UK Hospitals Use Honey Used to Beat Superbugs

When Antibiotics Fail, Nurses Turn to Maggots and Manuka Honey to Beat Superbugs
By David Gutierrez, Natural News, 11/12/2009

(NaturalNews) Faced with a growing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, hospitals in the United Kingdom are adopting traditional medicinal techniques to fight infection, such as maggots and honey.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other drug-resistant infections kill or hasten the death of 8,000 British patients per year, while MRSA now kills more people in the United States annually than AIDS.

At the Royal United Hospital in Bath, England, many wounds are now being disinfected with Manuka honey rather than pharmaceutical antibiotics.

"Honey has been used in healing for centuries, but now new products have overcome the problems associated with using conventional honey and bring it into a modern healthcare setting," said the hospital's Kate Purser.

Honey is one of the oldest forms of medicine known, and was employed both as food and antibiotic by the ancient Egyptians and, more recently, by German doctors during World War I. Its high sugar content means that the water in honey is almost chemically inert, making it unavailable for the growth of bacteria, fungi or viruses. A naturally occurring enzyme known as glucose oxidase also makes honey acidic enough to create a hostile environment for most bacteria.

The honey used by Royal United Hospital is not the same as the honey found on supermarket shelves, however. The honey is a variety known as Manuka honey, which is produced from the manuka plant, native to New Zealand. This honey is then irradiated to kill any trace bacterial spores...

Video: Blockade Turns Gazans to Bee Venom Therapy

Anti-Bacterial Activity of Chestnut Honey Related to Aqueous Phase

Inhibition by Chestnut Honey of N-Acyl-l-homoserine Lactones and Biofilm Formation in Erwinia carotovora, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Aeromonas hydrophila
J. Agric. Food Chem, November 10, 2009

Bacteria are able to communicate and coordinate certain processes using small secreted signaling molecules called autoinducers. This phenomenon, known as “quorum sensing” (QS), may be essential for the synchronization of virulence factors as well as biofilm development.

The interruption of bacterial QS is acknowledged to attenuate virulence and considered to be a potential new therapy to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria. N-Acyl-l-homoserine lactones (AHLs) have been identified as the main bacterial signaling molecules in Gram-negative bacteria.

This study evaluates the capacity of chestnut honey and its aqueous and methanolic extracts to inhibit bacterial AHL-controlled processes in Erwinia carotovora, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Aeromonas hydrophila.

This study is the first in applying liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to determine the QS inhibitory activity of honey against pathogenic bacteria…

The effect of chestnut honey and its aqueous and methanolic extracts (0.2 g/mL) on AHL concentration and biofilm formation in bacterial cultures was determined. The obtained results revealed their potential use as QS inhibitors or regulators of the degradation of QS signals, with the methanolic extract showing less inhibitory capacity.

Thus, the QS inhibitory activity of chestnut honey seems to be related to the aqueous phase, suggesting that the carbohydrate fraction contains an antipathogenic substance responsible for the inhibitory activity.

Meet the White House Honey Bees

A Bountiful Buzz
By Elisabeth Goodridge, The New York Times, 11/4/2009

A new type of visitor came to the National Mall this year, flitting past monuments and museums in favor of trees, flowers and plants. But this wasn’t just some horticultural tour; no, this was work. Each day they were abuzz, gathering and pollinating before returning home to modest quarters with tremendous security near Lafayette Park.

Meet the White House honeybee…

Propolis Boosts Prostate Cancer Cell Death

Ethanolic Extract of Propolis Augments TRAIL-Induced Apoptotic Death in Prostate Cancer Cells
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2009 Nov 5

Prostate cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer in men. The ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) and its phenolic compounds possess immunomodulatory, chemopreventive and antitumor effects.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/APO2L) is a naturally occurring anticancer agent that preferentially induces apoptosis in cancer cells and is not toxic to normal cells.

We examined the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of EEP and phenolic compounds isolated from propolis in combination with TRAIL on two prostate cancer cell lines, hormone-sensitivity LNCaP and hormone-refractory DU145…

Our study demonstrated that EEP and its components significantly sensitize to TRAIL-induced death in prostate cancer cells…

The strongest cytotoxic effect on LNCaP cells was exhibited by apigenin, kaempferid, galangin and caffeic acid phenylethyl ester (CAPE) in combination with TRAIL (53.51 +/- 0.68 - 66.06 +/- 0.62% death cells).

In this work, we showed that EEP markedly augmented TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and suggested the significant role of propolis in chemoprevention of prostate cancer.

Flavonoid, Phenolic Acid Content of Egyptian Honeys Analysed

Determination of Flavonoid and Phenolic Acid Contents of Clover, Cotton and Citrus Floral Honeys
J Egypt Public Health Assoc, 2009;84(3-4):245-59

Authentic samples of clover, cotton and citrus honeys were selected and extracted from their hives placed in clover, citrus, and cotton farms. Their botanical origin was assured then they were extracted and analyzed for flavonoids and phenolic acids content.

