Some Other Uses for Molasses
Many of the following are proven uses, but BEWARE! Some of the claims for the benefits of molasses in any medical treatment are often merely folklore and debateable. The contents of this website should NOT be taken as the final word!
Alcoholic Beverages
Molasses can be used as the base material for fermentation into rum and is commonly used in dark brewed beverages like stout and very heavy dark ales.
Alternative Iron Supplement
Blackstrap molasses may also be used as an iron supplement for those who cannot tolerate the constipation associated with other iron supplementation.
Animal Feed
Sugar cane and sugarbeet pulp and molasses are processing by-products widely used as feed supplements for livestock. These products provide required fiber in rations and increase the palatability of feeds. Sugarbeet tops also can be used for livestock feed; they are an excellent source of protein, vitamin A, and carbohydrates but are slightly inferior to alfalfa haylage or corn silage for beef cattle.
Burn Treatment
Explosives
Molasses can be used as the "fuel oil" portion of ANFO (ammonium-nitrate-fuel-oil) a powerful explosive.
Fuel
In Australia, molasses is fermented to produce ethanol for use as an alternative fuel in motor vehicles,
Horticulture
Molasses can be added to the soil of almost any plant to promote microbial activity. Blackstrap is often used as a flower-blooming and fruiting enhancer, especially in organic hydroponics.
Relieve Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual cramping is said to be caused by prostaglandins produced by the body. These prostaglandins make the uterus contract, temporarily cutting off its blood supply, which in turn causes more cramps. While there are a variety of pain relievers that help, proper nutrition is often overlooked in the treating of menstrual cramps, especially supplementing with minerals. This is where a tablespoon or two of molasses daily can help: it contains calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, selenium, potassium and even vitamin B6. These minerals are vital for healthy muscle tissue (the uterus is a muscle) and to keep muscles from cramping.
Tobacco additive
Molasses is added to some brands of tobacco used for smoking through a Middle Eastern water pipe (e.g., hookah, shisha, narghile, etc.). It is mixed into the tobacco along with glycerine and flavorings; sometimes it is used along with honey and other syrups or fully substituted by them.
Yeast
Click HERE to download a PDF describing the method for making yeast.
Blackstrap Molasses
Just a spoonful will do. Now, swallow it all. I know it's bitter!
The Molasses Gang
The Molasses Gang was a New York street gang during the 1870s.
Formed in 1871 by Jimmy Dunnigan, the Molasses Gang were primarily made up of sneak thieves and minor criminals who were highly publicized in the New York press for the comedic methods of their robberies. One such tactic was to enter a local store and ask the owner to fill a member's hat with molasses, explaining that it was a bet among the other members to see how much molasses the hat would hold. When the hat was filled, the gang member would pull the hat over the shop-owner's head, blinding him while the gang members looted the store. The gang was not taken very seriously among the other gangs of the period, however, and often walked out in the middle of robberies when such activities bored them. As the gang continued to commit similar crimes, police decided to take action and by 1877 most of the gang had been arrested.
Formed in 1871 by Jimmy Dunnigan, the Molasses Gang were primarily made up of sneak thieves and minor criminals who were highly publicized in the New York press for the comedic methods of their robberies. One such tactic was to enter a local store and ask the owner to fill a member's hat with molasses, explaining that it was a bet among the other members to see how much molasses the hat would hold. When the hat was filled, the gang member would pull the hat over the shop-owner's head, blinding him while the gang members looted the store. The gang was not taken very seriously among the other gangs of the period, however, and often walked out in the middle of robberies when such activities bored them. As the gang continued to commit similar crimes, police decided to take action and by 1877 most of the gang had been arrested.
So much more! (Click HERE for more...)
There are myriad web sites devoted to molasses and other sweet syrups. Much of them concern cooking, but many list hundreds of magical (or fictitious) uses, many of them related to human medicine.
