Is medicinal honey a scam? There are many claims about the benefits of honey and how it can allegedly be used for antiseptic and antibacterial purposes. Some even go as far as claiming it can actually cure certain conditions. These claims are quite misleading and can give false hope to desperate people that suffer from medical problems.
There is no scientific data that totally supports the claims that medicinal honey can cure anything. One property of honey is that it has a very small amount of hydrogen peroxide, much less than medical hydrogen peroxide which is about 3% by volume. Honey contains less than 0.5% by volume. Hydrogen peroxide has been used to clean wounds but is now used less and less as better products have been developed.
People in the alternative health industry play with these facts and suggest that medicinal honey can be used to treat wounds as well. In theory you could, but the results would be minimal and there are much better products available than honey for this purpose.
The alternative health industry also suggests that medicinal honey can kill bacteria. This is not true. What is true is that honey has a very low water content, so it is hard for bacteria to survive in it. Honey cannot kill bacteria, but bacteria find it difficult to live in honey. Do not believe anyone that suggests that honey will correct digestive problems related to microbes or bacteria. It is impossible.
A research institute from New Zealand has published a number of claims about medicinal honey and the supposed benefits of this product. All their research was conducted using a particular brand of honey from New Zealand. The institute insists they are in no way associated with the company that produces the honey. Given that many studies are sponsored by industry bodies these articles should be read with a critical mind. Until more research surfaces from various independent organizations from around the world it is hard to accept that any claims attached to medicinal honey can be fully validated.
Having stated all this, honey cannot be overlooked as an excellent food that can be included in a healthy, whole food diet. It has been noted that raw honey straight from the bee hive contains botulinum endospores which can kill infants under the age of 1. Adult digestive systems can kill the endospores, but infants cannot cope with this and develop botulism which is often lethal.
Honey is an excellent food source, but claims of the value of medicinal honey should be considered with skepticism.
