Benefits of Manuka Honey, The “Natural Antibiotic”

Manuka honey, also known as the healing honey or the natural antibacterial, is a mono-floral honey produced in New Zealand and Australia from the nectar of the Manuka tree. The honey is commonly sold as an alternative medicine. For thousands of years honey has been recognized as having beneficial health-supporting qualities due largely to an enzyme activity. It has also been recognized that certain honeys from specific plants are more effective than others, and the honey that comes from some strains of the New Zealand Manuka bush (Leptospermum Scoparium) is one of these. Here is more on the benefits of Manuka honey.

In 1981 research at the Honey Research Unit at New Zealand’s University of Waikato discovered that some strains of Manuka honey have an extraordinary, naturally present, very stable property not found in any other variety of honey. This special property is over and above the usual properties of honey.  It comes from the nectar of the Manuka flower and is quite distinct from the enzyme activity that is common to most honeys. This special property sets Manuka Honey apart as one of nature’s true wonder foods.

Hydrogen peroxide is a component of honey which gives its antibiotic quality. But some types of honey, including Manuka honey, also have other components with antibacterial qualities. Another antibacterial component in Manuka honey is methylglyoxal (MG). MG is a compound found in most types of honey, but usually only in small quantities. MG is thought to give Manuka honey some of its antibacterial power. The higher the concentration of MG, the stronger the antibiotic effect.

Researchers also found the Manuka honey has almost miraculous healing qualities: antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal, a very efficient natural ingredient in invigorating the immunity system and healing a large range of medical conditions. The same research showed the Manuka honey has a superior bactericide action compared to classic antibiotics treatments, with proven effects in fighting, for instance, Staphylococcus aureus (Staph infections).