The Evidence Supporting the Use of Honey as a Wound Dressing

Link: The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds.

    Some clinicians are under the impression that there is little or no evidence to support the use of honey as a wound dressing. To allow sound decisions to be made, this seminar article has covered the various reports that have been published on the clinical usage of honey. Positive findings on honey in wound care have been reported from 17 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1965 participants, and 5 clinical trials of other forms involving 97 participants treated with honey. The effectiveness of honey in assisting wound healing has also been demonstrated in 16 trials on a total of 533 wounds on experimental animals. There is also a large amount of evidence in the form of case studies that have been reported. It has been shown to give good results on a very wide range of types of wound. It is therefore mystifying that there appears to be a lack of universal acceptance of honey as a wound dressing. It is recommended that clinicians should look for the clinical evidence that exists to support the use of other wound care products to compare with the evidence that exists for honey.

Comments

[Rebekah Gronowski]

For several years now I have been doing personal research into ancient healing methods (mainly in the Ancient Near East). I, too, came across the use of Active Manuka Honey which has been used by the Maoris for hundreds of years. The important aspect is that it must be Active Manuka of at least 16+ strength in order to be effective against MRSA.

I have always passed on the results of my research to my own Orthopaedic Consultant and we often discuss these methods. We have also discussed the use of silver in wound healing.

1) Honey - it is apparently the action of the honey on the exudations of wounds infected by MRSA which produces an enzyme in liquefaction which, in turn, produces Hydrogen Peroxide. As has been know for many years, Hydrogen Peroxide is a very effective antiseptic for wounds.

2) Silver - this was used by the Egyptians in the 2nd and 3rd Millennia BCE. They placed silver articles, such as spoons, on the infected wounds to heal them. It was my Orthopaedic Consultant who alerted me to the use of silver during my research.

It does show that old methods, however ancient (up to 7000 years old) still have relevance in our modern world. The Sumerians used Aloe Vera as long ago as 7000 BCE.

I hope this is helpful.

[Alastair Kinloch]

I had infection caused by an ingrowing toenail and made a mixture of honey and crushed garlic which I used to make a poultice held on by a sticky plaster. I think it was as effective as Savlon skin healing cream, which contains Cetrimide 0.5% w/w and Chlorhexidine Gluconate 0.1% w/w. Both honey and garlic have been around for a long time. Bees don't need fridges and garlic has an antibacterial action as shown in a Rough Science tv programme.

[David Kennett]

In Roman and Greek times, feet were anointed with various oils, herbs and honey. One wonders why? A friend contracted Golden staph as a result of a knee joint replacement and was hospitalised for weeks. Within 24 hours of applying Jarrah honey (from a Western Australian eucalyptus tree) to the soles of his feet, NOT THE WOUND AREA, the swelling had gone down. Into the bargain, he is on his feet all day, something he had previously not been able to do for many years due to severe arthritis. Possibly other honeys have similar properties - I would encourage anyone with golden staph or arthritis to try this simple treatment and welcome feed back.