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(The following article was taken from the Spring 2000 Issue, Vol. 7, No. 1)
Establishing Honey as a Recognized Medicine
by P. C. Molan
Honey is starting to be accepted as a reputable and effective therapeutic agent by both practitioners of conventional medicine and the general public. This has been a consequence of increasing public awareness of both good clinical results from the use of honey for therapy and rational explanations for its therapeutic actions. To further establish the status of honey as a medicine, there must be a combination of written and laboratory research to obtain evidence and explanations for its therapeutic effectiveness, and medical practitioners and the general public must be educated about the results of this research. Increasingly the medical profession requires evidence-based decisions on therapeutic options.
There are many reports in medical literature of honey being used effectively as a dressing for wounds, burns, and skin ulcers: inflammation, swelling, and pain are quickly reduced; malodor is reduced; shedding of dead tissue is induced so that surgical removal is unnecessary; healing occurs rapidly with minimal scarring and no need for skin grafting; and infection clears quickly. Honey also creates a moist environment that promotes the growth of new skin tissue. Although a moist environment also favors the growth of infecting bacteria, the antimicrobial properties of honey prevent infection. Unlike other antiseptics, however, honey is not harmful to tissues, and actually speeds up the growth of new tissue to heal the wound.
Most practitioners have not been aware of a marked variation in the potency of antimicrobial activity of honey. It varies mainly because of differences in the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated, but sometimes because of additional antimicrobial components from specific plant sources. Honey from manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), for example, has an exceptionally
high level of plant-derived antibacterial activity; the most common wound-infecting species of bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, has been found to be particularly sensitive to it.
All common wound-infecting species of bacteria have been tested as sensitive to both types of antibacterial activity in honey, chemical and anaerobic. Clearing bacterial infection from a wound is essential to allow the healing process to occur. Recent tests carried out in collaboration with the Central Public Health Laboratory in London, UK, on many strains of multi-antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and Acinetobacter baumarii have shown that these bacteria have no resistance to honey. (These "superbugs" are a serious clinical problem because infections by them often cannot be treated at all with antibiotics.)
Honeys selected for mid-range levels of antibacterial activity have been used in all tests done to determine the sensitivity of wound-infecting bacteria species to honey. These honeys have tested as being ten to fifty times more active than necessary to completely suppress the growth of the bacteria tested. Although this may suggest that other less potent honeys would be suitable for use on wounds, it should be taken into account that honey is diluted by serum exuding from wounds, and that the depth of penetration to an effective level of antibacterial activity depends upon the strength of the surface activity.
Hydrogen peroxide generated in honey is responsible for some of the other therapeutic effects observed in wound treatment. It stimulates growth of the cells responsible for replacing damaged tissue and has an insulin-like effect on cells that should be beneficial to the healing process, since insulin aids healing when applied to wounds. Hydrogen peroxide also stimulates the development of new blood vessels, a key first step in tissue regeneration. It serves as a messenger between different types of cells activ
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
In Reply to: Honey probably has to be unheated to be effective. nmi posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:30:46:
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
thanks for that info, thats so interesting! Someone on another web forum claimed to make a paste with manuka honey and used it on her face- she claimed that it healed her acne. I didn't really believe her- but now I think I'm going to try it.
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
A friend of mine who had radiation burns went to an oncologist-radiologist-Naturopath.
She got them from radition treatments in the 1950's and her skin had never healed.
She went to different doctors and they keep giving her pills and such.
But, the Naturopath told her to put honey on it, and her skin healed.
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by Kathy C. on March 21, 2002 at 11:00:41:
How long did she say it took her and did the paste contain anything other than honey? BTW, Trader Joe's sells manuka honey... if I remember correctly.
In Reply to: My Honey would have a problem with that statement {nmi} posted by Tsar on March 21, 2002 at 06:01:29:
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
R.,
I have been reading We Want To Live by Aajonus Vonderplanitz and it seems there
is ample correlation from his accounts for your hypotheisis regarding Honey.
