Five Therapeutic Effects of Honey in Treating Wounds and Infections

Honey

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Wednesday, February 5th 2020 at 2:45 pm

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GreenMedInfo Research Group

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Natural remedies can do wonders in treating painful mouth ulcers, stomach inflammation, wounds and infections. When it comes to dealing with these cases, honey is a time-tested treatment to alleviate symptoms and provide relief for patients, whether young or old
Consuming honey often has a soothing effect and this sweet treat also has several notable health benefits. Its medicinal properties include being used as an antiseptic and antibacterial agent, as well as acting as a natural cough remedy.^[i] At the same time, this celebrated ingredient is applied for chronic wound management and as a therapy for certain infections.
1. Honey for Painful Mouth Blisters and Ulcers
Research suggests that honey can help reduce painful mouth blisters among children with herpes simplex gingivostomatitis.^[ii] Caused by the herpes virus, herpes simplex gingivostomatitis is an inflammation of the gums and lips, damaging the skin and resulting in mouth ulcers.
One of the earliest signs of herpes simplex gingivostomatitis is when your child refuses to eat because chewing has become too painful. While this disease is common among kids, there is a risk of dehydration since the patient often will not drink or eat.
Once your child has been found to have these mouth blisters and ulcers, using honey as a mouthwash is highly suggested because it can significantly improve children's drinking and eating abilities.^[iii]
2. Honey Treats Radiation-Induced Mucositis
Patients with head and neck cancers may experience mucositis as an adverse effect of radiotherapy. Mucositis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes in the stomach, which causes stomach ulcers. Numerous studies have shown that using honey as an oral treatment can alleviate the adverse effects of radiation-induced mucositis.^[iv]
Research suggests honey can delay the onset of oral mucositis, as well as significantly reduce the severity of the pain associated with the condition.^[v] Patients received 20 milliliters (mL) of honey three times a day during the course of radiotherapy to achieve the desired outcomes.^[vi]
3. Honey Fights Stomach Infections
When paired with green or black tea, honey can help treat other types of stomach conditions, such as infections caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This bacterial infection often causes gastritis or stomach inflammation, peptic ulcer disease and certain types of stomach cancers. A 2015 study revealed that consuminghoney or green or black tea daily can decrease the prevalence of H. pylori infection.^[vii]
4. Honey for Infections Associated With Burns
Honey can also be used in treating wounds and burns. Compared to boiled potato peel, honey dressing is more effective in covering fresh partial-thickness burns among patients. In fact, the burns healed 100% within two weeks after being treated with honey, compared to 50% when treated with boiled potato peel.^[viii]
Honey is also effective in treating second-degree burns compared to anti-infective creams. Research suggests that honey dressing can heal burns by 84% within the first week of treatment and 100% after two weeks.^[ix]
5. Therapeutic Effects for Bowel Resection
Oral intake of honey has potential therapeutic effects on patients who underwent massive bowel resection. A 2008 study revealed that animal subjects that had small bowel resection showed significant increase in their gross residual bowel length.^[x] Researchers believe the results can be replicated among human patients.
These studies provide evidence that honey can be a sound natural remedy to be explored by people with inflammations, burns and infections. For further information, check out the GreenMedInfo..com Honey Research Database to learn honey's versatility as a solution for various common illnesses.

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Natural Cough Medicine

Natural Cough Medicine


Easy to make and effective home remedy for cough!

Turmeric and Honey Together Make A Powerful Natural Antibiotic

by DailyHealthPost EditorialJuly 3, 2018

Turmeric is a rhizome in the ginger family. Its flavor and color add depth to Asian cuisines. Turmeric and honey, however, are an unstoppable force.
The spice has been used for ages as a medicine to treat a vast variety of ailments but it’s only in recent history that science has examined its components for their contributions to human health. Since research began, over 5,000 studies have confirmed its healing abilities.
For one, it has the ability to modulate genes and physiological pathways, supporting cell integrity, preventing DNA and RNA damage, catalyzing proteins and metal ions, and more. Implications for the treatment of various types of disease have shown turmeric to be a super spice.

The Healing Powers Of Honey

The Healing Powers of Honey

Honey is an amazing health promoting food.  My mother swore by it and took a few tablespoonfuls on a daily basis.  It was the pure honey from my father's bees as beekeeping was his hobby.

Honey, unlike almost everything else we consume in our diet, was intended solely to be a form of nourishment – albeit, for the bees.  Only milk, to my knowledge, shares this singular biological imperative. But honey is far more than a source of sweetness and quick energy within the human diet.