Results showed that the lowest percentage of authentic samples was found in cotton honey. Moreover, 93.00% +/- 3.00 of pollen grains found in clover honey samples were for clover, 16.25% +/- 3.18 of pollen grains found in cotton honey samples were for cotton and 32.50 % +/- 10.60 of pollen grains found in citrus honey samples were for citrus species.

In addition, the flavonone hesperetin was found only in citrus honey samples with a mean content of 1.08 +/- 0.36 mg/100 g honey whereas, the flavanol quercetin was found in the three floral honeys. The phenolic acids (cinnamic acid and p-hydroxy benzoic acid) were detected in the three floral honeys with different quantities.

It is recommended to use honey as a healthy alternative to sugar; also, to use hesperetin as a floral marker of citrus honey.

Royal Jelly Recommended for Stress

Stress and Sex
The Philippine Star, 11/5/2009

MANILA, Philippines - Too much dedication toward one’s work can bring too much stress. And too much stress can greatly affect one’s health.

Some of the common problems experienced by people under stress include depression, hair loss, irritability, and obesity. It can also affect the immune system, thus people with high stress levels are more prone to diseases such as diabetes.

Aside from these, stress can also lower one’s libido. Since chronic stress affects the function of hormones (cortisol and epinephrine), it can also affect hormones involved in one’s sexual response…

Supplements with royal jelly and ginseng can also improve one’s ability for sexual intimacy. Energin 300, for instance, provides a high dose of royal jelly and ginseng.

It is now being prescribed by many local doctors who have seen remarkable improvement in their patients. A lot of doctors have already considered Energin 300 as a natural enhancer of health and wellness.

Manufactured by NOW Foods, one of the leading manufacturers of vitamins and food supplements in the United States, Energin 300 has the highest amount of ginseng among similar brands that help improve one’s overall performance if taken regularly. Trianon International distributes it locally.

The beneficial effect of Energin 300 was recently shown in a pre-launch trial among office personnel and employees, public transport drivers, call center agents, and students who reported improved virility and sexual potency after taking Energin 300, according to Trianon marketing manager Charles Cultura.

Majority of the subjects also reported overall improvement in physical and mental performance, and ability to fight stress, he said…

Water Extract of Propolis Shows Higher Antimicrobial, Anti-Cancer Activity

Trigona laeviceps Propolis from Thailand: Antimicrobial, Antiproliferative and Cytotoxic Activities
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2009;37(5):855-865

Propolis is one of the natural bee products which has long been used as a crude preventative and prophylactic medicine, and has been reported to possess antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and anticancer properties.

Propolis of the stingless bee, Trigona laeviceps, was extracted by water or methanol at 35% (w/v) yielding a crude water or a methanolic extract at 60 and 80 mg/ml, respectively, which is 17.1 and 22.9% (w/w) of the total propolis, respectively.

The antimicrobial activity of both crude extracts was assayed on four selected pathogenic microbes by using the agar well diffusion method. The results suggested that both water and methanolic crude extracts have some antimicrobial activities, water extract has greater antimicrobial activity than methanolic extract…

Antiproliferative and cytotoxic affects were tested on the colon carcinoma cell line, SW620, using the three parameters: (1) MTT assay; (2) cell morphology; and (3) the fragmentation of genomic DNA.

The water extract of propolis showed a higher antiproliferative activity than that of methanolic extract to SW620 cells, additionally both appeared to cause cell death by necrosis.

Honey Blamed for UK Baby’s Botulism Paralysis

Honey On a Dummy Could Have Killed Tot
By Myra Philp, The Sun (UK), 11/4/2009

The baby fighting for his life with botulism could have caught it from sucking a dummy which had been dipped in honey, it emerged last night.

Little Logan Douglas was left paralysed by a potentially deadly toxin - one of the most poisonous known to man.

It can be caught from food including honey - often used to soothe kids - which has carried a health warning since 1978 saying it should not be given to tots under a year old.

Last night Logan was on a ventilator in Edinburgh Sick Kids hospital where he was taken after being admitted to hospital in Kirkcaldy six weeks ago…

Botulism is extremely rare and medics at first failed to spot the reason for Logan's paralysis…

It can be contracted in food and in wounds or it can form and release a toxin in the gut of babies.

Infant botulism was discovered in 1976. There have been just six cases in the UK - one where a baby was fed honey in water - but none in Scotland until now.

The Health Protection Agency Scotland said there have been no food cases since their records started in 1983 and only one where a wound was involved.

The last recorded case of infant botulism in the UK was in England in 2001.

A baby girl, aged just four months, contracted the disease on holiday in Spain. It took over a month for her to be taken off a ventilator.

Since 1976, over 1,000 cases of infant botulism have been reported worldwide, most of them in America…

Testing for Propolis Allergy Recommended

The Importance of Propolis in Patch Testing - A Multicentre Survey
Contact Dermatitis, 2009 Nov;61(5):287-90

Background: Propolis is widely used in 'natural' cosmetics, remedies, and over-the-counter products. The incidence of propolis allergy is increasing, and cross-reaction with fragrance mix I (FMII), colophonium, and Myroxylon pereirae can occur.

