Honeydew health

That strangest of all honeys -- honeydew, loosely defined by a friend of mine as insect poo and bee vomit -- has remarkable health-giving powers according to work by a Swede in New Zealand.

Lisa Daginder, an exchange student from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Skara, researching at New Zealand's Lincoln University analysed the antioxidant content and physical properties of various honeys:

Honeydew and thyme honey contained the highest levels of phenol compared to the other honeys, while thyme and rewarewa had the highest antioxidant activity of the ten honeys giving them the potential to play an important role in providing antioxidants to humans in a pleasant from.

In case you are wondering: honeydew comes from insects secretions after they have fed on tree sap. The bees collect it to make honey. If you've ever parked under a sycamore tree on a hot summer's day, you'll know exactly where honeydew comes from.