Honey kills antibiotic-resistant
bugs
Chronic wounds could benefit from traditional medicine.
19 November 2002
KENDALL POWELL
Honey could help to treat wounds that refuse to heal.
Researchers seeking scientific support for honey's legendary medicinal
properties have found that it stops bacteria from growing - even strains that
are resistant to some antibiotics1.
Records of people covering wounds in honey stretch back to ancient Egypt. Until
recently it was believed that honey's syrupy consistency kept air out of wounds,
and that its high sugar content slowed bacterial growth. The new evidence
suggests that honey must also have other properties that kill bacteria. Compared
with an artificial honey solution of the same thickness and sugar concentration,
natural honey kills bacteria three times more effectively, Rose Cooper, a
microbiologist at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and colleagues
have shown. They are not sure what the active ingredients are.
Some types of honey, when diluted, form hydrogen peroxide, which kills bacteria
and can be used to clean wounds. But Cooper's team rules out the possibility
that hydrogen peroxide is the only force at play. Both pasture honey, which
generates hydrogen peroxide, and manuka honey, which does not, stop bacteria
from growing in the lab, they demonstrate. They used strains of Staphlyococcus
and Enterococcus that can withstand 'last resort' antibiotics, such as
methicillin and vancomycin. The microbes were collected from wounds and hospital
surfaces.
Honey may be antimicrobial because of enzymes secreted by the bees that make it;
alternatively, its activity could be due to its acidity or to chemicals from the
original plant nectar, Cooper speculates. "It's a traditional remedy that has
been overlooked," she says. "To reintroduce it, we must have evidence to support
its antibacterial and healing properties."
Andrea Nelson, a nurse researcher who has worked on chronic wound healing at the
University of York, UK, agrees. To convince sceptical doctors, clinical trials
must be carried out applying honey to patients' wounds, she says. Infected
wounds cause pain, result in extra time in hospital, are costly to treat and can
lead to complications and even death. Treating them has become a problem, as
prolonged use of antibiotics can result in the emergence of resistant strains of
bacteria.
"Clinical trials must be carried out," states Andrea Nelson of University of
York.
For this reason, other alternative remedies are also being explored, says
Nelson. These include iodine, silver-based compounds and 'larval therapy', in
which maggots are applied to the wound to eat away dead tissue and break down
bacteria.
While scientists continue to scratch their heads over honey's secrets, some
companies are already making sterilized tubes of honey and honey-impregnated
bandages for treating wounds. Cooper is careful to add a warning: "We're
not suggesting that anyone should rush out and buy honey in supermarkets to
treat wounds." The heat-processing of store-bought honey would probably
eliminate any antibacterial properties, she says - anyone with a stubborn wound
should seek professional treatment.
References
Cooper, R. A., Molan, P. C. & Harding, K. G. The sensitivity to honey of
Gram-positive cocci of clinical significance isolated from wounds. Journal of
Applied Microbiology, 93, 857 - 863, (2002). |Article|
© Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2002
Interesting Facts on Cinnamon & Honey.
It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is
produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept
honey as a "Ram Ban" (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey
can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.
Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right
dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly
World News, a magazine in Canada, on its issue dated 17 January,
1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and
cinnamon as researched by western scientists:
HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder,
apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It
reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack.
Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they
are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process
relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada,
various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as
you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey
and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.
ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and
night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of
cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a
recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when
the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and
half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week,
out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved
of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move
around because of arthritis started walking without pain.
BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and
one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the
germs in the bladder.
TOOTHACHE: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and
five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three
times a day until the tooth stops aching.
CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of
Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient
were found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within
two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any
chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said
journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.(By
the way. if you're taking cholesterol medicine STOP! They all contain STATIN
which weaken your muscles...including YOUR HEART and none has been shown to stop
heart attacks or strokes!!!!
COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take
one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three
days.
This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.
UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach
ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root. GAS: According to the studies
done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon
powder the stomach is relieved of gas.
IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder
strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral
attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large
amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight
bacteria and viral diseases.
INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of
honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.
INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains
a natural Ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from
flu.
LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken
regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon
of cinnam on powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4
cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old
age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the
chores of a 20-year-old.
PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of
cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash
it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples
from the root.
SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal
parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin
infections.
WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning one half hour before
breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and
cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the
weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking t his mixture regularly
does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat
a high calorie diet.
CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed
that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully.
Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon
of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.
FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of
honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body.
Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more
alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half
tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder,
taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 p.m. when the
vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body
within a week.
BAD BREATH: Long time ago people, first thing in the morning,
gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so
their breath stays fresh throughout the day.
HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder,
taken in equal parts restore hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast
with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!
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