Honey I Healed A Wound

Honey has well known antimicrobial properties and these are increasingly being used in wound dressings.

Honey is a sweet, sticky bee product that has been valued by mankind for thousands of years as a food, medicine and offering to the Gods. It is difficult to trace its history as a medicine but we know it featured in wound treatments more than 4,500 years ago and it is still used in remote communities today. Early practitioners used particular types of honey for specific ailments. Early British records indicate that Prince Hal was treated with rose honey for a facial injury sustained during the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Many curative claims have been made for honey including treatment for digestive disorders, respiratory problems, eye conditions, baldness, drunkenness and burns. This item looks at the use of honey in treating wounds.

Wound Healing

Wound healing is a complex process in which new tissue is generated by a series of overlapping events. Modern wound dressings are designed to promote rapid healing. The development of an infection always disrupts the healing process. Underlying illness, a suppressed immune response or lifestyle factors such as diet or smoking can also slow the healing process.

Antimicrobial Properties Of Honey

The way that honey influences wound healing is not fully understood. It has long been known that honey prevents the growth of microbes. This is because of the slightly acid conditions and high sugar content that makes water unavailable for microbial growth. In addition some honeys produce antiseptic hydrogen peroxide on dilution while others are thought to contain potent phytochemicals but despite 20 years of research the identity of these components has not yet been revealed.

Research

Research shows that not all honeys are the same in their healing properties but honey is 3 –10 times more effective than a similar sugar solution showing that the sugars alone does not cause the effect. At present proper clinical trails testing the effectiveness of honey for wound healing are limited but urgently needed but there is some preliminary evidence for honey modulating activity of the cells involved in the healing process.

Using Honey For Wound Care

Using honey for wound treatment is becoming more accepted. The honey must not be contaminated in any way and should not have been subjected to high temperatures, which would destroy the active ingredients. Honey used commercially is sterilised by gamma irradiation before use. Medicinal products are strictly regulated and this includes specialist honey impregnated dressings that are rapidly becoming available in Britain.

From an original article by Dr Rose Cooper Beecraft Jan 2005