Horse owners have long used honey to promote wound
healing in horses, with New Zealand’s manuka honey considered the world leader,
but it could soon have a Scottish rival.
A new study has shown that Scottish heather honey proved
especially effective in fighting bacteria in a trial.
The study, published in The Veterinary Journal, was carried
out by equine surgeon Dr Patrick Pollock and colleagues at the School of
Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow.
A keen bee-keeper, Dr Pollock was interested to know if
honeys other than manuka might make effective anti-bacterial wound dressings.
Pollock said: “Although manuka has been the most studied
honey source to date, other honey sources may have valuable antimicrobial
properties, too.
“Honey is useful in equine medicine, particularly on wounds
to legs. There is not much fat on the lower half of horses’ legs, so can take a
long time to heal, or even never fully heal at all.
“Honey helps to promote healing, cleaning the wound and
keeping it infection-free. If vets were able to use locally sourced, cheaper
honey as a wound dressing, it would be very beneficial particularly in poorer
countries.”…
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