Home Remedies ~ Manuka Honey

How wonderful to be able to open your cabinet and retrieve an all natural, non-chemical, remedy for a cut, burn, scrape or health issue. One of my favorite go to all around miracle balm is Raw Manuka Honey. Manuka honey is honey produced in New Zealand from the nectar of the medicinal Manuka Trees. Yes it is a bit more costly than regular honey, but when you hear about it’s healing properties you may also be a convert. I use it in my teas, and when feeling run down I eat a spoonful with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Recently I had a little burn from a  baking mishap on my arm, and I experimented with Manuka Honey to see if it helped in the healing. It seemed to take the inflammation down quickly and kept it from getting infected.

For more all-natural remedies see The Local Rose.

Components of Manuka Honey

Hydrogen peroxide is a component of honey. It gives most honey its antibiotic quality. But some types of honey, including manuka honey, also have other components with antibacterial qualities.

The major antibacterial component in manuka honey is methylglyoxal (MG). MG is a compound found in most types of honey, but usually only in small quantities.

In manuka honey, MG comes from the conversion of another compound — dihydroxyacetone — that is found in high concentration in the nectar of manuka flowers.

MG is thought to give manuka honey its antibacterial power. The higher the concentration of MG, the stronger the antibiotic effect.

Honey producers have developed a scale for rating the potency of manuka honey. The rating is called UMF, which stands for Unique Manuka Factor.

The UMF rating corresponds with the concentration of MG. Not all honey labeled as manuka honey contains significant levels of MG. To be considered potent enough to be therapeutic, manuka honey needs a minimum rating of 10 UMF. Honey at or above that level is marketed as “UMF Manuka Honey” or “Active Manuka Honey.”

How Manuka Honey Is Used

The main medical use for manuka honey is on top of a wound. It is generally used for treating minor wounds and burns.

Manuka honey is also marketed for use in many other conditions. These include:

• Preventing and treating cancer
• Reducing high cholesterol
• Reducing systemic inflammation
• Treating diabetes
• Treating eye, ear, and sinus infections
• Treating gastrointestinal problems

Tags:honey, manuka honey, natural remedies