Manuka Honey

yazzine

Is on offer at costco until the 18th march at £7.99 for 2 x 340g of Queen bee Manuka honey 12+.

meritaten

Lugh_Chronain wrote: »

I'd like to look in to this a bit further as we are currently using manuka honey for wound care at work. Apparently, manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Also, Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff is currently looking at how manuka honey interacts with three types of bacteria that commonly infest wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Historically, honey has been used to treat a variety of ailments through topical application, but only recently have the antiseptic and antibacterial properties of honey been chemically explained.

This is very interesting though I don't know how reliable the above article actually is. At first glance it does appear fairly reliable though. I have however read previously that in New Zealand a researcher has actually come out and said that manuka honey may actually be useful in treating MRSA infections. Topical honey has also been used successfully in a comprehensive treatment of diabetic ulcers when the patient cannot use topical antibiotics.

I'm not doubting the above article on the whole by the way, I'm just a little sceptical as I can't authenticate it at this point, so not sure if it's 100% factual. The evidence does appear to tie in with what I've read previously though. I'm keeping an open mind in the meantime.

A question that has to be asked though is how do we know that this is good for you? What is the evidence?

I'm also not sure of all the marketing hype that surrounds manuka honey as well. People may just as well be taking locally produced honey for health benefits such as mentioned by Kitty. Local raw honey is sought after by allergy sufferers as the pollen impurities are thought to lessen the sensitivity to hay fever, for example. It may also be cheaper as well though can't say for sure as I've never bought either local honey or manuka honey, so I'm not sure of the price differences.

Local honey is much more effective in my view. esp for those suffering pollen allergies.
as for the effectiveness of honey for suppurating sores, ulcers etc - any 'healer' can tell you that honey is most effective here. whether it is 'local' honey or Manuka - honey is better than any anti biotic.

honey has many 'healing' properties - it soothes a sore throat and added to lemon helps heal a cold and a chesty cough. Nature has provided us with many things to help heal us - pity of it is, is that most people think that unless it comes in a tablet from the chemist, it doesnt work.
what they dont realise is that many of these 'tablets' are synthetic reproductions of natures healers!

how many people have bought Beechams 'Honey and Lemon' powders when they have a bad cold or flu - without realising if they bought a jar of honey and a couple of lemons, they would have a far more effective remedy than the expensive powders?
one teaspoon of honey and a slice of lemon in a mug topped up with boiling water then supped when cool enough - how hard is that to do? and much nicer and more comforting for the patient!

Lugh_Chronain

I would first of all like to point out that the practitioners mentioned in post #20 are actually practitioners from Waikato Hospital, Waikato, New Zealand. This information was taken from an article called Harnessing honey's healing power by Angie Knox from the BBC News website dated 8 June 2004.

Since then it appears manuka honey is being used elsewhere as well (well it is where I work) as I've also read that many medical professionals appear to be using Active Manuka Honey (the genuine sort) - and are apparently getting excellent results in patients with infected wounds that haven't responded to any standard treatment such as antibiotics.
And before I continue, why is it that some people are willing to pay more money for something that they have either no knowledge of or something that has either not been proven to work, or been proven not to work. Bloody alternative medicine!!

Do you know what they call 'alternative medicine' that has been proven to work?

Answer: Medicine

And what the heck is a healer?

It's also nonsence to suggest that local honey is much more effective than Active Manuka Honey. All honeys have an antibacterial activity, due primarily to hydrogen peroxide though manuka honey (and some of its Australian equivalent such as jellybush honey) contains a high level of additional, non-peroxide, antibacterial components. Some other types of honey have been reported to have some non-peroxide antibacterial activity though this is at a very low level. It appears that the high level of non-peroxide activity found in honey produced from the manuka bush in New Zealand is unique. Honey sold as manuka honey which does not have a measurable level of the non-peroxide antibacterial activity is thus likely to have been produced predominantly from nectar sources other than manuka. Also correlates with the information I've previously read. However, I've yet to varify this properly.

Though it has to be pointed out, none of the results being obtained clinically at the University of Waikato (or anywhere else) should be considered evidence that Active Manuka Honey is more effective than other honey nevertheless - comparative clinical trials will be needed to establish that. See here for more information.

And where is the evidence that lemon and honey heals a cold as there is actually no magic cure for the common cold! There is also no treatment that will shorten the length of the infection. Any current treatment only aims to ease symptoms whilst your immune system clears the virus. If anyone tells you otherwise then they are either lying or are interpreting the truth incorrectly, that is currently a fact as it stands! As it is, to date, there is no known cure.

It also a fact that even antibiotics won't kill the common cold virus as antibiotics do not kill viruses, so are of no use for colds. The most useful treatments are paracetamol or ibuprofen which will ease (not cure) fever, sore throats, aches and pains, and making sure you drink plenty of fluids. Paracetamol that is found in Beechams and Lemsip may also help alleviate systems though is most likely less effective than taking paracetamol on its own as the dosage will be less. There is also little evidence that cold remedies actually do much good anyway.

The information I read on New Zealand Honey Shop is interesting also, and appears fairly factual, though it also appears their main interest is a commercial one. I'll leave that for you to decide.

And also interesting to read on New Zealand Honey Shop: Manuka honey can work and can aid you in several areas, but bear in mind it is not a magic cure for everything. Can't agree more!

Though my final conclusion, after reading till my head hurts, is that the manuka honey sold on the high street or online is most likely no more effective than regular honey.