Mr. Vonderplanitz case is based on Uncooked Raw Honey, and a whole foods diet, yet
his account is so convincing, I was extremely tempted to abandon my entire diet
to date, and convert to the one he is promoting. I'm not
actually going to, but I am tempted.
We Want To Live Website Link.
Walking In The Light,
Gregory
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 13:54:04:
She said it took a week and her skin was quite clear (she had acne for 18 years)
1 tablespn of manuka honey (thin with a few drops of water)
1 tablespn of cornflour
add water until its a spreadable syrup
rinse face with warm water, massage honey mixture into skin, rinse it off with warm water (if you use other soaps, she said to use them first, as you want the honey residue to remain on your skin- however its not supposed to be sticky or anything)
I'm definately going to try this.
check out www.manukahoney.co.nz- I've been doing some additional research, this stuff looks awesome!
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by Gregory on March 21, 2002 at 15:24:23:
I subscribe to a native-nutrition yahoo discussion group, and one of its members is an MD who practices the same kind of a diet AV practices. She uses 100% or nearly 100% RAF diet for terminially ill patients, and she says that she consistently cures the "incurables" in them, with just the diet alone. She said that had helped some who chose to remain vegetarians or even vegans, but she said she had to involved many more things to achieve success. Perhaps, you'd like to join the group and learn more about it. Also, live-food is another good group. She is a member of that one too.
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by Kathy C. on March 21, 2002 at 16:28:55:
Do you happen to know what cornflour is there for? Just to keep the paste together or does it have some therapeutic value? For now I will try just honey.
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
Thanks, R.
Even the Bible says that God put everything man might need right here on the Earth.
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Honey probably has to be unheated to be effective. nmi posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:30:46:
I certainly agree, R!
Only raw honey will have all the stuff Mother Nature put in it preserved.
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Maybe you SHOULD convert posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 19:38:10:
It sounds very interesting. I'd like to join at least long enough to ask some questions
and evaluate for myself if it might be for me. I was disturbed somewhat that AV
claims that only California has the unadulterated dairy. I have not given the HF stores
in the area a through going over however, so things may not be as bad as he says. Please
send me whatever info you have via email. Thanks!
Walking In The Light,
Gregory
In Reply to: Purpose of cornflour in the paste posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 21:43:57:
I'm not sure of the value of the cornflour, she didn't say.
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by Gregory on March 21, 2002 at 15:24:23:
Out of curiosity I followed the link you posted and read through a lot of material on AV's website. I must say it was compelling and I'm guessing his son recovered. The sample chapters certainly left that subject hanging.
Have you noticed that just when you think you are on the right track with diet and the quest for wellness, something else comes along that sounds even better and bears looking into? We are never done learning, that's for sure.
AV's diet looks like a tough one to institute, though, because the foods would be so hard to come by for most people. Unheated honey would probably be a lot easier than raw butter if you could locate a local honey producer.
Thanks for sharing,
Nutmeg
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
Honey was used for ages as form of therapy.
The HOT milk with butter and honey, or HOT tea with lemon RUM and honey.
HOWEVER some people develop severe adverse life thretening reaction after drinking or consuming HONEY.
So not all is sweet like HONEY ...
In Reply to: Re: Maybe you SHOULD convert. - Hmmm posted by Gregory on March 22, 2002 at 10:10:49:
For a potential benefits to others, I'll post a link here and email to you other things if I find something else.
A good place to start with might be http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/. Quoting:
The primary purpose of this site is to provide information, articles and links on largely-raw traditional diets which include raw animal products along with raw plant (vegetation) products. Such diets have been repeatedly implicated in helping people (and animals) to achieve:
rapid recovery from chronic disease
rapid recovery from illness
greater health and vitality
greater stamina and robustness
normalization of body weight (gain for those underweight, loss for those overweight)
One of the site's links I think one should make sure to look at is Results of a Physical Exam by a Physician 8 Months After I Started an RVAF Diet. Here's another good one - Pleomorphism of Microorganisms and
Theories of Infectious Disease. Make sure you read articles pointed to in this article, for more information.
