Gaining increasing exposure around the world, Manuka
Honey from New Zealand is becoming famous for its
natural healing and antibacterial properties, and
usefulness as a natural remedy for a variety of ills.
However much of the publicity and coverage of it in
the media has been generalist and omitting of
important points. There are a few key facts and points
that you should know.
Firstly, and maybe most importantly, NOT ALL manuka
honey is the same, and certainly not all of it
contains the levels of healing properties that have
made it so famous. This is simply as it naturally is
produced. Some of it is only the equivalent of
standard honey but with the manuka taste (which is
quite unique and flavoursome), and some of it only has
small amounts of the extra healing properties. That
leaves only a portion of the manuka honey produced in
New Zealand each year that actually contains the same
levels of extra antibacterial and healing properties
as that used in the research studies.
So how can you tell which is the genuine active manuka
honey?
The following criteria come from the New Zealand
Active Manuka Honey Association:
1. It has the name UMF clearly stated on the front
label.
2. It is packed into jars and labelled in New Zealand.
3. It is from a New Zealand company licensed to use
the name UMF.
4. It has the UMF licensee’s name on the front label.
5. It has a rating of UMF10 or more.
The term ‘UMF’ stands for Unique Manuka Factor, which
represents the extra antibacterial properties found in
some manuka honey over and above the hydrogen peroxide
that is common to all honey. Unfortunately the UMF
term is now frequently misused in advertising, so you
should look for it on the actual jar if manuka honey
for therapeutic use is what you are seeking.
Important Note: Honey, that is any / all honey, should
not be given to infants under two years old. This is
simply as their digestive systems are still
developing, and aren’t necessarily able to process
honey yet. Actually there is some debate whether it
should be a minimum of one or two years old before
honey is given, so we have gone cautious and said two
here. Discuss with your medical professional if you
have any concerns over this.
For those very minor cuts and scrapes that children
tend to get – where you would normally simply wash the
area and cover with a sticky plaster – use whichever
honey you have in the house and add a bit over the cut
after it has been washed, and also some to the sticky
plaster before putting that on. This will just help
the healing process, and one of the benefits of using
honey is the layer it leaves over a wound acts as a
barrier to prevent infection from entering.
For more major wounds, the unique natural antiseptic
and antibiotic properties of proper active manuka
honey aid with healing, and have a growing amount of
research to support its use.
What are the common uses for active manuka honey?
The most common, and where the most research has been
done, is for wound care / treatment. Not only can it
fight any existing infection in a wound, by creating a
‘honey barrier’ over the wound area further bacteria
are prevented from entering.
The range of amino acids, vitamins and trace elements
and easily assimilable sugars found in it have a
beneficial nutrient effect on new tissue growth.
Equally important for the new tissue growth occurring,
is dressing changes. A layer of honey prevents direct
contact between the dressing and new tissue, thereby
reducing damage or disturbance in the change process.
Due to similarities with its benefits in wound care,
two further common uses of manuka honey are the
related areas of burns, and leg ulcers.
On the internal use side, the two most common uses
would be for digestive problems, and coughs. A good
UMF factor honey can help with stomach or peptic
ulcers, bacterial infections in the digestive system,
and is even quite useful for diarrhea.
Honey has been used since ancient Greek and Egyptian
times for its healing properties. Now some modern
research and clinical trials are able to offer
supporting evidence for this very natural remedy.
By Robert Lewis. Robert helps promote genuine manuka
honey in the UK together with Manuka
Honey supplier The New Zealand Honey Shop. Their
website also contains further information and
research.