Understanding how producers can compromise honey's medicinal properties makes it easier to develop a method for identifying and selecting honey with the highest bioactivity. This approach allows consumers to focus on honey that retains its enzyme activity, ensuring maximum health benefits and therapeutic effectiveness.

Find a Local Beekeeper: Utilize Google Maps to locate nearby beekeepers. While it is possible to find bioactive honey in supermarkets, purchasing directly from a local beekeeper increases your chances of obtaining high-quality honey.

Determine the High Season for Honey Collection in Your Area: In the Northern Hemisphere, this usually occurs in August, but it can vary by country. Purchase honey during this peak season. Many beekeepers feed sugar to bees during periods when flowers are not blooming, resulting in honey produced at the beginning of the blooming period that is primarily derived from sugar and therefore has low bioactivity levels.

Buy an Annual Supply of Honey during the High Season: When honey is freshly collected from hives, it is always in liquid form, eliminating the need for reheating. However, when honey is transferred from barrels into smaller jars, heating is often required, which can degrade its natural properties. It's normal for honey to crystallize after several months, and this should not be a cause for concern; in fact, crystallization helps preserve the bioactive compounds for a long time. Quite the contrary, if you purchase liquid and clear honey in late fall, chances are it was reheated and has lost some of its beneficial properties.

Seek Advice from a Local Beekeeper When Choosing Honey: Beekeepers have in-depth knowledge about the honey their bees produce, including whether it contains the live, active enzymes you're looking for. Their expertise can be invaluable in helping you find truly raw honey, ensuring you get a product that retains all its natural benefits. Ask for cold-filtered honey. Cold filtering does not affect bee enzymes.

Always Use the Active Honey Test: This test ensures the honey's active status. There are no human methods to enhance the quality of honey, but there are numerous ways to degrade it, even unintentionally.

By following these guidelines, you can maximize the bioactive properties and benefits of the honey you purchase.