In Reply to: Gregory... posted by Nutmeg on March 22, 2002 at 12:22:25:
You completely correct. And unheated honey is a lot easier to get than raw butter. Networking with likeminded people makes this easier, though. There are source, and people share. But the prices are higher for raw products, as you might have imagined.
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by warning you on March 22, 2002 at 13:41:11:
People develop bad reactions to all sorts of stuff, so one always have to be cautious and alert.
In Reply to: Re: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by warning you on March 22, 2002 at 13:41:11:
R,
I like royal jelly, but it doesn't seem to agree with me. Within minutes my throat feels
scratchy and raw, like the lining has been stripped away.
This effect also occurs with honey
albeit at a much slower rate. Is this because it is "commercial" honey or am I doomed
to not be able to experience the wonderful effects the AV speaks about because of allergic reactions
to bee products?
WITL,
Gregory
In Reply to: Re: Gregory... posted by R. on March 22, 2002 at 14:00:49:
the standard practice of feeding sugar in the winter months. I know most commercial beekeepers do this. If the bees only had access to pollen from organically grown crops and orchards, and weren't given refined sugar, the honey would certainly be safer and healthier for us to consume.
I suppose we could take the raw cream and make our own butter in a jar like we did in elementary school. At the consumption rate of 1-2 sticks a day, though, we'd probably have to invest in a paint shaker or something, so we don't all develop repetitive stress disorder!
Nutmeg
In Reply to: Royal Jelly posted by Gregory on March 22, 2002 at 17:13:06:
Some people, including myself, are allergic to Royal Jelly. Someone once explained to me that if you are allergic to bee stings, which I am, you are liable to react to Royal Jelly. What I don't understand, though, is that i'm not allergic to honey. Maybe the allergen involved is missing fromm the honey. Does anyone know any more about this?
In Reply to: Royal Jelly posted by Gregory on March 22, 2002 at 17:13:06:
it seems like everything causes a sensitivity to
someone. I had a bad reaction to honey that was bought from
a bee keeper. I wondered if it store bought was cooked or
something to kill bacteria but maybe the bees fed on
something that bothered me.
VF
In Reply to: My main concern about the honey would be... posted by Nutmeg on March 22, 2002 at 17:34:26:
In Reply to: Royal Jelly posted by Gregory on March 22, 2002 at 17:13:06:
I wish I could help you with this, but my knowledge about honey is limited to what's already in this message thread. Perhaps, someone in the yahoo groups I mentioned knows more. Also, primaldiet is another yahoo group with AV on. Maybe he could help you.
In Reply to: Re: Royal Jelly posted by R. on March 22, 2002 at 18:58:04:
I was reading what Nutmeg had posted further down in the post. It may well be that sugar
is the culprit. I react strongly to sugar, and sugar definitely does the
throat-stripping stuff. I've only had Royal Jelly in those little ampules from China,
and usually perserved with alcohol (not my favorite preservative), so that may
also be a contributing factor. I'll take stock of whats available here in New York,
and if I can find some raw, uncooked, unheated, unsugared Honey, then I'll buy some
and give it a go. That and anything else I can find from AV's book. BTW, that website
really kicks ass. The last of my resistance is crumbling.
Sly devil. You knew that would happen.
Walking In The Light,
Gregory
In Reply to: Re: Purpose of cornflour in the paste posted by Kathy C. on March 22, 2002 at 11:26:05:
~~~8>
In Reply to: Establishing Honey As A Recognized Medicine posted by R. on March 21, 2002 at 00:10:35:
My Honey and associtated links.
Walking In The Light
Gregory
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