Presentation on Use of Honey in Modern Wound Care

‘New’ Remedy – New Evidence

Presented at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) in Tampa, Florida (USA)
By Keith F Cutting, Principal lecturer, Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
International Board Member AAWC

Honey and wound Healing - the Story So Far:

* Positive findings - 17 RCTs, 1965 participants
* 5 clinical trials, 97 participants
* Effectiveness in assisting healing - 16 trials, 533 wounds (experimental animals)

Key Actions of Topical Honey:

* Anti – inflammatory
* Anti – microbial
* Debriding
* Deodorising
* Stimulates healing
* Promotes MWH

Key Points:

* Honey is readily available.
* All honeys are not the same and do not possess the same therapeutic advantages.
* Honey should not be considered as a generic term.
* Medical grade honey is filtered, gamma irradiated and produced under exacting standards of hygiene.
* Manuka Honey (Leptospermum scoparium) is superior to other honeys.
* Honey has a very broad spectrum of action.

Anti-bacterial Effect:

* pH, osmolarity, phytochemicals, H2O2
* pH between 3.2 - 4.5
* Low enough to inhibit E.coli, pseudomonas, salmonella and streptococcus pyogenes

Catheter Associated Infections

* Honey is safe, inexpensive, unlikely to select for resistance, and appears to be an effective prophylactic
RCT Medihoney v. Mupirocin - 3 X weekly application on catheter (haemodialysis) exit sites – infection rates
* n =101, Honey 51, Mupirocin 50
* Catheter Associated Bacteraemias, Honey 6, Mupirocin 5
* Medihoney has in vitro activity against multi resistant clinical isolates of MRSA, VRE and multi-resistant gram negative organisms including Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Does Honey Inhibit Biofilm Formation

* Up to 5 percent concentration artificial honey supported biofilm formation with reduced growth at 10 percent and above.
* Floral honey significantly inhibited biofilm formation at 1 percent
* Osmotic pressure alone not sufficient to prevent biofilm formation.