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Dressing wounds with honey, a standard practice in past times, went out of fashion when antibiotics came into use. Honey has anti-bacterial activity against staph aureus and pseudomonas for skin wounds (Am J Gastroenterol 1999 May;94(5):1200-2). It is great right out of the jar for a wide variety of wounds and skin lesions including burns, bed sores, cuts, eczema, fungal infections, gangrene, oral or genital herpes, infected wounds, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, and surgical wounds (both on the lips and genitals). However, in serious burns (e.g. 12% of body full thickness), early skin grafting appears to work better. Honey does help donor site healing. Honey is an effective broad-spectrum antibacterial agent that has no adverse effects on wound tissues. As well as having an antibacterial action, honey also provides rapid autolytic debridement, deodorizes wounds, and stimulates the growth of wound tissues to hasten healing and start the healing process in dormant wounds. Its anti-inflammatory activity rapidly reduces pain, edema, and exudate and minimizes hypertrophic scarring. It also provides a moist healing environment for wound tissues with no risk of maceration of surrounding skin and completely prevents adherence of dressings to the wound bed so no pain or tissue damage is associated with dressing changes. Because it is so sticky, I have found that putting plastic wrap over the honey works better. This can be taped in place. Honey reportedly has potential for the treatment of periodontal disease, mouth ulcers, and other problems of oral health, but I have not found any research to support this claim (Gen Dent. 2001 Nov-Dec;49(6):584-9). Beekeepers can get a specific arthritis due to bee stings. Honey allergy, while rare, has been reported. Honey can actually be deadly for infants and should never ever be given to them. Dozens of deaths have occurred. Acne: Reader Says It Helped: Case reports aren't worth very much, but honey helps so many skin conditions, I couldn't help including a report by a reader of WebMD Magazine (April, '05) who reported that applying honey with added sugar to her face for 20 minutes a day was beneficial. After 20 minutes, she used the sugar granules as a type of scrub. Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis No Helped by Oral Honey: A home remedy among some allergy-sufferers is the regular ingestion of honey to improve symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. In a DB PC study of 36 adults with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, honey, pasteurized or unpasteaurized, was no better than corn syrup with synthetic honey flavoring when consumed one tablespoonful a day in addition to their usual standard care. Effect of ingestion of honey on symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis. Rajan TV, Tennen H, et al. UConn Health Center, Farmington CT. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 Feb;88(2):198-203. Ed: It would have been ideal to have a fourth control group taking a noncaloric syrup, especially since topic sugar works about as well as honey, but is harder to prepare. Still, it's hard to see how this would make any difference since most Americans eat lots of sugar every day and still have this difficulty. Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema): Honey-Beeswax-Olive Olive Seems to Help: In a small, hard-to-understand, randomized 2-week study of 39 patients with either atopic dermatitis (AD) or psoriasis vulgaris (PV), each used a mixture of honey, beeswax and olive oil (1:1:1). Mixtures A, B, and C contained honey mixture with the corticosteroids ointment in a ratio of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 respectively. These were compared by treating one-half the body with the honey mixture and the other half with Vaseline/paraffin or Vaseline/paraffin with a steroid. In honey mixture group, 8/10 patients with dermatitis showed significant improvement after 2 weeks. In psoriasis, 5/8 patients showed a significant response to honey mixture. Topical application of natural honey, beeswax and olive oil mixture for atopic dermatitis or psoriasis: partially controlled, single-blinded study. Al-Waili NS. Islamic Establishment for Education, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Complement Ther Med. 2003 Dec;11(4):226-34. Burns: Honey Great for Burns and Wound Healing, Beats Silver Sulfadiazine: Skin grafting was superior to honey dressings (99% vs 74%) in burn patients in randomized study. Burns 1999 Dec;25(8):729-31. Burns: Honey Better than Sulfadiazide for Burns: Honey dressing or silver sulfadiazine (SSD) was used in 25 randomly assigned patients. With honey 84 per cent showed satisfactory epithelialization by the 7th day, and in 100% by the 21st day. In wounds treated with silver sulfadiazine, epithelialization occurred by the 7th day in 72% and in 84% by 21 days. Reparative activity was seen in 80 per cent of wounds treated with the honey dressing by the 7th day with minimal inflammation vs. 52% with SSD. A prospective randomised clinical and histological study of superficial burn wound healing with honey and silver sulfadiazine. Subrahmanyam M. Dr Vaishampayan Memorial Medical College, Maharashtra, India. Burns. 