UK Nursing Journal Reviews Use of Honey on Wounds

Topical Antimicrobial Agents for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds
British Journal of Community Nursing, Vol. 14, Iss. 9 WCA Supp , 04 Sep 2009, pp S6 - S15

Chronic wounds are commonly observed in acute and community settings. The management of chronic wounds represents a significant proportion of health-care resources and makes up a substantial amount of contact time with community-based nurses spending approximately 25% to 50% of their time treating wounds.

Chronic wounds often exhibit increased bacterial burden that can negatively impact upon patients, reduce their quality of life and substantially increase treatment costs for health care providers. Antibiotic resistance has become a major medical and public health problem, and interest has been generated in the use of topical therapies to manage wound infection.

This article presents an overview of the historical use of honey, silver and iodine for the treatment of infected wounds progressing through to modern day use and the current evidence base for the use of these antimicrobial agents in the management of infected wounds.

Indian State Seeks to Promote Medicinal Honey

Medicinal Properties of Sikkim Honey Must be Leveraged as USP
United News of India, 9/14/2009

Gangtok, Sep 14: The Export Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) has suggested the state government to leverage the medicinal properties of honey produced in Sikkim as its Unique Selling Proposition.

''Considering that Sikkim is home to a wide range of medicinal plants grown in the wild, honey produced in Sikkim has been found to have medicinal properties and at times, rare ingredients. Further, honey produced from high altitude flora is being considered to be of better quality. These factors need to be leveraged upon by the State as its USP,'' said EXIM Bank in its study report 'Sikkim-Export Potential and Prospects' released recently…

''Bees in Sikkim are reared for production of honey for local consumption and for pollination of orange, passion fruit, beans and mustard crop. The honey is superior medicinally because the bee collects nectar from the rich flora of Sikkim,'' the report stated…

Video: Honey Bees Use Wings to Blow Away Invading Ants

Honeybees 'Buzz Off' Tramp Ants
By Jody Bourton, BBC, 9/10/2009

Honeybees use their wings to 'blow away' marauding ants that venture too close to their nests.

Scientists in South Africa and China have captured this unique behaviour on film for the first time.

As the ants approach, the bees turn in circles and fan their wings with a force greater than when in flight.

This produces such a large force that individual ants can be blown off their feet, the researchers report in the Journal of Insect Behavior.

Cape honeybees (Apis mellifera capensis) are found in southern parts of South Africa.

Their nests are often invaded and damaged by a host of other insect pests, including tramp ants (Pheidole magacephala) hive beetles (Aethina tumida) and the greater waxmoth (Galleria mellonella).

But the researchers only came across the bees' defensive tactic by accident.

"I dropped some honey at the entrance of a honey bee colony by mistake," says Mr Ming-Xian Yang, a biologist at Rhodes University, Grahamstown in South Africa and Yunnam Agricultural University in Heilongtan, China.

"It was not long before the ants came, then guard bees started fanning immediately when they detected the ants."…

Dog’s Burns Treated with Honey

Lady's Recovery from Burns is a Miracle
This is Cornwall, 9/10/2009

A much loved Alsatian dog is making good progress after being terribly burned in a house fire.

Lady was buried under a blanket of flaming ceiling tiles, when the cottage caught alight.

Owner Cyril Bond, 77, managed to rescue his other dog Toby, but was forced out by the smoke when he tried to find Lady.

Fire-fighters eventually found her buried in the debris. She was taken to Rosemullion Vets at Camborne for emergency treatment, and is now undergoing long-term care at Cornwall Animal Hospital at Treleigh.

She suffered severe burns all along her spine and down one side of her body.

Amanda Manley, a vet at Cornwall Animal Hospital, said: "Lady had horrendous injuries, which became infected. We treated the burns with Manuka honey and we are changing her dressings every two days.

"She would never have survived without treatment. They are very painful injuries, but she's a very good-natured dog. She needs long-term treatment which we are providing at cost."…

Bee Venom Component 100 Times More Potent Than Hydrocortisone

Can ‘Nanobees’ Sting Tumors to Death?
By Afifa Jabeen Quraishi, The Saudi Gazette, 9/12/2009

US researchers have recently developed tiny artificial “nanobees”, which are armed with a cancer-killing toxin found in bee venom, that literally sting tumors to death. Tested on mice, after four to five injections of the Melittin-carrying nanobees over several days, the growth of breast cancer tumors in the mice was slowed by nearly 25 percent. Melanoma (skin cancer) tumors shrunk in size by 88 percent.

Saudi Gazette asked Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., a Professor at the Nanotechnology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota - via an email interview - the scope and implications of this research.

“The main propose of this work is to deliver toxic drugs into the tumors in a targeted manner and side by side to overcome drug resistance of the tumor cells. In this regard, the authors made use of Melittin, a water-soluble peptide derived from the venom of the honeybee and formed a nanoemulsion-peptide complex.

Melittin is highly toxic to the cells and disrupts the cellular membrane, killing the cells. If the cancer cells come closer to the Melittin, its membrane will be broken down; therefore the traditional mechanisms of cancer resistance cannot happen,” explained Mukhopadhyay.

