The secret of the long worshiped Sidr honey lies in the story of the wondrous ancient Sidr tree (Ziziphus spina-christi), also known as Lote tree, Christ’s Thorn, Jujube or Nabkh tree. Locals have been using all of the parts of this tree to treat different types of health obstructions.
About the tree
The Sidr tree is an ancient tree, mentioned four times in the Qur’an. In Sura Saba it is mentioned as an earth tree while in other Sura it is mentioned as a paradise tree (Sidrat al-Muntaha). According to some traditions, Jesus’ crown of thorns was made from the branches of this tree.
The Sidr tree is a sturdy and deep-rooted tree which has withstood the devastating floods of Eram at Ma’arib Yemen with two other trees: the Tamarisk and the Mustard Tree. The Sidr tree belongs to the “Ziziphus” family of plants. The average tree size is normally between 7-8 meters high. Its branches are soft and gray-yellowish. The flowers of the plant are yellow as well as the round Sidr fruits which turn reddish when ripe.
Sidr plants grow in coastal, desert, and semi-desert areas. The Sidr tree can be found in India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and the in southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The tree grows extensively in the eastern part of Yemen.
The fruits of the Sidr tree, whose seeds are rich in protein, have a high nutritional value that boosts energy and strengthens the immunity. The leaves, on the other hand, are rich in calcium, iron, and magnesium.
Medicinal qualities
The Sidr leaves, which are rich in calcium, iron and magnesium ,have a therapeutic effect that fights many ill health conditions. Their strong anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties are used in the making of natural wound disinfectants while the oil extracted from the resin is used for deodorants. Moreover, the leaves are strong components of a herbal shampoo that treats dandruff as well as head lice. As an anti-inflammatory agent, the Sidr leaves soothe swollen eyes, abscesses, furuncles and, on the other hand, combat obesity as well. Even when the Sidr tree is turned into ashes, it is a health benefactor which is used in the treatment of snakebites.
The fruits of the Sidr tree, whose seeds are rich in protein, have a high nutritional value that boosts energy and strengthens the immunity. The root, stem bark are also used for various medicinal purposes.
Here are several additional medicinal properties of the Sidr tree:
– a stomachic;
– an appetizer;
– an astringent;
– a cough reliever.
Source: https://www.yemensidrhoney.com/sidr-tree/
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Liquid gold: beekeepers defying Yemen war to produce the best honey
Despite the dangers, more Yemenis are turning to the sector as an alternative means of income
According to the Qur’an a lone sidr tree, or jujube, marks the highest boundary of heaven. On earth, amid the harshness of the Yemeni desert, the sweetness of sidr honey is cherished as a symbol of perseverance.
Yemen has long been renowned for producing some of the best honey in the world, often compared to Mānuka honey from New Zealand. Some of the highest quality, and purest, comes from bees fed exclusively on the flowers of the sidr, producing a pale coloured honey with a fiery, almost bitter aftertaste.
While the war has made travel difficult, closing off many roads, for traditional beekeepers life is much the same: they are some of the only people in Yemen who can traverse frontlines with ease, moving around every few months in search of flowers for their bees.
“It doesn’t matter who is commanding a checkpoint. They see the beehives in the back of the truck and we don’t have to stop long. Even the Houthis [Yemen’s rebels] are afraid of bees,” said Said al-Aulaqi, 40, as he took a break from looking after 80 of his hives near the village of Khamer in Shabwa.Advertisement
An estimated 100,000 small-scale beekeepers like Aulaqi in Yemen produce just 1,580 tonnes of honey a year, of which 840 tonnes is exported, according to a 2020 UN report.
Sidr honey can sell for up to $500 (£370) a kilogram in neighbouring Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. While honey connoisseurs maintain that the Yemeni product deserves a global market, decades of political instability have meant turbulent growth and limited outside reach.
Keen to improve food stability and bring money into the country, the government has identified honey as a key sector for expansion: beekeepers, wholesalers and exporters the Guardian met in and around Shabwa’s capital, Ataq, say they are keen to share their liquid gold with the rest of the world.
Aulaqi and his three young employees enthusiastically show off their wooden rectangular hives, opening the doors to display the rows of combs inside. Smoke from burning strips of hemp cloth keeps the bees drowsy and stops them stinging, although all four say they are immune after being attacked so many times.
The 40-year-old has been keeping bees for 10 years, after learning the trade from his uncle. He lost his entire livelihood in 2015, after the Houthis moved into Shabwa and blocked the road to neighbouring Abyan, where his bees died after running out of water.
It took two years to restart with another 300 boxes purchased at a cost of 2m Yemeni riyal (£1,850). Now his hives are scattered around Shabwa’s mountains, desert and coastal plain, depending on the season.
The prized Sidr honey can only be harvested once every 12 months, but lower-grade acacia and desert flowers provide work year-round.
A generation ago, beehives were still cultivated in empty tree trunks and transported on the backs of camels; now, imported machine-made hives and pickup trucks make the work easier, even if beekeepers, like so many others in Yemen, are plagued by fuel shortages.
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