There are different ways in which the terms medical grade
or pharmaceutical grade can be perceived, particularly when referring to honey.
Most Manuka honey that is sold in retail
stores is table grade. However, some
might refer to active Manuka honey as medical grade to differentiate it from
inactive honey. Another perception of
medical grade honey pertains to honey (usually Manuka honey) that has been
gamma irradiated, classifying it as sterile.
Referring to honey (Manuka or otherwise) as being sterile
can be somewhat confusing. The term
sterile is defined as being free of germs or microorganisms. Despite the FDA’s refusal of recognizing
honey of any kind as being antimicrobial, scientific evidence suggests that it
is. However, the potential for botulism
spores in some honeys makes gamma irradiation a process that some feel is
necessary in order to refer to it as being truly sterile.
Since honey is heat-sensitive, gamma irradiation is the
only way to sterilize it without diminishing its properties. However, it is unclear as to whether or not
it is necessary to sterilize honey. The presence
of botulism in honey is harmless to individuals over the age of 1 year
old. Infants under the age of 12 months
old have not yet fully developed their immune system, and therefore, cannot
ward off these spores.
Some might say that the only purpose of gamma irradiating
honey is to make it safe for infants to ingest.
Although, doctors who may want to use Manuka honey for wounds seem to
get a warm and fuzzy feeling when using a product that they consider to be
sterile. Either way, the use of Manuka
honey that has not been gamma irradiated on wounds or for other conditions has
been found to be perfectly safe.