Malaysian Hospital Treats Diabetic Ulcers with Honey

Honey for Diabetic Ulcers Being Treated at USM Hospital
Sulaiman Jaafar, New Straits Times (Malaysia), 10/27/2006

Diabetics and honey may seem an unlikely combination. But the sweet liquid from bees is working wonders on wounds caused by the disease that are being treated at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian.

The best results have been seen on those suffering from ulcers of the foot.

USM orthopaedic department head, Dr Mohd Iskandar Mohd Amin, said the anti-septic properties of honey make it a potent salve.

“We found honey to be just as effective as modern anti-septic treatment. It was also less painful for patients and wounds appeared to heal faster," he said.

A clinical trial in 2002 showed that honey worked as well as modern dressing, was cheaper and caused less pain when dressing were changed.

“There was also less smell from the wound and no allergic reaction,’ he added.

HUSM has treated more 1,000 diabetics with honey since 1996…

Diabetics wounds are washed with saline, smeared with a thick coat of honey and wrapped with gauze. The dressing is changed every three days.

"We used to apply local honey but patients complained of discomfort, probably because local honey is impure. This was solved by using imported honey available at supermarkets," he said…