Magic Manuka...the Honey Healer That's Being Sent in to Fight Hospital Superbugs
The Daily Mail (UK) 3/15/2008
Honey has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.
The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks treated sores with it and soldiers in the Second World War wrapped bandages in it to heal their wounds.
Today, honey can be found in wound dressings, creams, lozenges, tablets and in a jar.
Manuka honey, made from the flowers of the manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium) found only in New Zealand, contains ingredients that scientists believe boost its antibacterial properties.
It has been licensed for use in NHS hospitals, after Christie Hospital in Manchester trialled the use of honey under dressings on postoperative wounds, to fight the MRSA superbug in mouth and throat cancer patients in 2004.
All honey contains hydrogen peroxide, a disinfectant once used to clean wounds in hospitals. It is produced from the glucose oxidase enzyme that bees add to nectar,� says Professor Peter Molan, at the Honey Research Unit of the University of Waikato, New Zealand.
But a unique active chemical compound, methylglyoxal, gives manuka more antibacterial activity than other honeys…
• For fabulous manuka products see www.mailonsunday.co.uk/honey
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