect the acidity of the product;
micronutrients - this category includes selenium, zinc, iodine, boron, chromium;
macronutrients - these include potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron;
vitamins B, E, K, D;
carotenoids;
essential oils.

Useful properties

Milky thistle honey is considered one of the most valuable varieties. Thanks to its use, it is possible to achieve a number of beneficial effects:

Improve liver function. This product helps with inflammation of the liver and bile ducts. The substance has hepatoprotective properties, avoids the destruction of the organ and accelerates its recovery. It is permissible to use the product to restore normal bile synthesis.
Improve hepatitis C. Milk thistle honey is not a medicine that helps to eliminate this dangerous viral disease. At the same time, in the initial stages of the pathology, the product helps to stop the reproduction of pathogens and alleviate symptoms.
Strengthen the body when the immune system is weakened and vitamin deficiency. The product helps to recover from a long illness and prevent viral infections.
Improve the functioning of the nervous system. The product of beekeeping is useful for stress, unstable emotional state and sleep disorders. Honey contains quercetin, which has a calming effect. In addition, this variety helps to improve brain function and avoid the development of complex neurological pathologies.
Normalize metabolism and digestive functions. A small amount of honey is recommended to eat with a tendency to constipation, slowing down the digestion of food and intestinal cramps.The product stimulates the absorption of useful elements that come with food, and cleanses the body of accumulated toxins.
Reduce joint pain. The bee product has pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it can be used for arthritis, arthrosis, rheumatism. The composition eliminates pain and helps to get rid of local swelling.

Bee product especially beneficial for women.

Its systematic use has a positive effect on appearance and helps slow down the aging process.

Milk thistle honey is useful for the following disorders:

blood pathology - the substance increases the number of platelets in the blood plasma;
violation of metabolic processes;
pathology of the liver and gallbladder - the substance helps to improve the outflow of bile and strengthen the protective functions of the liver;
disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system - the composition helps to cope with insomnia and increased anxiety;
hemorrhoids;
sciatica and other joint pains.

Traditional medicine

For a general strengthening effect and treatment of internal organs, it is important to adhere to the dosage. At the same time, adults are recommended to consume 1-2 tablespoons of honey, and children over 3 years old - 1-1.5 teaspoons.

Bee nectar can be consumed neat or added to tea or warm milk.

To make the use of the remedy more effective, its reception should be divided into several identical parts.

For the liver

Milk thistle honey helps protect, heal and restore the liver in various diseases. These include liver failure, cirrhosis, hepatitis. In this case, the product can be combined with water, tea, milk. It is also acceptable to use it in its natural form.

For joints

To cope with sore joints, you can make honey lotions. To do this, it is recommended to take 1-2 small spoons of honey, apply to the problem area and wrap with a warm cloth for 20 minutes.

Use in cosmetology

In cosmetology, honey is used to solve such problems:

To improve hair growth. In this case, you need to heat 2-3 tablespoons of the product to +40 degrees. It is advisable to use a steam bath for this. The finished composition must be applied to the scalp and put on a plastic shower cap, wrap with a towel. After half an hour, the composition must be washed off. It is recommended to carry out the procedure daily for 10 days.
To eliminate acne, mimic and age wrinkles. In this case, you need to take 1-2 tablespoons of honey and evenly distribute over the face. After 20 minutes, wash off the mask with warm water.
For a massage. The right amount of the substance must be applied to the body and slowly rubbed into the skin. When the shade of honey becomes grayish, it must be washed off.

Contraindications and harm

Milk thistle honey brings not only benefits, but also harm. It needs to be taken very carefully, and in case of certain diseases, you will have to completely abandon the product.

The main restrictions include the following:

allergic reactions to bee products;
exacerbation of cholelithiasis;
pregnancy;
diabetes mellitus;
chronic neurological pathologies;
complex diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
shortness of breath;
bronchial asthma.

During a liver cleanse, milk thistle honey causes side effects such as pain and diarrhea. If such symptoms are present for more than 2 days, you should stop using the remedy.

If a person has gallstone disease, it is required to start using the remedy with small doses. Also, milk thistle should not be used for mental disorders - in particular, for epilepsy or depression.

In rare cases, the product provokes a violation of the heart valve. This is observed when a person has diseases of the heart and blood vessels. This is due to the high content of phosphorus and calcium in the plant.

Honey should not be given to children under 2 years of age. It is strictly forbidden to eat treats during breastfeeding. In this case, the child may develop a serious allergy.

Selection rules and storage features

Rare varieties of bee products are often replaced with cheaper varieties.Many beekeepers give the bees sugar syrup or add impurities to the fresh product. These include, in particular, flour, starch, molasses. To identify a natural product, you should pay attention to the following features:

because milk thistle honey is considered very rare, it is quite expensive;
natural milk thistle honey has a sweet-sugary taste, a slight floral smell with tart notes, a light yellow or dark amber hue;
reaction to iodine solution helps to identify starch.

Store milk thistle honey in a dry and dark place. The optimum temperature regime is + 5-20 degrees. Glass jars are best suited for this purpose. At the same time, it is impossible to keep the beekeeping product in metal containers. This provokes the release of toxic substances.

Milk thistle honey is considered a very tasty and he althy product that has a complex effect on the body. In order for the composition to bring only benefits to the body, it is important to use it correctly, strictly observing the dosage.