The Mahdi Times The Mahdi Times, Issue #28, March 2015 | Page 28

Other uses were available. The
famous perfume called “kyphi” was a
mixture of herbs and incense, with
honey used to shape this concoction
into balls. These were chewed and
“made the breath of a woman’s
mouth pleasant”. Beeswax, like the
Sumerians, was used for other
purposes as well. Ancient Egyptians
would apply this material in
mummification, boat building and
metal casting.

given a mildly sweetened tea or
water to pacify cranky babies so they
would sleep.

Mayan and Native American
Honey was once collected from nests
of wild bees in the north. It wasn’t
widely used before the Europeans
arrived as maple syrup almost solely
used as a sweetener. The Mayans,
however seem to have cultivated it
from hives. When the Spaniards
arrived, they noticed many hives
kept in their fruit groves. Both the
whole bee and the honey were used
in medicine by the Aztecs and
Mayans.
Today, we are given strong warnings
about giving infants under the age of
one raw honey. We are told as
parents that this is from fear of
allergic reaction or infection.
However, one cure for a fussy infant
in Native American herbal lore is to
put a small amount of honey on the
lips or tongue in order to calm and
nourish your child. Also, infants were

Modern Uses
This is another case where modern
science seems to be catching up with
ancient herbal lore. Now, scientists
have found that indeed honey is
great for its antibacterial properties.
There are also home remedies in
which, as with the ancients, this
ingredient is useful in treating
various ills.