16 replies to this topic

[mystery]

I've noticed an improvement in thinking speed (faster processing, and memory retreval), verbal fluency, conversationalism, mood, alertness, focus, learning, and auditory processing by taking a dose of honey in tea. I usually take about 1 tbsp and sometimes notice effects that last up to about 6 hours. I've tried a large number of nootropics and dietary supplements, and none of them come close; except maybe caffeine.

I don't think its just a suger high because I don't get the same effects from caffeine free soft drinks that contain lots of suger. I don't think it's just due to the high glucos content of honey because I've tried large doses of glucos mixed with tea, and don't get the same nootropic effects, though I do get some.

Additionally, I noticed that I do develop somewhat of a tolerance for it with a gradually subsiding effect if I take honey in tea often. Maybe it is just a glucos surger high, and my brain adapts? Can someone else give it a try and post your thoughts? I recommend 1/2 to 1 tbsp in tea on an empty stomach.

[dr_chaos]

Additionally, I noticed that I do develop somewhat of a tolerance for it with a gradually subsiding effect if I take honey in tea often. Maybe it is just a glucos surger high, and my brain adapts? Can someone else give it a try and post your thoughts? I recommend 1/2 to 1 tbsp in tea on an empty stomach.

Every morning, I drink tea with honey or coffee with milk and much sugar. I can't eat at that time, so I need something sweet to get me started. The caffeine helps as well.

[Bodhisattva]

i like honey

[Matt]

Honey,, yum yum :D

I tend to have a 2 tea spoons of 'Manuka Honey' everyday. I don't think it makes a huge spike in blood sugar anyway does it?

Apparently Manuka honey is quite beneficial to you if you look at the research.

[mitkat]

Honey,, yum yum :D

I tend to have a 2 tea spoons of 'Manuka Honey' everyday. I don't think it makes a huge spike in blood sugar anyway does it?

Apparently Manuka honey is quite beneficial to you if you look at the research.

I was enjoying Now! Foods Royal Jelly in honey product as long as the little tub lasted me...best of both worlds I figure! I didn't feel anything exception, but I rarely do from any supp.

[abelard lindsay]

FYI

Royal jelly and its unique fatty acid, 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid, promote neurogenesis by neural stem/progenitor cells in vitro.
Hattori N, Nomoto H, Fukumitsu H, Mishima S, Furukawa S.

Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University.

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) proliferate vigorously as neurospheres in medium containing basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), but start differentiating into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes in FGF-2-free medium. An extract of royal jelly (RJ) significantly increased the percentage in the total cell population of not only neurons immunoreactive for class III beta-tubulin (Tuj1) but also astrocytes immunoreactive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and oligodendrocytes immunoreactive for 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) generated from NSCs, but decreased that of nestin-positive NSCs. These results highlight a novel and outstanding property of the RJ, i.e., that it facilitates the differentiation of all types of brain cells (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes). On the other hand, 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid (HDEA), an unsaturated fatty acid characteristic of RJ, increased the generation of neurons and decreased that of astrocytes from NSCs. These observations suggest that RJ contains plural components that differently influence neuronal and/or glial lineages and that HDEA is one of such components of RJ that facilitates neurogenesis by NSCs.

PMID: 18000339 [PubMed - in process]

[synaesthetic]

Royal jelly was too taxing on my thyroid, it gave me a sore throat. Honey does seem like a good sugar... I tend to avoid sugar and refined carbs, maybe you do too, so perhaps adding that little bit of honey is the brain food you need.

[jeromewilson]

Not a lot of people know that Winnie the Pooh was actually a polymath.

[edward]

Raw honey is a source of simple carbohydrates. Its composition on average, is 17.1 percent water, 82.4 percent total carbohydrate and 0.5 percent proteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The average carbohydrate content is mainly fructose (38.5 percent) and glucose (31 percent). The remaining 12.9 percent of carbohydrates is made up of maltose, sucrose and other sugars.

Your brain needs glucose, derived from whatever source, sugars complex carbohydrates etc.... too much and you get glycation, hyperglycemia, eventual diabetes and syndrome x and of course aging...

I know personally that in my attempts to eat less refined sugar, there are times when studying or working on a complex problem when I feel the effects of my brain being starved for glucose, which is not good for thinking... but then again increasing my sugar or carbohydrate intake is not that good either....

Alas the great balancing act.

