Honey & Espresso will make your day.
Fireweed honey is made in the clear mountain air.Honey and Wound Healing
Written by Bianca Sunday, 26 April 2009 20:41
Honey: a potent agent for wound healing?
J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2002 Nov;29(6):295-300.Click here to read
Lusby PE, Coombes A, Wilkinson JM.
School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia.
Although honey has been used as a traditional remedy for burns and wounds, the potential for its inclusion in mainstream medical care is not well recognized. Many studies have demonstrated that honey has antibacterial activity in vitro, and a small number of clinical case studies have shown that application of honey to severely infected cutaneous wounds is capable of clearing infection from the wound and improving tissue healing. The physicochemical properties (eg, osmotic effects and pH) of honey also aid in its antibacterial actions. Research has also indicated that honey may possess antiinflammatory activity and stimulate immune responses within a wound. The overall effect is to reduce infection and to enhance wound healing in burns, ulcers, and other cutaneous wounds. It is also known that honeys derived from particular floral sources in Australia and New Zealand (Leptospermum spp) have enhanced antibacterial activity, and these honeys have been approved for marketing as therapeutic honeys (Medihoney and Active Manuka honey). This review outlines what is known about the medical properties of honey and indicates the potential for honey to be incorporated into the management of a large number of wound types.
Free radical production and quenching in honeys with wound healing potential
J Antimicrob Chemother. 2006 Oct;58(4):773-7.Click here to read
Henriques A, Jackson S, Cooper R, Burton N.
School of Applied Sciences, University of Wales Institute Cardiff Llandaf Campus, Western Avenue, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK.
OBJECTIVES: Honey-impregnated wound dressings are now available on drug tariff in the UK, though the modes of action of honeys with antibacterial and wound healing properties are not entirely clear. The action of some but not all of these honeys is linked to the production of hydrogen peroxide on dilution of the honey with wound exudate. The present study investigates both free radical production and the antioxidant potential of some honeys, properties which may have a role to play in wound healing. METHODS: Free radical production and quenching of three honey types (manuka, antibacterial but non-peroxide-producing; pasture, antibacterial peroxide-producing; commercial heat processed, non-antibacterial) was investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy; quenching was also examined using a superoxide quenching assay. RESULTS: All honeys tested had antioxidant potential, with manuka able to completely quench added radicals within 5 min of spiking. Only the peroxide-producing honey (pasture PS9) was found to form radicals on dilution. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to modulate production and quenching of free radicals may contribute to the demonstrated ability of some honeys to help in resolving the state of inflammation typifying chronic wounds.
