How Honey Heals Wounds
Most of us think of bee honey as a sweet spread for toast or pancakes, or as an ingredient in cooking. Few of us would think of honey as a home remedy in treating wounds. However, various studies done around the world have shown that honey can indeed be applied to heal a wound fast.
Wounds become a problem when bacteria begin feeding on the tissue around the wound, causing the wound to grow. Such infections are generally treated with antibiotics.
Honey has various antibiotic properties that help it specifically in the treatment of wounds. First, honey is filled with sugar. In fact, it is “supersaturated” with sugar: there is as much sugar in honey as can be dissolved in it. As such, honey acts as a sort of sponge, soaking up water naturally. When applied to a wound, honey soaks up the fluids around the wound, thus killing bacteria. Bacteria causes wounds to become infected, and needs liquid to proliferate.
Honey is also a very acidic substance, with a pH between 3 and 4, like orange juice or carbonated soda. Acidic environments are also hostile to bacteria. However, as honey becomes diluted, soaking up liquids around it, it loses some of its acidity.
Additionally, honey contains an enzyme, glucose oxidase; this enzyme naturally produces hydrogen peroxide, a common substance sold by pharmacists as an antibacterial agent. Honey’s natural acidity prevents the enzyme, glucose oxidase, from being fully active; however, as honey becomes diluted by soaking up the liquids around it, the enzyme becomes more active, producing more hydrogen peroxide. Thus, as there is less and less acid in honey to combat bacteria, there is more and more hydrogen peroxide to offset the loss of effectiveness.
Finally, because honey is produced by bees, it contains various plant-derived substances, specifically in the nectars collected by bees; some of these nectars are antibacterial.
The healing properties of honey are not limited to use as an antibiotic agent. Honey is a thick substance, easily protecting a wound from dirt and contamination. As a natural substance, honey does not irritate the skin as antibiotics often can.
Honey is one of the oldest antibacterial agents, and its use is recorded as far back as ancient Greece. It has also been used in quick field dressings during combat. In recent decades, more modern antibacterials such as penicillin have supplanted honey and other home remedies, but many researchers continue to promote the healing properties of honey, furthering our knowledge in this area. Professor Peter Molan of the University of Waikato in New Zealand has identified a particular strain of honey, that made from flowers of the manuka bush (native to New Zealand), as a much stronger antibacterial agent than other, different types of honey. Professor Molan has yet to identify the specific agent in manuka honey that makes it so much more effective in combating infections, but has been able to clearly measure the results. In particular, manuka honey has been effective in killing strains of bacteria that have become resistant to ordinary antibiotics.
 How Honey Heals Wounds |
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How can we apply this knowledge and use honey to heal everyday wounds? Most honey that we buy in stores has been pasteurized, and the process of pasteurization limits honey’s effectiveness as an antibiotic. So be sure to start with unpasteurized honey, and store it in a cool, unlit place, such as a basement or cupboard.
First, wash the wound, using sterile water. Then take a thick cotton-gauze pad, preferably multi-layered, and spread the honey on the pad, not directly on the wound. The pad should be cut slightly larger than the wound area. If the pad is 4″x4″ square, apply about one ounce of honey; for larger-sized pads, increase the amount of honey proportionately. If the wound is an abscess, fill it with honey first, then apply the gauze-pad prepared with honey. (In the case of an abscess, it’s always best to consult with a doctor.)
Next, cover the wound and pad with something that is waterproof, such as a large adhesive bandage. If the wound will become wet, for instance by showering, then you can further protect it by wrapping it in a plastic bag.
You should check the wound several times a day, at first changing the dressing up to three times a day. As the wound heals, daily dressings should be sufficient. The wound should remain moist; if the dressing sticks to the wound, it has become too dry, and requires more frequent changing. Depending on the severity of the wound, continue to reduce the frequency of dressings, until completely healed.
As research continues in this area, the wound healing properties of honey will become more widely known, and this “home remedy” will become more widespread.
