When in Manila, get a dose of health and happines just outside of the city at the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm in Silang, Cavite.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I had always thought of honey as a condiment, simply a healthier alternative to sugar. I never realized the true potency of this magical, golden goodness until a trip to Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm “showed me the honey.”
beehives are scattered all throughout the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm
various beauty products are on display at the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm showroom
The seven hectare, solar powered farm is fronted by a quaint shop that showcases the the array of products made from the hard work of honeybees. Virgin honey, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly and beeswax straight form the beehives are amongst many of the natural products on display.
an array of honey based beauty soaps enhanced with essential oils
natural shaving soap and toothpowder made from honey
Beauty products such as health soaps and shampoos, throat and breath spray, lip balm and even tooth powder are formulated from a honey derived base. They also make honey wine and honey cider vinegar which has natural medicinal properties. Nothing goes to waste in their bee keeping business as even the beeswax is used to make ornamental candles.
honeycomb candles on top of slabs of beeswax
a variety of decorative candles molded from beeswax
sweet and sour, honey cider vinegar is made from fermented honey wine
A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, but a spoonful of honey not only tastes better but can actually cure what ails you! Here are some of the healing benefits of honeybee products:
Honey – kills bacteria and speeds healing, deep cleans and softens skin
Beeswax – keeps moisture in your skin without clogging pores
Bee Pollen – “natures most complete food”, increases stamina, heightens alertness, boosts mental capacity, metabolizes fat, eliminates fatigue, eases hypertension, alleviates impotence, prevents prostate cancer, impproves digestion, combats depression
Bee Proplis – natural disinfectant that kills skin germs and fungi, accelerate healing of most skin disorders, powerful antioxidant, strengthens immune system, combats arthritis, rheumatism and hypertension
Honey Cider Vinegar – aids digestion, detoxifies, diuretic, balances body chemistry
behind the showroom lies the laboratory and the beehives where all the honey making magic happens
take a walk around Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm and you will quickly make friends with a group of wandering geese
The farm is lush, surrounded with fruit and flower bearing trees and plants, providing all the raw materials for the bees to make honey. Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm gathers pollen from Italian Honeybees. These honeybees ave the ability to choose the ripest pollen, moistening the grains with nectar and forming it into a pellet with its hind legs.
busy bees!
Word for the Day: Apiculturist – beekeeper, caretaker for bees
Life is good on the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm, and it should be, as it was born from a vision for a better life. Leaving behind an astronomically successcul career in the business world, Joel Magsaysay sought simplicity and happiness and found it in the life of bees. Transforming his hobby into a business, Joel went on to developing his family plot into a bee farm and is now regarded as one of the Philippines’ leading apiculturists. His wife, Violaine, had also been keeping bees for several years before they met and together they built Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm into the successful, environmentally sustainable business it is today. Their products are so effective that they even export worldwide. The duo may be busy as bees, but they do it to help others and have found happiness in a simple, spirit grounded life.
When in Manila, we could all take a break from a hectic lifestyle and let nature do the work for us. We can find refuge in a place like Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm, with honey to heal our bodies and the peaceful, natural surroundings to soothe our soul.
Wisdom from the bees:
The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.
– Saint John Chrysostom
The fruit of bees is desired by all, and is equally sweet to kings and beggars and it is not only pleasing but profitable and healthful; it sweetens their mouths, cures their wounds, and conveys remedies to inward ulcers.
– Saint Ambrose
No bees, no honey; no work, no money.
– Proverb
The only reason for being a bee that I know of is to make honey…. And the only reason for making honey, is so as I can eat it.
– Winnie the Pooh
Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm
Silang, Cavite
open 8am to 5pm Tuesdays to Sundays
info@ilogmaria.com
Bee Happy, Healthy and Wise! Visit Ilog Maria Honeybee Farms in Silang, Cavite
