Photo Credit: Honey, originally uploaded by Blinc.

Honey is a potent antibiotic and antioxidant. Honey has been shown to inhibit bacterial growth and in some cases, it is superior to antibiotics. It is extremely valuable in wound healing and may be able to avert amputation of an infected limb. It also has powerful antioxidant properties. Darker colored honey, particularly Manuka honey from New Zealand, has the most efficacious antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

Honey is a substance arising from the diligent enterprise of bees. From the gathering of nectar from flowers, the mixing of saliva, and the fluttering of thousands of wings to prevent fermentation, honey is the product of laborious love. The use of honey dates back to antiquity. In the 5th-4th century BC Greece, Plato advocated the use of honey in his dietary recommendations for its health and nutritional benefits. Honey was reputed to inspire artistic epiphanies and moments of poetic insight. In Egypt, honey was the most common medicinal. In fact, 500 out of 900 ancient Egyptian remedies incorporate honey as a main ingredient. The ancient Romans, Assyrians, Chinese, Greeks, and Egyptians utilized honey for gastrointestinal disturbances and wound healing.

Given that the use of honey, dates back to the nascence of civilization, the mechanisms by which honey exerts its illustrious effects are worth considering. Honey exerts an antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant effect, to name but a few. Undiluted honey has been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria such as S. aureus and the common fungus Candida albicans. In concentrations of 40% honey has been shown to inhibit bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio cholera. In concentrations of 30-50%, honey has been shown to be superior to many antibiotics in inhibiting growth from 9 urinary pathogens, which commonly cause Urinary tract infections.

Honey has also been extremely important in the treatment of surgical wounds, decubitus ulcers, and burns. In West Africa, the use of honey on non-healing ulcers was able to avoid amputation. A study in South Africa compared the use of Intrasite gel and honey for wound healing and found no difference between the two. Honey was shown to be as effective as the gel. However, the cost of the use of honey was 4% that of the Intrasite gel. The cost-effectiveness of honey is to be appreciated, especially with staggering medical costs and in communities with limited resources.

Honey is particularly useful against emerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Part of the antimicrobial property of honey is due to it high osmolarity. Osmolarity is the concentration of the number of particles in a solution. However, substances like sugar, which also have a high osmolarity, become diluted by body fluids when they are used as dressings for wounds. Honey has additional antimicrobial properties.

These additional antimicrobial properties are highly dependent on the floral origin and processing of the honey. Manuka honey from New Zealand has extremely high antimicrobial properties because of a unique phytochemical. In contrast, pasture honey has antimicrobial properties due to hydrogen peroxide in the honey. Hydrogen peroxide is deactivated by the enzyme catalase. In darker colored honey; such as Manuka honey, catalase had no effects on the inhibition of bacterial growth. Of importance is that in human blood and tissues, hydrogen peroxide is easily metabolized and deactivated by the enzyme catalase. Therefore, for use in human beings, Manuka honey may prove to be more clinically relevant. Aside from hydrogen peroxide, other antimicrobial substances in honey include flavenoids and phenols.

Phenols are also the major antioxidant component of honey. Honeys from different sources contain different antioxidant capacities. Darker honey, such as buckwheat honey has the highest antioxidant capacity. A study looked at the antioxidant and reducing capacity of human plasma after consumption of corn syrup versus buckwheat honey. The corn syrup contained 0.2mg of phenolic acid per gram and the buckwheat honey contained 0.8-1.7mg of phenolic acid per gram. After consumption of honey, plasma phenolic acid concentration increased significantly as did oxygen reducing and antioxidant capacities. This suggests that the antioxidants found in honey are available for the body to use.

Of note: honey should not be fed to infants because of risk of ingestion of bacterial spores which can cause Infant botulinum.

References:

1. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
   
2. Pub Med
3. Pub Med
4. South African Medical Journal
5. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry
6. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry
7. ScienceDirect
8. Pub Med