Honey Better at Treating MRSA Infections

Honey Fights Infection
Irish Medical News, 11/10/2008

About one per cent of the population of Ireland stands to benefit from the healing properties of manuka honey, according to a study published last week in A Picture of Health 2008, which highlights 17 Health Research Board-funded research projects and their potential impacts.

The study by specialist wound care nurse, Ms Georgina Gethin, confirmed manuka honey is effective in treating painful leg ulcers. The study author said: “It increases the options available to patients with chronic ulcers. But don’t go out and buy your own – it must be medical grade honey which is sterile and safe to use.”…

In the first clinical trial of its kind, 108 patients received either manuka honey or standard hydrogel treatment. At 12 weeks, the wounds of those treated with honey were more likely to be healed than those treated with hydrogel.

Moreover, 16 of the wounds were infected with hard-to-treat methicillin resistant Staphyl­ococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Honey eradicated it in 70 per cent of cases, compared to only 16 per cent with hydrogel.