Honey has profound medicinal applications, some of which are as follows:

• Feeds the good bacteria: it is a little-known fact that bees have a diverse population of beneficial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in their honey crop, the bulge between the esophagus and the gizzard of the bee. In fact, according to newly published research in PLoS, "studies of LAB in all extant honeybee species plus related apid bees reveal one of the largest collections of novel species from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium ever discovered within a single insect and suggest a long (>80 mya) history of association."[i]  Indeed, raw honey feeds good bacteria. It has been experimentally demonstrated in in vitro (petri dish) conditions to increase the number of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum counts 10-100 fold compared with sucrose.[ii]
• Fights the "bad" bacteria, i.e. MRSA: Reports of honey eradicating MRSA infection have been reported in the medical literature for well over a decade.[iii]  MRSA, an acronym for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, produces a biofilm which makes it especially resistant to conventional antimicrobial agents. Honey has been shown to be effective at killing biofilm-associated MRSA isolates from patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitus.[iv] This has also been demonstrated in human research, with a 70% effective rate in destroying MRSA in chronic venous ulcers.[v]  Moreover, manuka also synergizes with conventional antibiotics making MRSA bacterial isolates more susceptible to their antibacterial action.[vi]
• Kills Dental Plaque-Causing Bacteria: Manuka honey, a special honey produced by the flowers of the manuka plant that grows in New Zealand and Australia, was shown at least as effective as the chemical chlorhexidine gluconate, often used in mouthwash, in reducing plaque formation as a mouthwash.[vii]
• Superior to Pharmaceutical at Killing Herpes:  A 2004 study published in the Medical Science Monitor, showed that topical  honey was far superior to the drug acyclovir (trade name Zovirax) in treating both labial (lip) and genital herpes lesion. According to the amazing study "For labial herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and mean healing time with honey treatment were 35%, 39%, 28% and 43% better, respectively, than with acyclovir treatment. For genital herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and mean healing time with honey treatment were 53%, 50%, 49% and 59% better, respectively, than with acyclovir. Two cases of labial herpes and one case of genital herpes remitted completely with the use of honey. The lesions crusted in 3 patients with labial herpes and in 4 patients with genital herpes. With acyclovir treatment, none of the attacks remitted, and all the lesions, labial and genital, developed crust. No side effects were observed with repeated applications of honey, whereas 3 patients developed local itching with acyclovir."[viii]
• Protective Against Gastric Damage: Honey has been shown to prevent alcohol-, indomethacin- (a NSAID pain-killer) and aspirin-induced lesions.[ix]

Are "Natural" Sugars Any Better Than Refined White Sugar?

Refined White Sugar Versus Natural Sugars



Although the harmful health effects of sugar are now indisputable, we are still eating an incredible amount of it.

In fact, the average American consumes three pounds of the sweet white poison per week! And it’s easy to understand why. As we’ve written about before, sugar is addictive, with some brain scans suggesting that it’s just as addictive as drugs like cocaine.

In light of this knowledge, many people are attempting to choose a “healthier” sugar, opting for the more natural sugar options at the grocery stores. You’ve probably seen many of these yourself. So what are these natural options—and are they any better for you than refined white sugar?

Sugar Versus Honey Versus Coconut Sugar

Honey Phenomenon

This article gives information about the benefits of honey versus sugar.  It offers extensive explanations on how natural sweeteners like honey offer such a multitude of beneficial health promoting remedies.

Honey, Sugar or Agave Syrup?

Honey, Sugar or Agave Syrup?

Here is a post about healthy sweeteners.  We hear so much about sugar being bad for you so this post may help to decide.

Certainly my preference would be pure honey as it has so many other benefits.  My mother swore by it and credited her good health well into her 90s with taking honey on a daily basis.  But then, my father's hobby was  bee keeping so our honey was pure and ............... it was way before pesticides polluted the crops and fields.

The Benefits of Honey Water

The Benefits of Honey Water

This article is most helpful.  Honey is the best nectar for our health.  My mother swore by it and had a tablespoon of honey every day.  At the time I was skeptical but now after reading many articles about the benefits of honey, I am convinced of the amazing healing properties it contains.

It is used in health, beauty, healing and many more areas.

Of course it helped that my father was a hobby bee keeper so we had our own honey which was organic and amazingly thick and rich.

10 Health Benefits of Honey and Cinnamon

 Cinnamon and Honey are a powerful combination when it comes to health.  Both are as old as mankind and very natural.  In ancient times Cinnamon was considered the absolute gold.  It is both very comforting and healing.  Add honey and the two ingredients complement each other so well.

Read how this combination can be used as a remedy for so many ailments.

 Honey And Cinnamon

How to Make An Anti-Cancer Concoction

 Here is an interesting mixture of natural ingredients that can help fight cancer, it is claimed.  Even if sceptical, it is worth a try because Honey and Turmeric are definitely healing supplements in their own right.  Apple Cider Vinegar is also highly regarded in curing ills.

 Anti Cancer Mixture

The Health Benefits Of Hot Lemon And Honey Water

 Here is a very valuable health tip that should shield you from coughs and colds and many other ailments.  What could be better than to start your day with a healthy hot drink that boosts your Immune System.

 Healthy Start To Your Day

The Healing Powers Of Honey

The work of bees cannot be underestimated.  There are so many conditions that can be soothed with honey.   My mother attributed her health and longevity to honey.  Every day she would have honey for breakfast.  Sadly, honey is under threat as the life of bees is threatended by the pesticides that are sprayed on our crops every year.  Let's hope for a reversal in this and get back to natural sustainable production of crops.

• Certain types of honey, such as Manuka, have been shown to be more effective than antibiotics in the treatment of serious, hard-to-heal skin infections
• The only types of honey you should ever attempt to use for wound care are Manuka honey or raw (unprocessed) honey. Conventional “Grade A” type honey found in most grocery stores may actually worsen infection and should never be applied to wounds
• Clinical trials have found Manuka honey can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including resistant varieties such as MRSA

The Healing Powers Of Honey