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WHAT IS HONEY?
Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance produced by bees and some related insects. Bees produce honey from the sugary secretions of plants (floral nectar) or other insects (aphid honeydew) through regurgitation, enzymatic activity, and water evaporation, and store it in wax structures called honeycombs. The variety of honey produced by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the best-known, due to its worldwide commercial production and human consumption. Honey is collected from wild bee colonies, or from hives of domesticated bees, a practice known as beekeeping.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF HONEY
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Antiseptic
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Antimicrobial
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Antipyretic (reduce fever)
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Anti-inflammatory
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Anti-allergent
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Antitoxic
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Antianemic
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Antioxidant
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Wound healing
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Blood-purifying
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Enhance immune system
How does honey help in the treatment of wounds?
Honey acts as both a chemical and physical barrier against bacteria. The high viscosity of honey acts as a physical barrier along with its antibacterial properties which prevent bacteria from entering the wound and thus preventing infection. Furthermore, the antibacterial properties of honey speed up the regeneration of cells which enhances wound healing. Source
Did you know?
Honey was used in World War I by the Russians and Germans to treat wounds. Germans combined honey with cod liver oil to treat ulcers, burns, fistulas and boils. Nearly all types of wounds like abrasion, abscess, amputation, bed sores /decubitus ulcers, burns, chill blains, burst abdominal wound, cracked nipples, fistulas, diabetic, malignant, leprosy, traumatic, cervical, varicose and sickle cell ulcers, septic wounds, surgical wound or wounds of abdominal wall and perineum are found to be responsive to honey therapy. Source
How do the anti-microbial properties of honey actually work?
There are 4 mechanisms of the antimicrobial activity of honey which relate to 4 properties of honey
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High in Sugar Content, Low in Water Content
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Honey applied on wounds provide bacteria with an environment that is low in moisture, thus dehydrating bacterial cells. Without water, bacteria cells unable to properly function.
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Acidic Nature of Honey
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pH of honey is between 3.2 and 4.5, the growth of most bacteria are inhibited in acidic environments
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Hydrogen Peroxide produced by Glucose Oxidase enzyme in Honey
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Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria by destroying their cell walls
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Contain Phytochemical Factors (biological components found in plants)
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Different floral sources of honey were found to inhibit growth of intestinal bacteria.
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