Healing Honey for Wounds

By Casey Taylor, WCTV-TV (USA), 12/9/2008

Josh Pennington has mowed the lawn more times in his 63 years than he can count, but the routine chore nearly killed him when he hit a stone that wounded his leg. That wound just wouldn't heal.

"I do a lot of hunting and fishing outdoors where I could possibly get it infected, so that was always on my mind," said Pennington.

His wound was so deep it exposed his bone and nothing he tried for three years would fix it. Then, doctors at Georgetown University tried a new bandage infused with honey.

"As long as it's clean and it's healthy and it's showing progress, I'm with the program."

Medi-honey is a highly-absorbent, seaweed-based bandage soaked with a special kind of honey produced only in Australia and New Zealand. The honey is concentrated and provides an ideal environment for wound healing.

"It kills bacteria with some of the enzymes it has in it," said Christopher Attinger, M.D. with Georgetown University Hospital.

The acid in the bandage also helps lower the P-H level in chronic wounds for better healing. Unlike antibiotics, the honey poses no toxic effects or risks of resistance.

"We're starting to use manuka honey as a first-line drug as opposed to waiting to see whether other dressings work because we've had excellent success with it."

In just months, Josh's wound shrunk 95-percent…