1998 Mar;24(2):157-61. Burns: Honey Good for Burns and Leg Ulcers: Used for leg ulcers. Boiled potato peel dressings definitely inferior to honey in randomized Indian study of 50 burn patients. Burns 1996 Sep;22(6):491-3. Burns: Honey Better than Polyurethane Film for Burns: Honey dressing much better than polyurethane film (OpStie) for burns in randomized study. Br J Plast Surg 1993 Jun;46(4):322-3. Burns: Honey Better than Silver Sulfadiazine for Burns: Honey dressings much better than silver sulfadiazine with faster healing, less pain, less scarring in study of 104 burn patients. Br J Surg 1991 Apr;78(4):497-8. Burns: Early Skin Grafting Appears Better than Honey: In a randomized study of 50 burn patients (23% burned with 12% full thickness on average), skin grafting was done in the first grouop in 3-6 days, while the other group was treated with honey dressings. Eleven of the HT patients eventually required skin grafting. One of the early grafting and three of the honey patients had unsuccessful skin grafting. The mean percentage of blood volume replaced was 35% in TE patients vs. 21% in HT patients (P < 0.01). Only one TE patient died due to status asthmaticus, while there were 3 deaths, all from sepsis, in the HT patients. At 3 month follow-up, 92% of the TE patients had good to excellent functional and cosmetic results vs. 55% in HT patients, 3 of whom had significant contractures. Early tangential excision and skin grafting of moderate burns is superior to honey dressing: a prospective randomised trial. Subrahmanyam M. Dr Vaishampayan Memorial Medical College, Maharashtra, India. Burns. 1999 Dec;25(8):729-31. Fungal Infections: Honey Appears to Help Tinea and Pityriasis Versicolor Infections: In an open, non-scientific report using a mixture of honey, olive oil and beeswax three times a day for up to 4 weeks to treat 37 patients with fungal infections (pityriasis versicolor, tinea cruris, tinea corporis and tinea faciei), clinical response occurred in 86% of patients with pityriasis versicolor, 78% of patients with tinea cruris and in 75% of patients with tinea corporis. Negative fungal cultures were obtained in 75, 71 and 62% of patients with PV, tinea cruris and tinea corporis, respectively. Tinea faciei disappeared clinically and mycologically in 3 weeks. An alternative treatment for pityriasis versicolor, tinea cruris, tinea corporis and tinea faciei with topical application of honey, olive oil and beeswax mixture: an open pilot study. Al-Waili NS. Islamic Establishment for Education, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Complement Ther Med. 2004 Mar;12(1):45-7. Gangrene: Honey Better for Scrotal Gangrene: Honey superior topical Rx in patients getting oral antibiotics for scrotal gangrene in randomized study of 20 pt vs. group B underwent wound debridement, wound excision, secondary suturing, and in some cases scrotal plastic reconstruction. Surgery 1993 Feb;113(2):200-4. Herpes: Honey Did Better than Acylovir for Herpes: In a study with 16 adults with a history of recurrent attacks of herpetic lesions, 8 labial and 8 genital, all were treated by topical application of honey for one attack and acyclovir cream for another attack. For labial herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and mean healing time with honey treatment were 35%, 39%, 28% and 43% better than with acyclovir treatment. For genital herpes, the mean duration of attacks and pain, occurrence of crusting, and mean healing time with honey treatment were 53%, 50%, 49% and 59% better than with acyclovir. Two cases of labial herpes and one case of genital herpes remitted completely with honey. The lesions crusted in 3 patients with labial herpes and in 4 patients with genital herpes. With acyclovir treatment, none of the attacks remitted, and all the lesions, labial and genital, developed crust. No side effects were observed with repeated applications of honey, whereas 3 patients developed local itching with acyclovir. Topical honey application vs. acyclovir for the treatment of recurrent herpes simplex lesions. Al-Waili NS. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Med Sci Monit. 