Would you have ever guessed that this delicious food made by honeybees is actually one of mankind's oldest-known medicines? Dating as far back as 5,000 years, honey has been successfully used to treat burns, coughs and ulcers. Hippocrates, the Greek physician, also praised honey's healing powers and came up with many honey-based treatments for ailments such as skin disorders, ulcers and sores.
In World War I, German physicians used a mixture of honey and cod liver oil to treat gunshot wounds. According to John Riddle, professor of ancient science at North Carolina State University, a medical text written on papyrus from 3000 years B.C. specifies the use of honey for head wounds. He says that perhaps "the honey helped prevent swelling and sealed off the wound to keep air and infection out".
Recent research shows that honey is far superior to antiseptics and antibiotics. Israeli researchers took honey to the test. They applied the sweet, sticky food twice a day to wounds of nine infants after two weeks of intravenous antibiotic treatment and daily antiseptic cleansing failed to heal them. Following just five days of honey treatment, the babies' wounds improved significantly. After 16 more days, they were closed, clean, and sterile.
In a Yemeni study, honey was shown to have a significant advantage over antiseptics used for infected surgical wounds. 50 women whose wounds became infected were divided into 2 groups. One group was treated with honey, the other with antiseptics. The patients in the honey group recovered within 7 to 11 days, whereas the antiseptic group needed 12 to 27 days.
Although modern creams and antibiotics may have healing effects, they have the disadvantage of killing tissue and causing scabs and scars. But how many of us would think of putting honey under that Band-Aid or bandage? Like in the above studies, results of a three-year clinical trial at the University Teaching Hospital in Calabar, Nigeria, showed that unprocessed honey can heal wounds when more modern dressings and antibiotic treatments fail. In 59 patients treated for wounds and external ulcers, honey was effective in all but one case. Much to the surprise of the researchers, topical applications kept sterile wounds sterile until they had time to heal, while infected wounds became sterile within a week. Astonishingly, honey was even shown to remove dead tissue from persistent wounds, helping some patients avoid skin grafts or amputations.
According to the European Journal of Medical Research, topical honey proved to have positive effects on post-operative wound infections due to gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria following Caesarean sections and hysterectomies.
"Honey provides a moist healing environment, yet prevents bacterial growth even when wounds are heavily infected," notes Dr. Peter Molan of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. "It is a very effective means of quickly rendering heavily infected wounds sterile, without the side effects of antibiotics, and it is even effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria."
The reason honey is able to stop infection may actually be quite simple. Ordinary honey ties up water so that bacteria in a wound have insufficient water to multiply. The water activity of honey inhibits bacterial growth. In addition, the pH of honey is between 3.2 and 4.5 - low enough to inhibit the growth of many common bacteria. The major antibacterial activity in honey, however, is thought to be due to hydrogen peroxide, which is produced enzymatically. The level of hydrogen peroxide produced is antibacterial, but doesn't damage the cell tissues.
In July 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration - believe it or not - gave Derma Sciences, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of wound-care products, clearance to sell Manuka wound and burn dressings as medical devices. Now Manuka honey can officially be used in wound and burn care in the United States. Manuka honey has already been used as wound dressing for several years in Great Britain, Australia, and its native New Zealand. Canada also approved it for use as an antimicrobial dressing in early 2007. Honey used to be a standard conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century. With the advent of penicillin, knowledge of honey's powerful healing ability began to fade from public awareness, and doctors were simply too excited over using the new miracle drug.
Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), according to an article published in the Washington Post August 7, 2007. Apparently, the higher the concentration of UMF, the darker, thicker and more expensive the honey is. In this situation, it may pay off to use the most expensive honey available. However, even ordinary natural honey has amazing healing properties.
Applications:
* Apply honey to cuts, scrapes, or burns and cover with a clean bandage. Change dressings one to three times daily, as needed.
* Use honey as a first-aid dressing material where there could be time for infection to set in before medical treatment is obtained.
* For internal disinfection and as a preventative measure, every morning, drink a glass of warm water with a teaspoon of honey and a little lemon juice.
* Honey also has sleep-inducing, sedative and tranquilizing properties.
* Nursing salve: Nursing mothers, try covering cracked, sore nipples with honey-soaked gauze to prevent infection.
* For heartburn, take 1 teaspoon of raw honey mixed with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
Note: Excessive heat (don't cook or bake with it) or prolonged exposure to light can rob honey of its antibacterial properties. Always store in a dark, cool place.
