Apitherapy News Interview with Dr. Noori S. Al-Waili

Noori S. Al-Waili, M.D., is a New York-based physician and research scientist who has published more than 160 scientific papers, many dealing with the medicinal properties of honey. He is also a speaker at the 1st International Conference on Medicinal Uses of Honey, August 26-28, 2006, in Malaysia.

ApiNews: How did you first get interested in Apitherapy research?

Muslims believe that honey is a healer for human illnesses because it is mentioned in the Holy Quran: “And thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells in hills, on tree and in men’s habitations, then to eat of all the produce of the earth and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord, there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men, verily in this is a sign for those who give thought.” (Quran, 16:68-69)

In 1996, when I was in Sanaa, Republic of Yemen, working as an OBG specialist, I noticed that people applied natural unprocessed honey on postoperative wounds. The wounds healed without complication. This observation prompted me to study the possible effects of natural honey on wound infection following caesarean sections.

In 1997, I was invited to work in United Arab Emirates as a scientific advisor to the Islamic Establishment for Education, which included the Dubai College of Medicine, Dubai Pharmacy College and Dubai Specialized Medical Center and Research Laboratories.

I was fortunate enough to work with Haj Saeed Lootah, founder and chairman of the Islamic Establishment for Education, who was very interested in natural medicine and honey in particular. With his generous support, I conducted most of our published works on honey at the Research Laboratories of Dubai Specialized Medical Center.

My wife, Dr. Khelod Saloom has also supported me in my research and my sons are now working with me in the AL-Waili Foundation for Trading and Science.

ApiNews: What has been your main research focus?

As you know, honey is an old medicine and many people have worked on its effectiveness and safety. However, the main bulk of the published work focused on the effectiveness of honey as wound healer and antibacterial agent. On the other hand, we do believe that honey is good for all human diseases and illnesses. Therefore, our work was not limited to honey’s wound healing or antibacterial properties.

We have tested honey in wound healing, bacteriology, virology, mycology, cardiovascular systems, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dermatology, ophthalmology, surgery, renal physiology, hematology, and toxicology. We also used different methods of delivery, such as oral, conjunctival, topical, intravenous, and inhalation. The research included both animal and human experimentations.

ApiNews: What have been some of your key findings?

We studied extensively the effect of honey on many medical topics. We did controlled study on human patients that proves the healing and the antibacterial properties of honey.

A sampling of Dr. Al-Waili’s published research:

Investigating the Antimicrobial Activity of Natural Honey and Its Effects on the Pathogenic Bacterial Infections of Surgical Wounds and Conjunctiva

The Antimicrobial Potential of Honey from United Arab
Emirates on Some Microbial Isolates

Topical Honey Application vs. Acyclovir for the Treatment of Recurrent Herpes Simplex Lesions

Effect of Honey on Antibody Production Against Thymus-Dependent and Thymus-Independent Antigens in Primary and Secondary Immune Responses

Natural Honey Lowers Plasma Prostaglandin Concentrations in Normal Individuals

Natural Honey Lowers Plasma Glucose, C-Reactive Protein, Homocysteine, and Blood Lipids in Healthy, Diabetic, and Hyperlipidemic Subjects: Comparison with Dextrose and Sucrose

Intrapulmonary Administration of Natural Honey Solution to Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus or Hypertension

Effects of Honey on the Urinary Total Nitrite and Prostaglandins Concentration

Intravenous and Intrapulmonary Administration of Honey Solution to Healthy Sheep: Effects on Blood Sugar, Renal and Liver Function Tests, Bone Marrow Function, Lipid Profile, and Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury

ApiNews: You are scheduled to speak at the upcoming 1st International Conference on the Medicinal Uses of Honey in Malaysia. What points to you hope to make at the conference?

I will speak about recent advances in honey research. I will also emphasize the possible therapeutic effects of honey beyond its wound healing and antibacterial properties.

ApiNews: What do you see as future trends in Apitherapy?

I believe that bee products will be an important part of our modern medicine and researchers will discover unidentified ingredients and their potential usefulness in various aspects of medicine.

Honey is a medicine more than a simple nutrient. In addition to honey, pollen, beeswax, royal jelly, and propolis are all important and await further work to explore their biological and medicinal value.

Intravenous honey will become part of future intravenous therapy and honey inhalers will be useful for respiratory diseases. Honey and bee products will be the main component of dermatological and cosmetic preparations.

ApiNews: How may people interested in discussing your research contact you?

I may be reached by e-mail at: noori786@yahoo.com