Honey as a Medicine #5 - Healing wounds with Manuka honey

Ayurveda describes a lot about the usage of honey and different types of honey. But, now even modern science have started to research more on honey and its healing capabilities. The therapeutic effects of each honey differ based on the type of the honey. Apis mellifera which belong to family Apidae is considered to produce best honey in the world along with other different species of bees. This statement has been acknowledged by the researchers conducted by modern science. There are few bees varieties that provides best honey for the mankind namely:

• Apis mellifera
• Apis koschevnikov
• Apis laborisa
• Apis dorsata
• Apis cerana
• Apis andreniformis
• Apis floria

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Along with the benefits of internal consumption, honey can also be used for cosmetic treatments. They are also very useful in preparing cosmetic products such as Shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, facial creams and washes etc. We are free to use honey without worrying about any side effects because, it is one of the finest thing that nature can give us. Honey has been proved to work best in treatment of pimples and skin rashes as well.

We can easily list out thousand uses for honey as a food and speak whole day about how honey adds sweetness to your daily food. In the past articles we have seen different uses of honey as a medicine. To get a different perspective to what we have seen so far, let us explore the healing capabilities of honey on wounds and infections. If honey is used in a proper manner, it can help in wound care and fast healing. There are lots of healing benefits that honey can provide starting from consumption to external application for burns, infections from bacteria, ulcers etc. In this article we will explore in detail about the healing capabilities of Manuka honey and how it can be used for wound care.

What exactly is a Manuka honey?

Before we start thinking about using honey for healing purpose, choosing the right honey is important. There are lots of varieties in honey each with specific healing properties. Not all the honey that you buy in a store can necessarily have healing properties. Manuka honey is a specific type of honey extracted from the bee hives where the bees extract honey from Manuka flower. In alternative medicines the Manuka tree is supposed to have lots of medicinal properties. When honey is extracted from the flowers of manuka tree, it is believed that Manuka honey will also have the same healing properties. Manuka honey is proved to be one of the best natural sweetener and is being used widely in preparation of food products.

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Manuka honey is produced widely by Apis Mellifera forming a bee hive in Manuka tree. The tree is widely present in many parts of the world. U.S. Federal Drug Administration [1] has approved Manuka honey to be very effective for wound treatments. Manuka honey is capable of releasing hydrogen peroxide which is good in removing activity of bacteria in the affected region. Skin rashes and boils in the skin can be treated with the pollens collected from manuka tree flowers and turned into honey. This has been in effective use for a long time. There are lots of medicines and syrup prepared with the help of manuka honey.

How to use Manuka honey for healing?

Just applying a normal honey on an affected region many not be very helpful in treating infections. It is not that easy. Applying raw honey on the affected region can help but, in order to make Manuka honey actually work for you, proper planning is required. Examining the infected/affected region is the first step that you can make. Based on the depth of the wound, the quantity can be decided. Manuka honey is helpful in controlling further infections in the affected region. After the application, dressing the wound will be the next step. In some places there are also materials available that are pre packed with Manuka honey. You can just stick them to the affected region and dress it.

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The pre packed dressing material may not be available in all the places. You will have to look for it accordingly. In some complicated cases where the wounds are deeper, Manuka honey application may not be the only solution. It can only be smeared over the affected or infected area. Deeper wounds will usually need stitching and other surgical procedures. Manuka honey can be helpful in fastening the healing process. Be sure to do all these with proper advice from a medicinal practitioner.

Scientific evidences and researches on Manuka honey healing technique

There have been multiple scientific researches happening all over the world to understand the healing properties of honey. Especially Manuka honey with its super powers have attracted the researchers. University of Auckland, New Zealand conducted various researches and discovered that honey was very effective in treating wounds and helpful in fastening the recovery time taken. 2554 patients were used for the study by the doctors to conduct 19 clinical trials [2]. They experimented on untreated wounds and were able to prove that honey helped in healing the wound quicker. Usually burns and other infections were treated by normal gauze. Honey was proved to be a lot more efficient than film dressings.

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Another interesting study was conducted with 2062 patients on 22 trials [3]. Details about this study was published in International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds. Outcome of this study was also interesting where the doctors were able to discover many healing properties in honey unparalleled to other types of treatments that are usually available for treating wounds. The patients in this study were also given honey dressing for the wounds and the following results were seen:

• Honey not only helped in clearing the infections but it also helped in controlling the spreading bacteria.
• Strong odors releases from the wounds were controlled with the help of honey.
• Any wound usually gives a permanent scar but in this case honey was able to reduce permanent scarring.
• Anti-inflammatory property was also seen in the affected region after applying honey.

The above are just few amazing outcomes seen during the research. Honey can do a lot more wonders than this. There are further researches happening to deeply understand the capabilities of honey.

References:

[1] - https://journals.lww.com/jwocnonline/Abstract/2009/01000/Honey_Based_Dressings_and_Wound_Care__An_Option.8.aspx
[2] - https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/7841/cd005083.pdf?sequence=3
[3] - https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/sp-hht040606.php

Disclaimer: This article details only a high level of information about honey and medicinal aspects of honey. Direct consumption or application of honey without knowing the quantity or effects is not recommended. Please consult a medical practitioner before you start using honey as a medicine.

Previous articles in this series:
Honey as a Medicine #1 – Introduction to Honey and Types of Honey
Honey as a Medicine #2 - Quality and Composition of a good Honey
Honey as a Medicine #3 - Medicinal aspects of direct consumption of honey
Honey as a Medicine #4 - Using honey along with other homemade medicines