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".
I thought all honeys had this property?
Why is my mind resisting this?
I have no idea why you are resisting this. All that is written about honey here is provable. I have used honey for mulitple reasons for many years—including applying it to an infected area. It works.
It also can make a great cough syrp—that really works. Just slice an onion, put it in a shallow bowl and drizzle a generous amount of honey over it. Wait a couple of hours. A liquid will form in the bottom of the bowl. Take several tablspoons of that liquid several times a day. Your bronchitis will get better very soon.
I remember one patient when I worked on the pediatric ward that the doctor had tried everything on..poor little tyke was in oxygen tent...He wrote an order to pharmacy for that exact medication, the baby was given 1/4 tsp. every 3 hours...it worked on the phlegm that was chocking him.
The ancient Egyptians discovered that un-pasteurized honey was a strong disinfectant and used it onall manner of wounds.
I think I might like your recipe better than mine :-).
A little bit of honey, a little bit of zesty lemon and a little bit of Jameson whiskey—the sweet, the zesty and the Irish whiskey. Can’t beat that.
Honey has long been used in medicinal ways. I’m glad to see they are actively pursuing it’s uses and varieties. And it’s delicious, too! Mmmm, honey!
I believe that. I have no doubts that it is an anti-microbial. My resistance is to the position that it doesn’t cause the same spike in insulin as sugar. That I’d like to learn more about.
Yep, that was pretty much it. I'm still amazed at the results. Before the honey it was truly a nightmare what was happening - that was maybe 8 years ago, and no problems since, with full recovery.
Thanks for the feedback!
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