Coriander honey is produced by honey bees harvesting and processing the nectar from the cilantro plant, more commonly known as coriander.Usually, the seeds of the plant are referred to as “coriander”, while the plant is called “cilantro”. Despite this, people often confuse and say coriander to describe the whole plant and its produce.
Coriander Honey
The moment the honey bee collects the coriander (cilantro) nectar, it is mixed with an enzyme within the bees mouth. The enzyme itself is known as invertase or the “bee enzyme” which is secreted from the bee’s glands. When the honey bees return to the hive, they will pass the coriander nectar they have collected between themselves further mixing the nectar with the “bee enzyme”.
This will reduce the water content converting the nectar into honey. They will then deposit the coriander honey into wax cells, but at this point, the water content may be too high. To reduce the water content, the honey bees will fan their wings above the wax cell, this, in turn, will evaporate some of the water.
Once they’ve finished the process, the coriander honey will have a water content roughly below 20%. It will then be capped, and the honey bees will repeat the process all over again.
Healing Wounds and Burns There has been positive effects of using raw honey on wounds & burns reported. Reducing The Duration of Diarrhoea According the NCBI consumption of raw honey has been shown to reduce the severity & duration of diarrhoea. Preventing Acid Reflux Research has shown that with honey lining the oesophagus and stomach, it actually can reduce the upward flow of undigested food and stomach acid. Fighting Infections Scientists in 2010 reported that honey through its protein (defensin-1) has the ability to kill bacteria. Relieving cold and cough symptoms Its been proven that honey may prove beneficial in relieving cold and cough symptoms. The World Health Organisation actually recommend honey as a natural cough remedy. Rich In Antioxidants High quality raw honey contains many helpful antioxidants. These include phenolic compounds like flavonoids and organic acids. Can Lower Triglycerides Triglycerides are associated with insulin resistance and are a major driver of type 2 diabetes. Multiple studies have linked regular honey consumption with lower triglyceride levels, especially when it is used to replace sugar. This is based on raw honey. Filtered or pasteurised honey will break down and diminish these benefits.
You should avoid coriander honey if you have any allergies that may make you sensitive to either honey or cilantro/coriander.If you have an allergy to bees and you are unsure if you will react to honey, you should consult with your doctor.
Furthermore, raw honey of any kind, including coriander honey, should never be given to a child under a year old.This is because raw honey can cause a rare but serious disease (Infant Botulism) caused by a specific type of bacteria.
When children are a year old or older, they usually have more robust immune systems, and the risk of eating raw honey is reduced.
The Vegan Society do not consider honey vegan, this includes cornflower honey. They believe that because some honey farmers replace honey with a sugar substitute when harvesting, it will naturally lack the essential micronutrients of honey, thus being detrimental to the honey bees.
Furthermore, they believe that in beekeeping, honey bees are specifically bred to increase productivity. Which they believe leads to a narrowing of the population gene pool and increases susceptibility to disease and large scale colony collapse.
They also believe that some beekeepers may cull their hives post-harvest and clip the queen bee’s wings to stop them from leaving to start a new colony. However, most beekeepers do not practice this method. Thus the Vegan Society does not consider honey vegan. That, of course, doesn’t stop some vegans from arguing it’s fine if they source their honey from reliable sources that do not practice the above.
