Honey as an antibiotic

Honey was used in Biblical times as a salve and wound dressing and also to stop diarrhea among children. Modern studies confirm that honey shortens the duration of bacterial diarrhea. [British Medical Journal 290: 1866, 1985] The antibacterial and anti-fungal properties of honey are well documented and have been shown to heal wounds significantly faster than modern antibiotic (ampicillin) ointment. However, some samples of honey may contain spores and must be sterilized prior to application. [Infection 26: 30, 1998] The major antibacterial agent in honey is hydrogen peroxide, which can be acquired at drug stores to cleanse small cuts. [Journal Royal Society Medicine 92: 283-85, 1999] Some types of raw honey have been found to kill Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes gastric ulcers. [Journal Royal Society Medicine 87: 9, 1994] Raw honey has been found to be superior to antiseptics in promoting wound healing. Patients whose wounds were treated with raw honey had a mean hospital stay of 9.4 days compared to 19.9 days among patients treated with antiseptics. [European Journal Medical Research 4: 126-30, 1999] Scientists didn’t confirm the antibacterial properties of honey till 1892. Certain varieties of honey are active against a wide variety of germs, including bugs that cause anthrax, pneumonia, cholera, dysentery, tuberculosis, meningitis, diphtheria, typhoid, even the bacterium that promotes dental caries. [Bee World 73: 5, 1992] The processing of honey, and its exposure to light and heat, reduces its antibacterial properties. [Journal Pharmacy Pharm-acology 43: 817, 1991] The antibacterial agents in honey go beyond the action of hydrogen peroxide to the phenols, flavonoids and other components often found in bee propolis, the resinous material collected from trees which honey bees use to seal their hives. [Bee World 77: 8, 1996] There is renewed interest in the antiseptic and antibiotic properties of honey.