Benefits of Using Manuka Honey as a Wound Dressing

Manuka Honey is becoming a popular ingredient in wound care products because of its ability to rapidly clear infection and heal wounds. The following delineates the benefits of utilizing this amazing natural resource as a viable treatment alternative to conventional wound medications.

Honey has been used as a natural wound healer for many years. However, recent discoveries have concluded that one particular kind of honey, indigenous to New Zealand, contains plant-derived healing properties that sets it apart from other types of honey. Manuka Honey's greatest asset is its antibacterial properties. Most traditional forms of medicine used for clearing infections can be damaging to skin tissue. However, Manuka Honey has been found to have no known side effects.

In addition to being an excellent source for healing infection, Manuka Honey also helps to prevent scarring. During the healing process, a wound will form a scab in an effort to prevent further blood loss. The problem is that newly forming skin can only grow below the scab. This creates a deformity as the new tissue is not even with the rest of the skin. However, the moist healing environment created by Manuka Honey helps to lift the scab, therefore, allowing for the regeneration of new skin to grow flush with the surface of the wound.

In some more serious wounds, patients notice that the wound begins to smell bad. Wounds most commonly associated with malodor include exudating wounds, chronic pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, diabetic/neuropathic ulcers, fungating, cancerous or malignant lesions and wounds with necrotic tissue. Wound odor is mostly due to the degradation of tissue or bacteria that release compounds and fatty acids. When a Manuka Honey-based dressing is used, the bacteria feed of the sugars in the honey and give off better smelling gases, therefore minimizing or eliminating malodor.

Manuka Honey also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that help to relieve pain associated with wounds. Once Manuka Honey is applied to a wound, tissue inflammation and swelling is immediately reduced. Since pain is never considered a desirable experience, this could possibly be one of Manuka Honey's more favorable qualities.

Perhaps the element that has brought Manuka Honey into the spot light as of late is its ability to destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and VRE. With the widespread concern of Staph infections and the lack of treatment alternatives, Manuka Honey has come through like a ray of hope, effectively healing such conditions where antibiotics have failed. News headlines around the world have described Manuka Honey's ability to go toe-to-toe with this deadly infection. The best way to describe it is that, by osmosis, Manuka Honey draws moisture out of the bacterial cells, making it impossible for them to stay alive. This is why no bacteria has ever been able to develop a resistance to Manuka Honey, and never will.

Below is a brief recapitulation of Manuka Honey's wound healing benefits:

• Antibacterial properties rapidly clear infection
  
  
• Causes scabs to lift, avoiding the formation of scars
  
  
• Eliminates malodor in more serious wounds
  
  
• Kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA
  
  
• Heals wounds quickly
  
  
• Repairs damaged skin and regenerates new skin growth
  
  
• Anti-inflammatory properties reduce pain
  
  
• No negative side effects
  
  

If the thought of applying honey directly to a wound is less desirable, a company called Honeymark has developed a First Aid Antiseptic Lotion containing Active Manuka Honey that is extremely effective in treating wounds and burns. "Honeymark's First Aid Antiseptic Lotion has all the health benefits of using Manuka Honey as a wound dressing without the sticky mess," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "This product also has other valuable ingredients that make it extremely effective in treating seriously infected wounds, burns or minor cuts and scrapes. It's a must-have in your medicine cabinet or first aid kit"

For more information or to purchase Honeymark's First Aid Antiseptic Lotion, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Manuka Honey as a First Line of Defense Against Infection

Recent studies have shed some light on the unusual antibacterial activity of a certain type of honey, leading to a greater understanding of its ability to kill pathogenic bacteria and promote healing in wounds and other skin conditions.

Manuka Honey, found in New Zealand and certain parts of Australia, is made from a plant known as Leptospermum scoparium or more commonly known as the Manuka tree. Honeybees use the nectar that is produced from the flowers of the Manuka tea tree to make this special type of honey that has been found to have extraordinary healing properties. Studies show that this Manuka Honey is effective against many different drug-resistant clinical isolates, including the notorious Golden Staph/MRSA bacterium.

There has been evidence for the medical use of honey throughout history. Almost every culture that had access to honey has utilized it as a therapeutic agent, with its use as a wound dressing being particularly common across many different cultures. The use of honey as a wound dressing stems from its antibacterial activity, usually due to the production of hydrogen peroxide. However, Manuka Honey has additional antibacterial activity due to plant-derived components such as UMF and Methylglyoxal. These additional antibacterial and antimicrobial components make Manuka Honey ideal as a topical solution for the treatment of bacterial infections, fungal infections, dermatitis and other skin conditions.

In addition to possing significant antimicrobial properties, Manuka Honey has also been shown to actively promote healing. Researchers have discovered that Manuka Honey directly stimulates human cells that are important in the immune response and in wound healing. When used topically on the skin, Manuka Honey repairs damaged skin and regenerates new tissue. It also has the ability to diffuse into the depth of skin tissue where its anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce pain.

Because Manuka Honey is indigenous to New Zealand, reports of its ability to heal have penetrated the Asian and European markets and is being regularly used in hospitals and by consumers. Recently, the word has been spreading into the U.S., predominately because of its ability to completely wipe out the MRSA bacterium and efficiently heal Staph infections where antibiotics have completely failed. Even doctors who historically prefer the use of pharmaceuticals are beginning to warm up to the idea of using this natural substance for therapeutic use.

"Despite the ancient and modern evidence suggesting an enormous potential for honey as a wound dressing, it is largely underutilized in the U.S.," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International, a manufacturer of skin care products containing active Manuka Honey as a healing agent. "With antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria emerging, Manuka Honey may become the only viable treatment solution for severe infections."

