New Zealand Manuka Honey And What It Can Do For You

What Is New Zealand Manuka Honey?

If you have never seen the New Zealand Manuka bush when it is in full bloom then you have really missed a beautiful sight. For this is the wonderful fragrant delicate white flower which draw the bees to it’s sweet nectar. They then fly home to make the New Zealand Manuka honey which is a medical wonder.

For centuries, honey has been used to treat various illnesses and injuries. In the late 19th century, researchers found that it many healing properties such as antibiotics and antiseptics which the bees produce as a natural part of their digestive process. However, not all honey has the same strength of these healing properties as Manuka honey. It also depends on the method of harvesting used to get the honey.

What Does This Honey Do That Is So Special?

New Zealand Manuka HoneyNew Zealand Manuka honey contains components which protect the cells and tissues against damage caused by infections and repairs any pre-existing damage such as wounds and burns. Honey also takes away any inflammation that may be present in these wounds as well as reducing the pain.

Hydrogen peroxide is the material that gives honey it’s antibacterial qualities and everyone knows how well this agent works on cleaning out impurities from wounds. The New Zealand Manuka honey also contains other natural ingredients which act as antiseptics as well.

The most important antiseptic ingredient contained in Manuka honey is known as methylglyoxal. This substance, also known as MG, is found in other types of honey too. However, Manuka honey has more of this substance and is a byproduct of the conversion of the compound dydroxyacetone which is found in the flowers of the Manuka bush itself.

The way it works is this, the more MG present in the honey, the stronger the antibacterial action the honey has. It also draws out infection which may be present in the wound which helps to speed up the healing time.

Researchers have even come up with a potency scale for the healing properties in the Manuka honey. This is known as the Unique Manuka Factor, or UMF. The higher this rating is the stronger the healing properties of the honey.

Manuka honey is mainly used as a topical ointment dressing for minor surgical wounds and burns. This honey, when taken internally, is also used as a treatment for other conditions such as prevention and treatment of cancer, lowering cholesterol levels, reducing systemic inflammation, stabilizing blood sugar levels, clearing up sinus infections, and treating digestive problems.

However, the research has not found any evidence supporting the success in using the honey as a treatment for the above conditions.

The New Zealand Manuka honey which is used as a topical dressing ointment for wounds is not regular honey but is a special medical grade of this Manuka honey. This goes through an intense sterilization process and is superior to the other lesser grades of honey.

Medical grade Manuka honey

The properties which make New Zealand Manuka honey the best honey

Health benefits of using the New Zealand Manuka honey

New Zealand Manuka honey is the best honey to treat wounds because it has the ingredient known as Active Manuka Honey. Honey is pure, unpasteurized and natural organic honey which is made from honey and it is collected from the Manuka Bush called also Melaleuca bush or Tea Tree Bush. Honey also has additional antibacterial components. Other health benefits include anti-inflammatory capacities which eliminate and reduce the unpleasant odor from different wounds such as wounds from necrotic tissue, venous leg ulcers, diabetic ulcers or oozing wounds.

New Zealand Manuka honeyThe Manuka oil got more attention because of its ability to destroy the bacteria which are resistant to the antibiotics. The honey works by drawing the moisture from the bacteria which makes it is impossible for the bacteria to live. Besides the healing ability of the Manuka oil, the honey also prevents scarring. This is because the honey does not damage the skin during the healing process. To prevent the blood loss, honey produces the scab during the healing process. The cell production will increase new skin cells within this scab. Since the scab is uneven, the new skin developed under the scab will also be unevenly which means that the scar will be noticeable. The honey will stimulate the granulation of the tissue while it will also create the healing environment of the wound. It lifts the scab during the healing process and the new skin cells generated will be more evenly. This is how the honey reduces the visibility of the scars.

Ingredients found in the manuka honey

The New Zealand Manuka honey has natural aloe Vera which is known to be an anti inflammatory. It acts like the additional antiseptic and emollient. The aloe vera can be used to treat different skin conditions such as minor cuts, burns, and eczema. The properties of the natural aloe vera depend on the mucopolysaccarides found in the gel of the aloe leaf. The availability of the Aloe Vera in the honey increases its ability for pain relieving and anti-inflammatory.

Honey also has Panthenol which is the non-irritating form for the vitamin B and it also comes with other moisturizing properties. When this natural properties is used on the skin, it will penetrate in the lower skin layer which means that it will be absorbed better to become the Pantothetic acid. Since panthenol is capable of being absorbed into the skin, then it will add the moisture which is essential for the wounds proper healing. The presence of the New Zealand Manuka honey, helps in speeding up the regeneration of the skin by providing the moist environment to reduced the scarring.

Gamma irradiation method is used to sterilize the honey and to ensure that all the opportunistic pathogens are blocked out to prevent any new infection. Gamma irradiation is the first method which is believed to sterilize the honey without losing any of the active antibacterial proprieties. All the properties of New Zealand Manuka honey work also on the anti-inflammatory properties to reduce the swelling by also improving the circulation on the wound site, this also reduces the exudates and pain.