Why is Manuka Honey All The Rage?

Harvested from bees that pollinate the manuka bush, this honey contains quite a few healing powers.  Honey has been used in wound healing for centuries. Herbalist have treated a variety of conditions from eczema, severe diabetic ulcers, mouth ulcers, herpes, to cuts on the skin. The idea is not so far fetched if you think of how penicillin is just fancy bread mold.

Applying honey to a wound protects it from outside stresses, be it stretching, drying, or contamination. Honey is naturally anti-inflammatory so they are great for difficult eczema cases. It also naturally absorbs bad odors from an infected wound. Being rather sticky in nature, honey binds to any damaged tissue on the surface of the wound and takes it away with it when the honey is washed off, leaving a perfectly clean surface.

What is unique about Manuka honey is it’s high level of antibacterial capability. It actively kills gram negative and gram positive bacteria.

Manuka honey is a wound healing super star! Research has demonstrated its ability to heal deep diabetic ulcers which even antibiotics cannot address. It is also being used in hospitals for severe burn victims to help with skin healing and prevent infections. More recently, manuka honey is applied to mouth ulcers that develop with chemotherapy treatments.

So why would you be interested in manuka honey? Ever had a cut on the knuckle of your hand that just won’t heal, or a deep cut or splinter wound that gets infected and remained sore for days? Manuka honey and a adhesive bandage will speed up the healing of that wound. I also like that fact that it is non-toxic. Kids put everything in their mouth, including a cut finger with bandage and medicated ointment on it.

I keep a skinny tube of hospital-grade manuka honey in my first aid kit for all the little nicks and scratches my kids get. Instead of going through half a pack of bandages per cut, We might only use 2 pieces before they move on with their exciting lives. Cut yourself while slicing meat or while gardening? Those wounds get infected quite easily. Manuka honey will prevent the infection from developing and allow you to have full function of your fingers in no time. There are so many other great uses for manuka honey, just ask me the next time you come in.

I love how nature provides us with so many healing gems.