Objectives: To find out the prevalence and clinical relevance of positive patch tests to propolis and assess cross-reactions with Myroxylon pereirae, colophonium, FMI, and beeswax…

Results: The prevalence of propolis allergy was 1.9% (55/2828). Out of these 55 subjects, only 4 (7.2%) were allergic to beeswax, 22 (40%) to Myroxylon pereirae, 15 (27.2%) to colophonium, and 6 (10.9%) to FMI. Additional data for 41 propolis allergic subjects were collected by questionnaire. Hands were the most common sites of involvement, and cosmetics were the most common source of contact. Eight out of 12 subjects reported improvement in eczema following avoidance of propolis.

Conclusions: Propolis is an important allergen of increasing frequency and its inclusion in BCDS baseline series is appropriate. Cross-sensitivity to beeswax is rare.

Video: Oregon Volunteers Get Bee Beards

Volunteers from the Portland area offered their services, wearing a beard of live honeybees at OMSI, while Canadian honeybee expert John Gibeau talked about what makes bees special during his visit to Portland on Saturday, 10/31/09. Gibeau works with honeybees in the film industry using his expertise on films like 'Wicker Man' starring Nicolas Cage. Video by Tim Brown, OregonLive.com

Honey Better Than Medication for Children’s Coughs

Do OTC remedies relieve cough in acute upper respiratory infections?
J Fam Pract, 2009 Oct;58(10):559a-c

Dextromethorphan (DM) for adults and honey for children provide some relief. DM may modestly decrease cough in adults compared with placebo. The data supporting zinc for the common cold are mixed. Antihistamines, antihistamine-decongestant combinations, and guaifenesin do not provide greater relief than placebo in adults. In children, antihistamines, decongestants, DM, or combinations of them do not relieve cough better than placebo.

Honey may modestly decrease frequency and severity of cough compared with DM or no treatment.

Propolis Relieves Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis

Effect of Brazilian propolis on Sneezing and Nasal Rubbing in Experimental Allergic Rhinitis of Mice
Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol, 2009;31(4):688-93

We studied the effect of Brazilian propolis on sneezing and nasal rubbing in experimental allergic rhinitis of mice.

A single administration of propolis caused no significant effect on both antigen-induced nasal rubbing and sneezing at a dose of 1000 mg/kg, but a significant inhibition was observed after repeated administration for 2 weeks at this dose.

Propolis caused no significant inhibitory effect on the production of total IgE level after repeated administration of 1000 mg/kg. The drug also caused no significant inhibition of histamine-induced nasal rubbing and sneezing at a dose of 1000 mg/kg.

On the other hand, propolis significantly inhibited histamine release from rat mast cells induced by antigen and compound 48/80 at a concentration of more than 10 microg/ml.

These results clearly demonstrated that propolis may be effective in the relief of symptoms of allergic rhinitis through inhibition of histamine release.

Darker Honeys Have Higher Antioxidant Activity

Profiling of alpha-Dicarbonyl Content of Commercial Honeys from Different Botanical Origins: Identification of 3,4-Dideoxyglucoson-3-ene (3,4-DGE) and Related Compounds
J Agric Food Chem, 2009 Oct 29. [Epub ahead of print]

The alpha-dicarbonyl contents of commercial honey samples from different botanical origins were analyzed as their quinoxaline derivatives using HPLC-DAD, HPLC-MS, HPLC-MS/MS, and HPLC-TOF-MS.

A total of nine such compounds were detected, of which five were previously reported in honey (glucosone, 3-deoxyglucosone, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 2,3-butanedione) and three were reported only from sources other than honey [3-deoxypentulose, 1,4-dideoxyhexulose, and 3,4-dideoxyglucoson-3-ene (3,4-DGE)].

An unknown alpha-dicarbonyl compound was also tentatively identified as an oxidation product of 3,4-DGE and was termed 3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3,5-diene (3,4-DGD). Only glyoxal (0.3-1.3 mg/kg), methylglyoxal (0.8-33 mg/kg), and 2,3-butanedione (0-4.3 mg/kg) were quantified in all honey samples.

Furthermore, analysis of the alpha-dicarbonyl profile of various honey samples indicated that certain alpha-dicarbonyl compounds are found in specific honey samples in much higher proportions relative to the average amounts.

The free radical scavenging activity as measured by DPPH method has also indicated that the darker honey samples such as buckwheat, manuka, blueberry, and eucalyptus had higher antioxidant properties compared to lighter-colored samples.

Royal Jelly Prevents Kidney Damage

Protective Effect of Royal Jelly and Green Tea Extracts Effect Against Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Mice: A Comparative Study
J Med Food, 2009 Oct;12(5):1136-1142

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective role of royal jelly (RJ) and green tea (GT) extracts on cisplatin (cDDP)-induced nephrotoxicity in adult albino mice…

The results indicated that no significant differences in MDA, GSH, BUN, and creatinine levels were observed among the control group and groups treated with RJ alone and GT alone. However, there was a significant increase in BUN and creatinine parameters after cDDP application in Groups II, V, and VI…

In conclusion, 100 mg/kg of body weight doses of RJ and GT provided protection against cDDP-induced nephrotoxicity, and both products can act as protector agents against cDDP-induced kidney damages.