To me honey seems just another dietary source of simple sugars... not "good sugar" as someone mentioned... just a quick way to spike your blood glucose, much the same as drinking a soft drink or eating a spoonful of white table sugar

[mystery]

To me honey seems just another dietary source of simple sugars... not "good sugar" as someone mentioned... just a quick way to spike your blood glucose, much the same as drinking a soft drink or eating a spoonful of white table sugar

But, for some reason I don't get nearly the same effects when I drink soft drinks loaded with sugar, or spoonfuls of table sugar. Not even from pure sucros or glucos in large (or small) quantities. And I've measured my blood glucos to spike very high when I drink soft drinks. It does also spike too when I take lots of honey and my body temperature goes up, but after that effect wears off and my blood sugar stabalizes I still notice effects.

If its not too much trouble would you mind giving it a try? Take 1-2 tbsp of honey in tea, and compare that to when you drink a soft drink loaded with sugar (but no caffeine) like sprite. Do this on an empty stomach.

[edward]

To me honey seems just another dietary source of simple sugars... not "good sugar" as someone mentioned... just a quick way to spike your blood glucose, much the same as drinking a soft drink or eating a spoonful of white table sugar

But, for some reason I don't get nearly the same effects when I drink soft drinks loaded with sugar, or spoonfuls of table sugar. Not even from pure sucros or glucos in large (or small) quantities. And I've measured my blood glucos to spike very high when I drink soft drinks. It does also spike too when I take lots of honey and my body temperature goes up, but after that effect wears off and my blood sugar stabalizes I still notice effects.

If its not too much trouble would you mind giving it a try? Take 1-2 tbsp of honey in tea, and compare that to when you drink a soft drink loaded with sugar (but no caffeine) like sprite. Do this on an empty stomach.

Ill try it. What you are experience is (I think) the fact that honey has multiple simple sugars: fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose etc. so what you will get is the glucose hitting your bloodstream first and very quickly (31 percent of the honey), also the maltose will hit it quick too, next some of the other simple sugars such as sucrose (part of the 12.9% of the honey) and finally you will get the fructose which will digest and be released fairly slowly. So you might get a sort of timed release effect which could be good when playing sports or studying. I think some more expensive sports drinks use this concept of staggering sugars for sustained energy. See Glycemic Index for more info on carb digestion rate. Here is a link http://optimalhealth...om.au/gi17.html


Glycemic index of simple sugars: (a low number means it digests and breaks down slowly)

Fructose 32
Lactose 65
Sucrose 92
Glucose 137
Maltodextrin 137
Maltose 150

Glycemic index of mixed simple sugar products: Note that these are basically an average of the glycemic indexes of the sugars in them and dont really mean that all of the substance will digest at said rate... the staggering effect as mentioned above with honey occurs

Sugar, White 142
High fructose corn syrup 89
Honey 83
Glucose tablets 146

Edited by edward, 16 January 2008 - 03:50 AM.

[mystery]

That is very interesting. It seems to me it is possible that honey is formulated by honey bees to do just that, i.e., provide sustained energy without an initial lag. Of course, they have very different bodily systems, and different sugar requirements.

[meursault]

http://www.whfoods.c...f...ice&dbid=96

A Spoonful a Day Keeps Free Radicals at Bay

Daily consumption of honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidant compounds in humans, according to research presented at the 227th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, CA, March 28, 2004. Biochemist Heidrun Gross and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, gave 25 study participants each about four tablespoons buckwheat honey daily for 29 days in addition to their regular diets, and drew blood samples at given intervals following honey consumption. A direct link was found between the subjects' honey consumption and the level of polyphenolic antioxidants in their blood.

[DonTolentine]

This thread is gold.

Edward posts reflects a materialistic science. I know science is good. The computer I'm using and the pharmaceutical nootropics that I love is the product of scientific research. But intuition and spiritual thinking is needed to perceive the truth in occult. Maybe a discovery made today just by intuition can be a complex scientific theory in the future. Many discoveries were made intuitively that the time seemed witchcraft. Science is evolving to a more energetic and spiritual point of view. The physicist Amit Goswami is a example of a scientist who thinks in a spiritual way.

Honey is much more than chemicals and simple sugars. From a energetic-trascendental point of view, sugars from honey are totally diferent than poisoned sugars from sodas, candies... Honey is made by masters alchemists from nature. I can't prove scientifically my view. Honey is a god made fuel for the brain.

[unregistered_user]

So what kind of honey are you taking that is responsible for such a profound effect?

[bobz1lla]

DonTolentine def put a smile on my face. Bravo sir. Golf clap for you!

Sometimes all it takes is some "alchemy/witchcraft" to spice up a thread.

[renfr]

What kind of honey was it?