Manuka Honey, the Natural Wound Healer

Honey from New Zealand provides what scientists believe to be the most efficient wound healing properties, capable of eradicating even the most resilient bacterial infections.

When it comes to health care products, consumers want to feel completely comfortable with the ingredients used. At a time when more people are losing faith in pharmaceuticals and leaning more toward natural alternatives, honey has become a desirable ingredient. With the FDA cracking down on pharmaceutical companies to disclose all possible side effects of their products, consumers seek refuge in the fact that honey has no negative side effects when used topically on the skin as an antibacterial agent.

Talk about track records...honey has been used as a wound dressing for over 4000 years. Recent studies have shown that the utilization of honey as a healing agent holds up better than more traditional dressing materials in its effectiveness in managing wounds.

Manuka Honey, which is derived from a plant that is native to New Zealand, has proven to be the superior type of honey to use for therapeutic purposes because of the existence of additional antimicrobial properties. Standard honey can lose its ability to destroy bacteria if exposed to certain conditions such as heat or light. It can also lose its effectiveness if diluted by wound fluid. However, Manuka Honey's antibacterial action is stable and maintains its potency when exposed to these elements. It also doesn't have any adverse effects on wound tissue the way other wound dressings do.

Manuka Honey's main claim to fame is its ability to destroy MRSA and heal Staph infections. As antibiotics are proving to be less effective against these resilient strains of bacteria, Manuka Honey is gaining popularity as a universal wound dressing for conditions such as skin ulcers, surgical wounds, pressure sores, chronic wounds and even simple every day cuts and scrapes. Medical professionals are even finding that Manuka Honey works wonders on 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

In addition to its ability to efficiently clear infection, Manuka Honey also has an anti-inflammatory action which helps to relieve pain associated with wounds. It's debriding action removes foreign matter and dead tissue from a wound, allowing for a clean healing environment that's conducive for the regeneration of new skin tissue. By osmosis, Manuka Honey draws moisture out of bacterial cells, in essence, forcing them to shrivel up and die.

As a general rule, Manuka Honey seems to work on hard-to-heal wounds where other conventional methods have failed. Manuka Honey has also been known to form a protective barrier around a wound, preventing it from becoming infected. Malodor is reduced or in some cases eliminated in more serious wounds become the microorganisms in the wound feed on the sugars in the honey and give off more pleasant-smelling gasses.

Another benefit to using wound dressings containing Manuka Honey is that a moist healing environment is created, which lifts scabs and dead skin tissue from the wound. This allows the wound to heal flush with the surface of the skin, preventing scarring. A scar forms when a wound can only heal below a scab, creating deformity. Manuka Honey also has the ability to diffuse deep below the surface of the skin which allows it to clear deep-seeded infection.

To overcome the messiness associated with applying honey directly to the skin, a company called Honeymark has developed a First Aid Antiseptic Lotion containing Active Manuka Honey which allows for a much more user-friendly application. "Manuka Honey has been proven to destroy the MRSA bacterium when antibiotics have failed," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "Manuka Honey inhibits the growth of bacteria better than any other substance that has been used to treat infection." Buonanotte cautions that only Active Manuka Honey should be used for wound care. Ordinary honey may not have enough potency to destroy the bacteria that infects wounds. nnnn