A couple of weeks ago my wife was suffering from a bronchial infection (she is great health research for me) and she heard about some stuff called Manuka Honey.
I went to the local health food store and they told me there that Manuka honey is very popular and good for chest and breathing problems as well as other stuff. I bought a bottle of unpasteurized Manuka Honey for $26 (expensive!) and my wife used it.
My Experience With Manuka Honey
This weekend I seem to have picked up a bit of a cold and my wife has been giving me tea with the Manuka honey in it and it is good. I think it is helping but my own anecdotal evidence is not very fair so I found some info from a company called Honeymark and this is what they say:
Active Manuka Honey is used as a natural, therapeutic agent, both internally and topically on the skin. Apitherapy, the name given to treatment with honey and other bee products, has been used by many different cultures throughout history.
New Zealand Manuka Honey has enjoyed growing acceptance by the academic and medical world as of late, and reports of Manuka honey’s unique healing properties have proliferated in the press and media.
Manuka Honey is produced by bees that gather pollen from the flowers of the Manuka tree, which is indigenous to New Zealand. The honey making process is enriched by the pollution-free environment of New Zealand.
This special type of medical grade honey has been found to have extremely powerful healing properties.
It is only thanks to clinical research, predominantly in the last decade, that we are now able to explain many of the therapeutic effects of Manuka Honey when used for medical purposes.
Why Manuka Honey?
Honey has been known for its healing properties for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used it and so have many other cultures through the ages.
Even up to the second world war, honey was being used for its antibacterial properties in treating wounds. With the advent of penicillin and other antibiotic drugs in the twentieth century, doctors and other medical professionals were under the misconception that medicine was more effective than honey.
However, recent case studies have indicated that certain types of honey (such as Active Manuka Honey) have been more effective in treating certain ailments, even more so than antibiotics.
In all kinds of honey, hydrogen peroxide is produced from an enzyme that bees add to the nectar. It has been discovered that Manuka Honey seems to have the most healing properties due to plant-derived components.
Active Manuka Honey
Active Manuka Honey has been considered a remedy for many health conditions since ancient times. Manuka Honey is unique to New Zealand and contains non-peroxide antibacterial agents which can inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause slow healing wounds.
There is also a special UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating system for Manuka honey, also known as the Active+ rating.
Here are the ratings you will see on the Manuka Honey bottle:
- 0-4 Not detectable
- 5-9 Low levels
- 10-15 Useful levels
- 16+ Superior high grade levels
What Is Manuka Honey Good For
Treatment of bacteria – look for a higher Active level 10+
Sore throat – You can mix this with lemon essential oil and take three times a day
Acne and Eczema – Manuka Honey and Tea Tree oil
MRSA – The antibiotic power of Manuka Honey is great treatment for MRSA
Treating cuts and scrapes – Manuka honey’s Antibiotic power is great for treating cuts and wounds
You can take up to a tablespoon a day of the most active types of Manuka Honey and a great way is to take a teaspoon twice a day to space out the beneficial effects, again with lemon essential oil is a nice compliment.
Medical Research on Manuka Honey
Dr Peter Molan, Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Waikato, has proven the natural antibacterial properties of Active Manuka honey during a decade of research at the university’s Honey Research Unit.
In laboratory tests, Active Manuka Honey inhibited the growth of bacteria which causes many skin infections including antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA and VRE.
Recent clinical trials at Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, showed skin infections and wounds infected by “Golden staph” and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria responded well to Active Manuka Honey dressings.
The leading authority on medical research on Manuka Honey is the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
Dr. Peter Molanore, is the director of the unit and has devoted the majority of his career to understanding the properties of Manuka Honey and its varied applications.
The Honey Research Unit has a very informative website which is essential reading for anyone interested in the applications of this incredibly diverse natural resource.
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