Manuka honey has been produced by bees feeding on nectar from the flowers of the manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium), which is native to New Zealand. Another name for it is New Zealand tea tree, and Australia's jellybush is a related plant. The shrub is a cold-hardy evergreen that produces red or white blossoms. Manuka honey is currently under investigation as a topical antibiotic, but research is ongoing. If you have a wound or infection you're concerned about, see a medical professional.
Features
Manuka honey contains both hydrogen peroxide, which the BBC says forms in response to an enzyme from bees, and methylglyoxal, a compound with antibacterial effects. Methylglyoxal was originally unknown--one researcher, professor Peter Molan of the University of Waikato, originally named it "unique manuka factor"--but in 2008, researchers at the Technische Universitat Dresden in Germany published an article in "Molecular Nutrition and Food Research" identifying the unknown compound as methylglyoxal.
Research Results
Research investigating manuka honey's wound-healing and antibiotic properties has been relatively positive. A 2005 study in "International Wound Journal" looked at the effects of weekly treatments of manuka honey on eight leg ulcers. The researchers found that after four weeks, the mean size of the wounds was reduced by more than 50 percent. The honey had also gotten rid of odor and pain, although the researchers noted that individual results were not as good if the wound was because of an arterial blockage.
Potential Benefits
Manuka honey's antimicrobial properties may work to kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas, or MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant skin infection. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that a 2009 Welsh study found manuka honey destroyed proteins in MRSA samples, and also that results weren't nearly as positive for a sugar-syrup-treated MRSA sample, indicating that it was manuka honey specifically that had an effect. Another Welsh study, published in 2010 in "European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases," found that while MRSA developed a slight resistance to medical-grade manuka honey after repeated use, the resistance was temporary and eventually reversed.
Cautions
Manuka honey's composition is different from other honeys, so do not assume research results on manuka honey apply to other types. Oregon State University reported in 1998 that other varieties of honey, such as heather, had antibacterial effects, but each honey had different effects on different bacteria. Also note that not all manuka honey is produced as the same medical grade used in studies.
Potential Disadvantage
Despite manuka honey's effects on persistent sores, a 2010 Slovakian review notes the methylglyoxal content may actually delay wound healing in diabetics. The review, published in "Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine," says methylglyoxal and its derivatives called advanced glycation end products are associated with both aggravating lesions and delaying their healing in diabetics. The review calls for more research to better determine how manuka honey might affect diabetics.
References
- Cuyamaca College: Leptospermum Scoparium 'Ruby Glow'
- PubMed: Absence of Bacterial Resistance to Medical-Grade Manuka Honey
- USDHHS: MRSA May Succumb to Honey
- Oregon State University: Tea Trees and Their Therapeutic Properties
- eCAM: Methylglyoxal--A Potential Risk Factor of Manuka Honey in Healing of Diabetic Ulcers
Member Comments
ManukaHoneyFan July 5
There is always confusion about the antibacterial properties of honey - any honey - vs manuka honey.
To clarify, all honeys contain hydrogen peroxide. However, this is ineffectual against bacteria because it is quickly broken down by body enzymes.
The antibacterial properties of manuka honey are unaffected. This is referred to by manuka honey specialists as non-peroxide activity (NPA).
Prof Thomas Henle, who identified methylglyoxal as the active ingredient in manuka honey, found the NPA antibacterial activity of manuka honey was directly proportional to the level of methylglyoxal (see www.mgomanuka.com).
Only one company, Manuka Health New Zealand (www.manukahealth.co.nz) certifies the level of methylglyoxal in its products (under the MGO Manuka Honey brand).