Peter Borst wrote:

> Does anyone have any evidence, other than folk remedies, that these enzymes are important to human nutrition? I am not saying there is no evidence -- just that I haven't seen it. (It is most certainly a moot point whether or not to heat honey if it is going to be put into anything cooked --like cakes or bread.)

Peter,

No evidence that I know of and I did not see anyone say otherwise in the
posts to date. The buyers of the honey think that, as do some
beekeepers.

This is one of those areas that opinion overrides facts so good luck. We
have friends who believe that table salt is bad for you and sea salt is
healthy since it contains none of what is in table salt, which is news
to most chemists. They also talk a lot about enzymes, and I guess they
do not realize that most all the enzymes that we need, our body
manufactures from what you feed it. But no way will I ever convince them
that they are into folk medicine, if not quackery, since they sell it
and say it has cured them of all sorts of stuff.

Just eat right and your body will do what is necessary. You certainly do
not need to eat seaweed to survive (which is one of the things they
sell). In fact, the most conclusive and scientifically rigorous studies
show that those who live the longest picked long-lived parents. Hard to
do unless you are Shirley Maclaine.

The bees produce the enzymes in honey. The ones I know about are for the
preservation of honey to keep it from spoiling. Nothing to do with the
eater's health, unless you are a bee.

There is one area that enzymes in honey are crucial for humans and that
is in burn and wound treatment. Without them and you might as well just
use a supersaturated sugar solution, as is done in medicine. The enzymes
in honey create a hydrogen peroxide interface at the wound surface and
keeps it sterile and sloughs off dead skin. That allows the wound to
heal from the bottom up and leaves little or no scarring. Works fine as
I used it after a major operation, but it has to be raw honey. Check the
New Zealand web site for more info on honey and wound treatment (manakua
(sp?) honey), as well as The Hive and the Honey Bee. The Chinese use it
for burn treatment and it is catching on in other countries.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Me