New research is determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections. Although people have made use of honey's antibacterial properties for centuries, scientists are just now discovering how it works. And what they are finding is that it might be even more effective than antibiotics.
After any skin injury, bacteria that live on your skin can infect the wound site. One particularly common type of strep can result in wounds that refuse to heal. But honey, especially the kind made by bees foraging on manuka flowers, was found to destroy this bacteria.
Scientific American reports:
“In lab tests, just a bit of the honey killed off the majority of bacterial cells -- and cut down dramatically on the stubborn biofilms they formed. It could also be used to prevent wounds from becoming infected in the first place.”