Dr. Mercola August 13 2007 51,377 views
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved Manuka honey to be used in wound and burn care in the United States. Manuka wound dressings have already been used for several years in Great Britain, Australia, and its native New Zealand. Canada also cleared it for use as an antimicrobial dressing earlier this year.
Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished with the advent of penicillin.
Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). The level of UMF can vary between batches, so each batch is ranked and priced accordingly. The higher the concentration of UMF, the darker, thicker and more expensive it is.
In July 2007, the FDA gave Derma Sciences, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of wound-care products, clearance to sell Manuka wound and burn dressings as medical devices. It’s the first honey-based product approved for medical use in the United States.
Washington Post August 7, 2007
Going back to basics, using natural therapies like bee products including honey, is a step in the right direction. Especially considering the fact that traditional antibiotics are increasingly ineffective against certain microbes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “nearly all significant bacterial infections in the world are becoming resistant to the most commonly prescribed antibiotic treatments.”
Clearly we need alternatives that do not add to the problem. One thing to remember here though, is that not all honey is appropriate for use in wound care.
The specific Manuka honey now approved for use as a medical device is believed to have special anti-infection and anti-inflammatory properties. If you're considering using honey to treat a mild burn, sunburn, or small wound at home, make sure to use raw honey.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of honey consumed in the United States is processed or refined. And, like most refined foods, it can promote disease and damage your health. It also will not have the same topical wound-care benefits as raw honey.
On Vital Votes, Russ Bianchi, a biochemist from California reminds us:
“Of course all naturally derived Manuka Honey works for this application -- just don't try this with domestic (USA) Grade A Honey, which has over 75% probability of being force-fed and regurgitated High Fructose Corn Syrup, or Invert Sugar, flavored and colored "honey", which increases infection, based on pH and lack of any naturally occurring enzymatic or anti-bacterial, or anti-microbial characteristics… How can you tell the difference as a consumer? Invariably REAL HONEY costs two to three times more than the supermarket or generic mass-produced brands in the plastic honey bear packaging.”
That said, any time you can treat yourself without resorting to antibiotics, the better. Honey has several functions that add to its topical wound-care benefits:
Another natural wound dressing that offers impressive results without drugs is Duoderm and HemCon’s bandages, which are made from a natural protein found in shrimp shells, which promotes clotting.
Other bee products, such as Royal Jelly, bee venom, and propolis, have also been shown to help combat everything from dental plaque to Lyme disease.
Honey can also help with diarrhea, insomnia, and sore throats. Eating raw honey is likely to promote health as long as it’s used in moderation and you do not suffer from signs of elevated insulin such as:
I just thought I would post about some amazing success I had with raw honey.
About a year ago - I cut the outside of my hand deeply with a sharp knife. I am certain that most doctors would have considered stitches necessary for the wound to close and heal properly. However - no insurance at the time - and little extra money in the budget for ER. About two days after the injury - my wound was gaping open and was hurting badly. I was afraid that I had made a bad decision to not get stitches. I went to our local raw milk farmer and just happened to show him my injury. He recommended that I use their raw honey (harvested from a local bee farmer) on the wound topically. I did and within one day my wound sealed together and stopped hurting altogether. Guess what - no scar either. I thought it was a miracle! Thank God for our land flowing with RAW Milk and RAW Honey!
Wow singshelby, this really is a miracle!!!
I didn't know about this use of the raw honey. We have a jar of raw Chilliwack honey all the time on the cupboard, but we only used it for eating. One more use, wow again!
I have a great Raw-Honey-Story too:
Last year I had bumped my ankle on something and developed an open sore that was quite painful. Being a holistic person, I tried various natural remedies for several days, but it got worse and bigger. I was seeing my Osteopath for something else and mentioned it to him. He was very concerned, determined it was a staph infection, and "scared me into taking antibiotics" for 10 days, plus soaking twice a day in Epsom salt bath. After I finished the antibiotics, the sore was still open and not healed in the least.
I had been enjoying a wonderful raw honey from www.stakich.com for some time and just happened to read on their site about the medicinal value of honey: www.stakich.com/.../honeyinmedicine.htm - Great info!! I put a mixture of honey and cinnamon on the wound, left it open during the day and put a loose band-aid on at night. After just one day I could see the edges of the sore closing in and becoming smaller. You could literally watch it heal. After just 2 - 3 days it was totally closed and healed, no scar!
Make sure you get fresh ground BULK cinnamon from a supplier that has good turnover, not that stale supermarket stuff. I get mine at www.bulkfoods.com. I don't think the honey I get from Stakich is Manuka, but it is totally raw and unprocessed, has a great aroma and taste, and best of all, they have the most reasonable prices for raw honey anywhere! I'm enjoying this honey, with my own cinnamon added, on almost a daily basis (usually on my BED-approved seeds/grains or some Genesis bread). For a special treat I often add some raw Cacao Nibs (raw chocolate bean, no sugar) - YUUMMMM! I get my Raw Cacao Nibs here: www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/.../merchant.mvc
You don't have to spring for the expensive Manuka. I use my raw honey-cinnamon mixture to heal pimples, cuts/wounds, insect bites, and any other skin problem that comes up, and it works wonders!
He believes it's not customers or patients who need convincing, "it's the medical community. They find it difficult to accept anything that has an ancient lineage, whatever the scientific evidence," he says. "But manuka is catching on fast."
Are you the same shiva that posts on Dandavats?
Some of you are so witty. Good point(s) Thx so much! :))
Blessings
Dr. Trudy
Russ, bees cannot be force-fed, but are fed whenever there is no natural source of food just to keep the colony from starving to death. They do not store an emergency food supply, but they eat it themselves to stay alive. If they are fed more than they need, however, they may store the surplus with the honey. ALL honey is what you call BEE BARF... regurgitated flower nectar, which MAY be mixed with anything that was OVERfed to the bees. The season of harvesting is critical to the purity of the honey.
Hives are also commonly treated with miticides and other chemicals. This is another example where it pays to know the farmer and his practices.