Honey
may reduce healing times in patients suffering mild to moderate burn wounds. A
systematic review by Cochrane Researchers concluded that honey might be useful
as an alternative to traditional wound dressings in treating burns.
"We're treating these results with caution, but it looks like honey can
help speed up healing in some burns," says lead researcher Dr Andrew Jull,
of the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Auckland, New
Zealand.
Honey has been used in wound treatment since ancient times. The mechanism of
action is unclear. While honey may help the body remove dead tissue and provide
a favourable environment for the growth of new, healthy tissue, current
interest in medicinal honey focuses largely on its antibacterial effects.The review brings together data from 19
clinical trials involving 2554 patients with a range of different wounds. Honey
was more effective in reducing healing time compared to some gauze and film
dressings that are often used to treat moderate burns. However, the researchers
were unable to show any clear benefits for the healing of grazes, lacerations,
surgical wounds and leg ulcers.
Honey Effective in Killing Bacteria that Cause Chronic Sinusitis
Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the
drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult,
according to research presented during the 2008 AmericanAcademy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck
Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, IL.
The study, authored by Canadian researchers at the University of Ottawa,
found that in eleven isolates of three separate biofilms (Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, and methicicillin-resistant and -suseptible Staphylococcus
aureus), honey was significantly more effective in killing both planktonic
and biofilm-grown forms of the bacteria, compared with the rate of bactericide
by antibiotics commonly used against the bacteria.