2004 Aug;10(8):MT94-8. Infected Wounds: Honey Helped Large Infected Wounds in Children: Used for gangrene in Africa. Nine Israeli infants with large, open, infected wounds that failed to heal with 14 days of conventional treatment did well in 5 days with crude honey applied BID and wounds able to be closed after 21 days of honey. Acta Paediatr 1998 Apr;87(4):429-32. Psoriasis: Honey-Beeswax-Olive Olive Seems to Help: In a small, hard-to-understand, randomized 2-week study of 39 patients with either atopic dermatitis (AD) or psoriasis vulgaris (PV), each used a mixture of honey, beeswax and olive oil (1:1:1). Mixtures A, B, and C contained honey mixture with the corticosteroids ointment in a ratio of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 respectively. These were compared by treating one-half the body with the honey mixture and the other half with Vaseline/paraffin or Vaseline/paraffin with a steroid. In honey mixture group, 8/10 patients with dermatitis showed significant improvement after 2 weeks. In psoriasis, 5/8 patients showed a significant response to honey mixture. Topical application of natural honey, beeswax and olive oil mixture for atopic dermatitis or psoriasis: partially controlled, single-blinded study. Al-Waili NS. Islamic Establishment for Education, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Complement Ther Med. 2003 Dec;11(4):226-34. Seborrheic Dermatitis Relieved by Honey: In a study of 30 adults with chronic seborrheic dermatitis of scalp, face and front of chest (scaling macules, papules and dry white plaques with crust and fissures), diluted crude honey (90% honey diluted in warm water) every other day on the lesions with gentle rubbing for 2-3 mins was used by all. Honey was left for 3 hr before gentle rinsing with warm water. The patients were followed daily for itching, scaling, hair loss and the lesions were examined. Treatment was continued for 4 weeks. The improved patients were included in a prophylactic phase, lasting six months. Half patients were treated with the topical honey once weekly and the other half served as control. All the patients responded markedly with application of honey. Itching was relieved and scaling was disappeared within one week. Skin lesions were healed and disappeared completely within 2 weeks. In addition, patients showed subjective improvement in hair loss. None of the patients (15) treated with honey once weekly for six months showed relapse while the 12/15 patients who had no prophylactic treatment with honey experienced a relapse of the lesions 2-4 months after stopping treatment. Therapeutic and prophylactic effects of crude honey on chronic seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. Al-Waili NS.Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Eur J Med Res. 2001 Jul 30;6(7):306-8. Skin Graft Donor Sites Heal Well with Honey: In an open, non-scientific study of 88 patients undergoing skin grafting, the donor sites were studied for second-intention healing. The donor site was divided into two equal halves, with each half being treated with honey-soaked gauzes and the other half with paraffin gauzes (group 1A), hydrocolloid dressings (group 1B), and saline-soaked gauzes (group 1C) alternatively. In the treatment of split-thickness skin graft donor sites, honey-impregnated gauzes showed faster epithelization time and a low sense of pain than paraffin gauzes and saline-soaked gauzes. There was no significant difference between honey-impregnated gauzes and hydrocolloid dressings with regard to epithelization time and sense of pain. Use of honey as an adjunct in the healing of split-thickness skin graft donor site. Misirlioglu A, Eroglu S, et al. Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital, Bakirkoy-Istanbul, Turkey. Dermatol Surg. 2003 Feb;29(2):168-72. Surgical Wounds: Honey Better than Povidone for Surgical Wounds: Crude honey applied hourly in randomized study was clearly superior to povidone-iodine and alcohol on c-section or abdominal hysterectomy wounds with much less wound dehiscence, shorter hosp stays, minimal scar formation, less antibiotics. Eur J Med Res 1999 Mar 26;4(3):126-30. Honey Better than Anmiotic Membrane: Honey dressings also much better than amniotic membrane. Burns 1994 Aug;20(4):331-3. Studies have confirmed that honey shortens the duration of diarrhea in patients with bacterial gastroenteritis through its antibacterial properties. Glimpse. 1985 Nov-Dec;7(6):1, 8. Ed: I was unable to find these studies. Honey has potential for the treatment of periodontal disease, mouth ulcers, and other problems of oral health. Gen Dent. 2001 Nov-Dec;49(6):584-9. Dental: Decay Bacteria Reduced: The antibacterial activity of natural honey consumption has been examined in patients suffering from head and neck cancer who developed hyposalivation following irradiation treatment. The total bacteria and streptococcus mutans count was done on saliva of the patients and of a normal volunteer group before and after honey consumption. Total bacteria count was not significantly different between both groups, but the streptococcus mutans count decreased significantly following honey consumption. Streptococcus mutans in saliva of normal subjects and neck and head irradiated cancer subjects after consumption of honey. Sela M, Maroz D, Gedalia I. The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. J Oral Rehabil. 2000 Mar;27(3):269-70. Ed: There are unproven concerns about dipping infant pacifiers in honey and in so doing increasing tooth decay. |