“The uniqueness of the paper,” he continued, “is that the authors developed the nanoemulsion and put a tumor targeting agent that helps to deliver this highly toxic drug straight to the tumor mass and bypass the toxic effect of the venom. Therefore, the authors claimed that this nanoemulsion-peptide could kill the cancer cells precisely without damaging normal cells.”

The research also brings into focus the powerful bee toxin – Melittin - and its use in disease treatment.

“In several parts of Asia, such as, China and Korea, Bee Venom therapy (BVT) has been used for several diseases such as multiple sclerosis to relieve the symptoms associated with disease. Melittin is a powerful anti-inflammatory substance as well and may be 100 times more potent than hydrocortisone…

Mystery of Green Honey Solved

Green Honey a Surprise
By Linda Copeland, Sequoyah County Times, 9/11/2009

After seeing the “Bee Movie” and talking to a beekeeper Gabriel Timmerman, 7, of Sallisaw wanted to start a hive of his own.

“I thought the bees were cool and I wanted the honey from them,” Timmerman said.

Timmerman said he and his grandpa, David Rogers, harvested their first honey in August.

“I didn’t know what to think when I saw the green honey. It tasted like honey,” Timmerman said.

“We didn’t know what it was. I showed it to a beekeeper up in Tulsa and he had never seen anything like it before either,” Rogers said.

Rogers said that they think they have solved the mystery of the green honey…

See: Online Excerpts from Russian Apitherapy Book Explain ‘Express’ Method of Medicinal Honey Production

Nanofiltration Efficient at Concentrating Propolis Extracts

Concentration of Flavonoids and Phenolic Compounds in Aqueous and Ethanolic Propolis Extracts Through Nanofiltration
Journal of Food Engineering, Article in Press

Propolis has a variable and complex chemical composition with high concentration of flavonoids and phenolic compounds present in the extract. The extract varies with the solvent used in extraction. Ethanol extracts more phenolic acid and polar compounds than water.

Before their use in industry, extracts must be concentrated but the use of high temperatures can degrade some compounds. Membrane processes is an option that allows concentration at low temperatures.

Nanofiltration was carried out with aqueous and ethanolic extracts and each extract results in two distinct fractions: permeate and retentate. The capacity of the membrane to retain the compounds was verified by spectrophotometric analysis…

Thus, the nanofiltration process showed high efficiency in the concentration of propolis extracts.

Case Study: Bee Venom Therapy Used to Treat Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Dr. B. Kaviani
E-Mail: b.kaviani@dpiranian.com

A 36-year-old female came to me from Kuwait. The lady was diagnosed with GBS (Guillain-Barre syndrome) four years earlier with numbness and paralysis in her legs and arms. Severe fatigue, prolonged confinement in bed at a regional hospital in Kuwait made her disabled, despite being active previously as a teacher. Different medications were used for the patient during her stay in hospital, such as IVIG and chemotherapy with antineoplastic medication.

After performing our routine tests, we started Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) with live honey bees and assessed its results. Due to her limited stay in Tehran, we followed a condensed program for achieving the most possible acceptable results. (See: http://www.apitherapy.ir/)

BVT causes nausea, chills and increased body temperature, and sleeping disturbance due to a systemic reaction of the patient's body to the antigens of Bee Venom and could be compared to the reaction to a routine vaccination. The duration of these symptoms is between several hours and up to 72 hours. During this period, the patient should drink plenty of water. (Bee Venom and all other natural toxins have protein structural and water-soluble base). In this regard it is necessary to make sure that the patient's kidneys are working well before starting BVT. Therefore, we performed tests such as clearance of creatinine. After the initial treatment, the patient needs a complete rest without BVT for a week.

The following results were obtained after BVT and gradually increased during the past three years from her first visit (26-12-2007) until now:

1. Increasing the feeling of her affected limbs (legs and arms) as though the patient has feeling of warmness and blood moving in her limbs.
2. Decreasing the movement hindrance in her legs
3. Decreasing the fatigue
4. Increase of appetite

Now the patient is completely active and able to work in a tropical area such as Kuwait.

Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly Recommended for Chronic Fatigue

The Antidote for Celiac Related Chronic Fatigue, a Super Food Recipe
By Lorinda Hill, LA Gluten Free Examiner, 9/8/2009

Royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition of the queen bee. As a panacea used for thousands of years, it dates back to ancient Egypt. After harvesting from the hive it must be preserved carefully, and used fresh. Royal jelly contains vitamins A, C, D, E, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12. It is also a good source of folic acid, and amino acids. These amino acids are essential for growth and repair of our cells and tissues and are thought to be of great importance in helping combat 'free radicals' in the body.

Bee pollen is velvety sweet and loaded with more than 96 nutrients. It is sometimes called the perfect food.

The final mixture looks like chocolate icing, You can spoon it into paper muffin cups if you do not have the silicon baking cups.

