The Benefits of Honey: A Remedy for Sore Throats, Wound Care and More
(Page 2 of 4)
February/March 1999
By Nancy Eischen
What gives honey its healing capacity? A combination, it seems, of several factors: Honey’s acidity, or pH, is low enough to hinder or prevent the growth of many species of bacteria, although this acidity may be neutralized as honey is diluted, with, for example, body fluids from a cut or wound. Then there’s honey’s osmolarity, or tendency to absorb water from a wound, which deprives bacteria of the moisture they need to thrive. Hydrogen peroxide plays another big part. When honey is diluted (again, say, with fluids from a wound) an enzyme is activated to produce hydrogen peroxide, which, as we know, is a potent antibacterial (who doesn’t have a brown bottle of this stuff in their medicine cabinet?). Honey has also been shown to reduce the inflammation and soothe the pain of deep wounds and burns. And honey dressings won't stick to wounds, since what ends up in contact with the affected area is a solution of honey and fluid that can be easily lifted off or rinsed away. That means no pain when changing dressings, notes Molan, and no tearing away of newly formed tissue.
RELATED CONTENT
Poultry and pig, together at last on Thanksgiving. Recipe for bacon-wrapped roasted turkey...
Inherited obesity: A fat woman's womb may nudge her children toward becoming obese later on...
By making your own soap, you can get what you want without spending a fortune on natural products. ...
This glue-it-yourself project is perfect for the short-sighted and short-funded snorkler....
“Honey is an ideal first-aid dressing material,” he adds, “especially for patients in remote locations, where there could be time for infection to set in before medical treatment is obtained. It is readily available and simple to use.”
But honey’s healing powers reach beyond wounds and burns. There’s also evidence (some scientific, much anecdotal) to suggest that the antibacterial powers of certain honeys, in particular New Zealand’s manuka honey, may be effective against the Helicobacter pylori bacteria, the main culprit in many stomach ulcers. Doctors have yet to prove this, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give it a try in the meantime. Beginning and ending your day with a tablespoon of honey on a piece of toast may just calm the fire in your belly.
Some not-so-scientific research has also found that honey can speed alcohol metabolism to sober a person up. The high fructose content may help to relieve that morning-after hangover and the tired feeling that goes along with it. “Honey does not have to be digested before it is absorbed,” notes Dr. Susan Percival of the University of Florida’s Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. “It is already the two simple sugars, fructose and glucose,” which means, explains Percival, that the sugars from honey go directly to the bloodstream and can provide a quick boost when needed. Regular table sugar, on the other hand, is a disaccharide, which must be cleaved in two before digestion.
Along with fructose, honey enzymes enhance the digestive process to relieve indigestion. Daily use of honey creates heat and energy, wards off fatigue, and aids recuperative power.