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Manuka Honey and Wound Care

Many reports indicate that Manuka Honey is an extremely effective first aid resource for cuts, grazes, gashes, burns and other wounds.

Derived from the nectar of the flowers that grow on the Manuka tree, native to New Zealand, Manuka Honey is gaining ever increasing worldwide recognition for its healing properties. There are many ways in which Manuka Honey can be used, particularly for topical use on the skin. There is growing anecdotal evidence that Manuka Honey is effective for therapeutic use, even against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA. Manuka Honey has shown great promise in the treatment of wounds, leg ulcers and burns.

The use of Manuka Honey for wound care is the area receiving the most attention from researchers. It is important to know that all honey has some antibacterial activity that is effective in the treatment of wounds, primarily due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The additional healing properties found in bio-active Manuka Honey (such as UMF and methylglyoxal) make it even more suitable for medical use. Not only can Manuka Honey destroy existing bacteria in an infected wound, but it also creates a protective barrier over the wound area, preventing more bacteria from entering.

With the range of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, trace elements and sugar, Manuka Honey has a positive nutrient effect on newly regenerating tissue in a healing wound. Equally important in regard to new tissue growth in wounds, is the process of changing dressings. Wound dressings containing Manuka Honey create a moist healing environment that prevents direct contact between the dressing and newly formed tissue so that damage or disturbance to it is reduced from the changing of dressings.

More serious wounds such as Leg ulcers are a frustrating occurrence that can detrimentally affect mobility if worsened. The same healing properties that make Manuka Honey effective for the treatment of wounds also apply to leg ulcers. There are many anecdotal reports indicating that active Manuka Honey is effective in treating leg ulcers that were not responding to conventional treatments. It has also been noted that Manuka Honey is successful at reducing the malodor associated with leg ulcers and chronic wounds.

Manuka Honey’s effectiveness in healing and preventing infection is also helpful for the treatment of burns. A reduction of pain associated with burns has also been reported, due to the anti-inflammatory properties present in Manuka Honey. As part of Manuka Honey's ability to keep a wound area moist and its positive nutrient effect on tissue regeneration, it also helps to reduce scarring by lifting scabs and dead tissue, allowing the burn or wound to heal flush with the surface of the skin.

If the idea of using honey on your skin is not desirable, there is a viable solution. A company called Honeymark has developed a line of skin care products containing UMF Active Manuka Honey as a healing agent. "Honeymark products take the sticky mess out of applying Manuka Honey directly to wounds or other skin conditions," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International. "In addition to medical-grade active Manuka Honey, there are also other helpful ingredients in our products that gives you the edge over using plain Manuka Honey to treat a wound or burn."

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

Therapeutic Benefit of Manuka Honey in Wound Care

Researchers have conducted extensive studies in order to take a closer look at how and why Manuka Honey is effective in healing wounds. The results are very interesting.


In comparing the use of Manuka Honey dressings with topical antiseptics on wound infections, it has been found that Manuka Honey dressings significantly reduce the amount of fluid exuding from the wound. This, in part, is a result of the anti-inflammatory properties present in Manuka Honey. In addition, the anti-inflammatory properties in Manuka Honey also help to reduce pain and minimize scaring.

It has also been established that Manuka Honey dressings create a moist wound environment which facilitates the healing process. Manuka Honey draws lymph out of the deeper tissues of the wound by osmosis and continuously cleanses the wound bed. Lymph fluid contains enzymes that degrade protein molecules. The constant reduction of wound fluids remove foreign body contamination, such as dirt or grit.

The most likely explanation for Manuka Honey’s debriding activity involves the conversion of blood to plasmin, which is an enzyme that breaks down the protein in blood coagulation. This conversion minimizes dead tissue and scab formation on the wound. The osmotic action of Manuka honey draws moisture into the skin.

It has also been found that Manuka Honey has the ability to reduce malodor in wounds. Malodorous substances such as ammonia and sulphur compounds are produced when bacteria feeds on the protein in a wound. Because Manuka Honey provides bacteria an alternative source of energy (sugar), these noxious compounds are no longer produced and wound malodor is eliminated.

In clinical observations, Manuka Honey has also been proven to have the ability to manage wound infection in circumstances where antibiotics and other conventional treatments have failed. More specifically, Manuka Honey has been found to be effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) and other multi-resistant microorganisms. These mutated types of bacteria protect themselves from antimicrobial elements by forming a biofilm. Manuka Honey breaks down these clumpy biofilms as well as preventing the formation of biofilms. These findings are particularly encouraging, considering the growing number of cases involving Staph infections that don't respond to antibiotics. So far there has been no evidence of any bacterial resistance to Manuka Honey. It is highly unlikely that bacteria will ever be able to develop a resistance to Manuka Honey because bacteria rely on sugar as a source of food.

Manuka Honey's antibacterial properties are a result of the following:

1. The high sugar content and low water activity provides an osmotic action;
2. Acidic pH inhibits bacterial growth;
3. Glucose oxidase enzyme produces hydrogen peroxide;
4. Plant-derived factors such as UMF and Methylglyoxal.

Manuka Honey's antibacterial properties have the ability to penetrate below the surface of the skin, making it possible to clear deep-seated infections and boils with unbroken skin. In other words, Manuka Honey diffuses through the skin, getting to deeper tissues.

"The use of Manuka Honey dressings help prevent cross contamination," says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International which is a manufacturer of advanced wound and skin care products containing Active Manuka Honey as a healing agent. "The sticky nature of Manuka Honey provides a protective barrier that prevents cross contamination."

For more information or to purchase Manuka Honey-based wound care dressings, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.