4 tbsp Seabiotics
4 tbsp raw cacao powder
4 tbsp Shilajit (or more if you like)
½ cup royal jelly
3 tbsp raw honey (or to taste)
Bee pollen—Enough to cover (approximately 1 tsp/serving)

Mix first three ingredients together first, the cacao and shilajit will dissolve easily in the Seabiotics®. Add the royal jelly, and then honey to taste. Spoon into silicone or paper cups; sprinkle a layer of bee pollen on top. Put in covered bowl or dish and freeze. Make sure you freeze it in an airtight container so that it says fresh tasting. This recipe makes 12 or more servings. One serving of "The Antidote" each morning wakes you up! One word of caution, some individuals can be highly allergic to bee products.

Apitherapy Conference in Thailand Nov. 11-14

New Manuka Honey Standards to be Announced

Progress on Manuka Honey Standards
Radio New Zealand, 9/8/2009

A group set up to resolve arguments over labelling and testing standards in the manuka honey industry plans to have a proposal ready within two or three months.

Manuka sells for a premium over other types of honey because of its unique antibacterial properties, but the industry is divided over how that antibacterial activity should be measured and described on honey products.

The steering group of honey exporters was formed after a meeting called at Parliament earlier this year to address the conflict…

Meanwhile, Waikato University will launch a new consumer standard for manuka honey this month, which it says will update and improve what is currently used…

Medical Benefits of Sidr Honey from Yemen

YemenSidrHoney.com

Natural Arphrodisiac - Mixing Sidr honey with carrot seeds makes it an aphrodisiac. A blend of the honey with certain combination of nuts, ginseng and herbs are claimed to be better than Viagra, with no side effects.

Antioxidant - Some honesy are found to have as much as 75-150 mg ascorbic acid per 100g, while others have less than 5mg per 100g. Antioxidants are important in counteracting the damage caused to the body by ree radicals whic play a role in the aging process and in triggering diseases such as arterial disease and cancer. Research has found that darker honeys have higher antioxidant properties.

Antibacterial - Medical science is rediscovering the effctiveness of honey in the use of alternative therapies in areas where the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (the"superbugs") spreads. Honeys may differ in the potency of its antibacterial activity thus affecting its healing abilities. Some honeys are no more antibacterial than sugar, while others can be diluted more than 100-fold and still halt the growth of bacteria.

Kuwaitis Use Honey to Ward of Swine Flu

Kuwait Honey Sales Rise on Swine Flu Fears
By Elsa Baxter, Arabian Business, 9/8/2009

Honey sales in Kuwait rose 20 percent last month as people concerned about the spread of swine flu attempted to boost their immune system naturally.

Traditional medicine expert Youssef Al-Faresi told KUNA news agency that people were taking honey to ward off the H1N1 virus because of a lack of official vaccines…

Manuka Honey Kills Superbugs by Destroying Bacterial Proteins

Manuka Honey Inhibits MRSA Infections by Killing Bacterial Proteins
News-Medical.net, 9/7/2009

Manuka honey may kill bacteria by destroying key bacterial proteins. Dr Rowena Jenkins and colleagues from the University of Wales Institute - Cardiff investigated the mechanisms of manuka honey action and found that its anti-bacterial properties were not due solely to the sugars present in the honey. The work was presented this week (7-10 September), at the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was grown in the laboratory and treated with and without manuka honey for four hours. The experiment was repeated with sugar syrup to determine if the effects seen were due to sugar content in honey alone. The bacterial cells were then broken and the proteins isolated and separated on a system that displayed each protein as an individual spot. Many fewer proteins were seen from the manuka honey-treated MRSA cells and one particular protein, FabI, seemed to be completely missing…

"Manuka and other honeys have been known to have wound healing and anti-bacterial properties for some time," said Dr Jenkins, "But the way in which they act is still not known. If we can discover exactly how manuka honey inhibits MRSA it could be used more frequently as a first-line treatment for infections with bacteria that are resistant to many currently available antibiotics".

Nutritionist Recommends Honey for Athletes

Show Me the Honey: UCD Nutritionist Thinks Bees are Sweet
By Daily Democrat, 9/6/2009

"I recommend honey -- honey should be part of a good refueling strategy," nationally renowned nutritionist and fitness expert Liz Applegate of UC Davis, told beekeepers and scientists at the 31st annual Western Apicultural Society conference held recently in Healdsburg.

"I always have my athletes consume honey before and during strenuous exercise," said Applegate, director of sports nutrition at UC Davis and the nutritionist for the Oakland Raiders.

"Honey works," she said.

Applegate, a member of the UCD Department of Nutrition faculty, and a newly announced recipient of the 2009 UC Davis Distinguished Teaching Award, explained that the body manufactures and stores glycogen primarily in the liver (glycogen is found in lower concentrations in the muscles). During strenuous exercise, the liver depletes the short-term energy storage of glycogen in about two hours. "If you don't replenish it, it's like a runner hitting the wall or bonking," Applegate said.

"There's no glycogen in any food we eat," said Applegate, herself an athlete who lifts weights, runs and cycles.

Honey, a rich source of carbohydrates, "provides a quick source of energy," she said. It's easy to carry (in packets), easy to consume (no chewing), easy to digest and is easily assimilated…