Excerpts from the article ‘Manuka Honey as Medicine’ by P. C. Molan, Honey Research Unit, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Despite the many published clinical reports of the therapeutic effectiveness of honey there is a tendency for some practitioners to dismiss out of hand any suggestion that treatment with honey is worthy of consideration as a remedy in modern medicine.

There has also been the long-standing suspicion in the medical profession of any remedy that has a reputation for being a "cure-all", and a suspicion of the claims made for the plethora of "alternative remedies" that are being promoted in modern times. Therefore many practitioners demand a much higher standard of evidence of effectiveness for honey than is the case for products of the pharmaceutical industry.

It was because of the reputation of Manuka honey in New Zealand folk medicine for its antiseptic properties that the research on it was started at the University of Waikato. This one bioactivity, the unusual antibacterial activity found in it, has made Manuka honey world famous.

The antibacterial activity of honey was first recognized in 1892, by van Ketel. The studies carried out on this since have been reviewed by Molan. It has been found that mostly the activity is due to the hydrogen peroxide produced enzymically in honey, but there have been some reports of minor additional antibacterial components.

Because of the tendency of many medical professionals to cling to the belief that only pharmaceutical products are of value, it is necessary to provide a higher standard of evidence of effectiveness than is usually provided to gain acceptance of new forms of treatment. Consequently, a clinical trial comparing honey with best modern practice for the healing of leg ulcers is under way at Aintree Hospital, Liverpool. Also there is a trial under way in the Ophthalmology Department at Christchurch Hospital using honey to treat blephatitis; in the Department of Oral Surgery at the University of Illinois, Chicago, using honey to prevent the development of dry socket after removal of impacted third molars; and at the Dental School at the University of Otago using honey to decrease dental plaque and gingivitis. A clinical trial is being discussed to investigate the use of honey in palliative care of cancerous wounds. Also, veterinary trials are being planned for treating mastitis in dairy cows, and for preventing gastroenteritis in pigs, chickens and calves.

Research is under way assaying the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in honey with a view to being able to select for marketing honeys with high levels of these activities, and to identify the components responsible for these bioactivities. Further research is still to be done to identify the components of honey that stimulate the immune response and stimulate wound tissue growth, and the component responsible for releasing bacteria from skin cells and mucosa. The development of assays for these bioactivities will allow selection for marketing honeys with high levels of these also.

Conclusion
The establishment by research that there are bioactive components in honey, and the wide dissemination of this knowledge, has led to a general acceptance that honey is a respectable therapeutic agent, and to a rapidly increasing uptake of its usage by clinicians as well as by the general public. The finding that there are multiple bioactive components involved in the therapeutic action makes it a much more attractive option to use the natural product rather than to attempt to identify individual active components and use synthesized copies of those.

Article submitted by Clotho Corp: U.S. Distributors of New Zealand Manuka Honey