Manuka honey, like all types of honey, is a sweetener and a natural medicine. Most types of honey have antibacterial qualities that are particularly effective when applied to skin to heal wounds. The difference between Manuka honey and most other types of honey is that Manuka honey has a higher concentration of antibacterial substances and therefore many more times the healing power.
Features
Regular honey has antibacterial qualities because it contains an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide. Manuka honey also produces hydrogen peroxide, but according to researchers at Waikato University in New Zealand, some types of Manuka honey contain unique, nonperoxide antibacterial substances. Manuka honey products that have this nonperoxide activity are generally sold as active Manuka honey.
Source
Manuka honey is harvested from the manuka bush, also known as tea tree bush, a shrub that grows wild in New Zealand. The biological name of this plant species is leptospermum scoparium, which is significant because the only other source of honey with equivalent antibacterial power is the Australian jellybush, leptospermum polygalifolium, also a species of tea tree which from which medicinal tea tree oil is extracted.
Identification
Manuka honey is amber-brown in color with intense, almost antiseptic, flavor. It is sold in syrup and whipped form and, as a natural medicine, in the form of a salve or cream. According to the Active Manuka Honey Association, a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating system was established to identify Manuka honey that has the unique healing properties and rate the strength of various products. Most commercially available active Manuka honey has a UMF rating of at least 10, although a UMF 5 rating is the minimum to qualify as a healing agent.
Uses
In addition to its use for treating wounds, unpasteurized active Manuka honey is effective against common bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonus aeruginosa and Helicobacter pylori, which is known to be responsible for stomach ulcers.
Considerations
Although Manuka honey is an edible sweetener, it is more commonly known and used as a medicinal healer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Manuka honey product known as Medihoney for use as a topical healer. Authentic Manuka honey with a UMF rating is more expensive than other types of honey. Manuka honey with no UMF rating on its label is likely to have the same antibacterial strength as ordinary honey.
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