Honey: The healing powers of manuka honey

With the change in seasons comes the inevitable sniffles and sore throats. My colleague has had a sore throat all week and was sounding huskier by the day until I recommended hot honey and lemon drinks.

The soothing concoction brings back memories of when I was young and Mum used to bring me the magic drink to make me better when I felt ill.

After a few days of drinking honey and lemon Im pleased to report that my colleague is well on the road to recovery. This prompted me to find out more about the healing properties of honey.

Honey helps heal pressure ulcers
Its no secret that honey is good for you. Honey has been around for thousands of years even dating back to ancient Egypt where it was used as a sweetener, as offerings to their gods and in the mummifying process. The Greeks discovered honeys healing potential and used it as medicine.

Today we will take a look at two studies that confirm the healing properties of honey and how it could be used in modern day medicine.

The first study was conducted at the Woodfield Retirement Village in New South Wales, Australia, where the nursing staff were searching for an alternative remedy for treating pressure ulcers and leg ulcers among the patients in their nursing home. Pressure ulcers or bed sores often occur when elderly patients with poor vascular systems are bedridden.

Two elderly men from the nursing home had honey alginate (gel) dressings applied to their pressure ulcers. The nurses found that both of the patients ulcers healed quickly and completely. The antibacterial properties of the honey also deodorised the sores and even helped reduce the level of pain felt while they were healing.

Due to the success of the alternative treatment, the nursing home now uses honey alginate dressings as a standard treatment for chronic skin sores.

This is the kind of result I love to hear about a natural remedy chosen over a mainstream medicine. And the benefits of honey dont stop there.

Potential to fight MRSA
In the UK, honey is made from apple, cherry and lime blossoms, dandelion and hawthorn. Two of the most commercially available honeys are made from borage and heather.

But there is one kind of honey that seems to stand out from the rest manuka honey. The manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium) is native to New Zealand. Captain Cook recognised the versatility of this plant on his travels and used its leaves to make tea to treat sailors with scurvy,  hence its common name tea tree. The native Maori people also used parts of the plant to treat a wide range of ailments internally and topically.

According to the Waikato Honey Research Unit in New Zealand, some honeys have more healing potential than others. Active manuka honey has a component found only in Leptospermum plants which gives it its antibacterial qualities and this special component is called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF).

This unique manuka honey factor was put to the test by the Wound Healing Research Unit at the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff. The Welsh researchers were looking for a way to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in leg ulcers.

After a topical application of manuka honey to a patients infected leg ulcer, the researchers found the MRSA was eliminated from the wound and it healed quickly. The results of this study suggest that honey is very effective at fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Who would have thought that a substance as simple and natural as honey that has been used for centuries, could fight a potentially life threatening bacteria like MRSA?

Honey can also be used to treat gingivitis, periodontal disease, indigestion, fungal infections, and skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.

Hayfever sufferers may also find relief by eating honey made locally.

The humble honey bee
So where can you get some of this natural healer?

For a good source of local honey look for any Beekeeping clubs in your area.  There are 35,000 beekeepers throughout the country offering a wide variety of delicious honeys. Manuka honey is available from many sources on the Internet.

Sterilised high-active manuka honey products such as dressings and cream are available from Comvita and Medihoney from sources online.

After reading these studies I have a newfound respect for the humble honey bee.