The health benefits of unprocessed raw honey are well known to all. But in Australia, scientists have recently made a surprising discovery, a special type of honey that can kill all forms of pathogens, including some of the worst known bacteria in humans.
The results were published in the "Journal of European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases", and could be of major importance at a time when many of the antibiotics have become ineffective against resistant "superbugs".
The manuka honey:
The honey in question is known as manuka honey, which is produced in New Zealand. Honey has become so popular in recent years that a shortage has occurred at times, causing the sale of fake products. We now know why this honey is so sought after.
In the above studies, Australian researchers discovered that honey killed all the bacteria or pathogens on which it was tested. Honey can be applied topically to help fight skin infections, wounds and insect bites, or taken internally.
But the remarkable property that enthusiasts the researchers is that none of the superbugs killed by honey has been able to develop a form of resistance, which has been a major problem with current antibiotics.
"Newer antibiotics tend to be short-lived because the bacteria they attack become rapidly resistant," said Dr. Dee Carter of the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences at the University of Sydney.
"Many major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned antibiotic production because of the difficulty of recovering the costs generated by
production. Developing effective alternatives could save many lives. "
According to Dr. Carter, manuka honey contains a compound called
methyglyoxal, which combines with other unknown compounds to cause a "multi-system failure" that helps to overcome bacteria.
Although more research needs to be done, it is safe to say that manuka honey is very promising for overcoming one of humanity's greatest health challenges in the 21st century, and this research should not be taken lightly.