Use of Wound-Healing Honey Common in Australia

Honey, It Shrinks The Pain
By Fran Molloy, The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), 6/22/2006

'There is no way I would let anyone treating me or my loved ones put anything except honey on our wounds," says Dr Shona Blair, a post-doctoral microbiology researcher at the University of Sydney.

Blair, who has been researching the properties of honey for more than six years, says there have been a large number of worldwide clinical trials showing that honey applied to various wounds has impressive healing properties.

Blair found that some types of honey are highly effective in killing many bacteria, including golden staph, (Staphylococcus aureus) - a major problem in hospitals because it is resistant to most antibiotics.

Honey also leaves infected wounds very clean, because of its ability to break down the "biofilm" found in many wounds. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, reducing pain, particularly in burns and ulcers. It also can reduce scarring.

Honey has been used as a remedy for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians wrote about its curative properties when applied to wounds; similar references have been found in texts from ancient Greeks, Romans, Mesopotamians, Chinese and Indians. But, ironically, it could be honey's history of long-term use and natural origins that have prevented it from being widely used in hospitals, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence of its efficacy.

Dozens of clinical trials and more than 150 medical journal articles have been published, involving thousands of patients using honey as a wound dressing. Findings have shown that honey is effective in quickly clearing existing infection, protects wounds from further infection, minimises scarring and also reduces wound odours.

Various studies show medical honey to be effective in treating a huge range of injuries, including surgical wounds, burns, infectious wounds, ulcers and pressure sores as well as eczema, dry eye, dental wounds and even nappy rash…