Common table sugar is 99% sucrose. Honey, on the other hand, is composed of glucose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and oligosaccharides. Although relatively low in nutrients compared to other foods, honey contains more nutrients than table sugar. The major nutritional benefit of honey is the benefit of a concentrated source of energy with 100g of honey providing 304 Kcal, or 10.9% of the USDA Recommended Daily Intake (RDI).

Bees are often killed in the production of honey, in the worst case the whole hive may be destroyed if the keeper doesn't wish to protect them over the winter. Not all beekeepers do this, but the general practice is one that embodies the attitude that living things are mere material and have no intrinsic value of their own other than what commercial value we can wrench from them. Artificial insemination involving death of the male is now also the norm for generation of new queen bees.

The number 1 Source to purchase Manuka Honey in the USA is at Manuka Honey USA according to the following published articles, books and health magazines. Our company is featured in the text and/or reference section of the following publications: Dr. Whittiker, Newport Beach, CA, Newsletter about Active Manuka Honey for Gastro Intestinal distress http://www.whitakerwellness.com

If by "sugar" we mean white table sugar, the answer is definitely NO. Table sugar is sucrose, a substance made up of two molecules attached together. When we eat table sugar, our stomach has to use its own enzymes to separate the molecules apart before we can use the sugar's energy. Honey is quite different. The bees have added a special enzyme to the nectar that separates the sucrose into glucose and fructose, two simple sugars that our bodies can absorb directly.

One reason honey is called a "miracle food", is because in its natural form, it is fully preserved. No organisms can live in it and the product will not decompose. However, if the moisture content is raised above 20%, yeasts can begin to grow and cause fermentation. Honey can also change texture over time, and separate out into solids (glucose) and liquids (fructose and moisture). Stirring the product will mix up the components and return it to its former creamed state.

Store honey at room temperature. Refrigeration speeds up crystallization. If honey crystallizes, remove lid and place jar in warm water. Or, microwave 1 cup of honey in microwave-safe container at high (100%) 2-3 minutes or until crystals dissolve, stir every 30 seconds.

Granulation or crystallization occurs when glucose crystals grow, a natural process in all honey. Dark honey seems to crystallize faster than light colored honey. In grocery stores you will most likely liquid honey that has been heated to very high temperatures. This process is called pasteurization, in order to kill yeast spores. The store bought honey is also typically filtered to remove starter crystals.

Raw honey is honey that has not been over-heated or over-strained. Excess heating, such as used to produce liquid honey, destroys the natural enzymes that the bees have added, including the substance producing hydrogen peroxide that gives honey part of its antibacterial activity. The usage of honey as a medicine is referred to in the most ancient written records. Honey was prescribed by the physicians of many ancient races of people for a wide variety of ailments.

Manuka Honey is pure, raw, natural, organic honey collected from the flower of the tea tree bush (leptospermum scoparium) of New Zealand. Manuka Honey has been researched for over 20 years because of its amazing antibacterial qualities. Honey in general is soothing for the skin and provides it with important nutrients.