Few days ago, a friend who is practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine talked about local honey in Malaysia during our gathering. She was looking for high quality local honey to be blended into herb powder for her patients.
I then shared her my experience in buying local honey, as I have spent a fair amount of time searching for the best quality honey for my natural soap few years ago.
I believe most of you have heard of Manuka honey from New Zealand and Australia, however, very few of you are aware of our own local honey varieties. I thought you might find these honey facts interesting.
First, do you know that we have one of the biggest bee species in the world?
Apis Dorsata, the giant honey bee, can be found throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from the India subcontinent, up to Southern China and down through Indonesia and Malaysia. Apis Dorsata often builds nest on exposed places far off from the ground such as tree branches or under cliff. In Malaysia, the giant honey bee hives are often found on tall branches of Tualang tree (Koompassia Excelsa), therefore the honey produced by the giant bee is also called Tualang Honey.
Second, do you know that not all bees have stinger?
Meliponini or Kelulut Honey Bee is one of the most common stingless bee farmed in Malaysia. Kelulut honey has a unique sweet and sour taste, and it is more runny than normal honey.
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Third, do you know that the quality of local Tualang Honey is comparable to Manuka Honey?
According to a research, Tualang Honey shares some similar properties and biochemical characteristics with its Western counterpart, Manuka honey. It is also worth noting that Tualang Honey is more effective than Manuka honey against some gram-negative bacterial strains in burn wounds.
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In conclusion, we are blessed with high quality honey in our own country. However, these precious 'liquid gold' is still unknown to most people as Malaysian prefers imported honey over local ones. I hope you will start paying more attention to our local honey after reading this article. Only with the support of local people, our honey bee industry will be able to sustain!