Posted on 09/15/2009 8:07:49 PM PDT by neverdem
Manuka honey may kill bacteria by destroying key bacterial proteins. Dr Rowena Jenkins and colleagues from the University of Wales Institute - Cardiff investigated the mechanisms of manuka honey action and found that its anti-bacterial properties were not due solely to the sugars present in the honey. The work was presented this week (7-10 September), at the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
Meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was grown in the laboratory and treated with and without manuka honey for four hours. The experiment was repeated with sugar syrup to determine if the effects seen were due to sugar content in honey alone. The bacterial cells were then broken and the proteins isolated and separated on a system that displayed each protein as an individual spot. Many fewer proteins were seen from the manuka honey-treated MRSA cells and one particular protein, FabI, seemed to be completely missing. FabI is a protein that is needed for fatty acid biosynthesis. This essential process supplies the bacteria with precursors for important cellular components such as lipopolysaccarides and its cell wall. The absence of these proteins in honey-treated cells could help explain the mode of action of manuka honey in killing MRSA.
"Manuka and other honeys have been known to have wound healing and anti-bacterial properties for some time," said Dr Jenkins, "But the way in which they act is still not known. If we can discover exactly how manuka honey inhibits MRSA it could be used more frequently as a first-line treatment for infections with bacteria that are resistant to many currently available antibiotics".
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For years I had a persistent condition on the skin of my shin that no doctor could successfully treat. Eventually the symptoms worsened, including the formation of blisters (which, alarmingly, is a symptom of gangrene!). Some mornings I would wake up to find the area warm to the touch, and a very disturbing indentation in the flesh of my shin.
In desperation I ordered a jar of manuka honey from a vendor in New Zealand (having heard about it somewhere), and applied it for a couple of days over the skin.
Within a few days the symptoms abated, and today I have only a slight discoloration of the skin as a reminder of that scary multi-year episode.
Hopefully my experience will be of benefit to someone else.
I used raw honey on a bug bite on my foot that went into MRSA last summer. It worked better then then the horrible drugs.
Another FYI, honey is the one kind of sugar/glucose that will not cause your insulin levels to spike.
Good,I just ate two tablespoons hoping it would calm my upset stomach.
all kinds of honey have anti bacterial properties. it also helps wounds stop bleeding faster,dries to form a natural bandage, and has been shown in scientific studies to speed healing of cuts, scrapes, even surgical incisions.
Thanks, I wasn’t aware of that. I don’t have to worry about insulin levels yet.
Yes, it works. It also helps clear up acid reflux. I keep a jar on hand at all times.
Honey was used as a wound antiseptic as recently as WWI.
Honey was used by the ancient Egyptians to prevent infections. It was also used by them as a preservative. Food items stored in honey remained edible long after it would have otherwise rotted. The Jewish notion of going to a “land of milk and honey” indicated a land of both good nourishment and good health.
How did you do it? Clean it daily, then apply the honey under a dressing?
macro thanks - I am always too busy reading to thank you.
Needs to be “live” Manuka Honey...I use it on my sons acne.
I just put it on a canker sore and it burns like fire!
I think they're using it now. That was the story maybe a year ago. Some company making gauze pads with honey and IIRC, manuka honey.
Thanks. I wondered what happened to this stuff.
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