Elderly leg wound and manuka honey healing?

by Martha

QUESTION: Is it possible to heal leg wounds in old people with manuka honey? My grandpa has had several cuts and blisters recently, and I was thinking to use Manuka honey to accelerate their healing? Can I?


ANSWER: Hi Martha,

Actually, Manuka honey is known as a natural antibiotic, because it stops the growth of the bacteria; therefore, preventing the development of
bacterial infections; however, so far, no scientific data exists to confirm that manuka honey is helping the healing process.


When your wound is not infected, it will heal quite faster compare to an infected wound. Thus, that is the reason why we can say that manuka honey is enhancing the healing process.

As you may know, on human organism consists of several bacteria, where certain parts of our organism (e.g. skin) are their normal habitat. They do not cause any infection, because your skin has its own defense mechanisms to stop the
pathological bacterial growth.

In cases of injured skin, these "defensive mechanisms" are broken, serving as an "opportunistic gate" to certain bacteria growth. Therefore, it is important to use disinfectants (surgical alcohol or oxygen peroxide) for every wound on your skin. If you also use Manuka honey, that will ensure the development of infections is prevented.

In old people, the immune system is weaken compared to youngsters; therefore, they are more pliable to bacteria. It is good to use Manuka honey in your grandpa's case, but do not rely only on it.

As a conclusion, first, try to wash your grandpa's wounds with warm water and soap and rinse thoroughly. Next, use disinfectants on the borders of the wound (not inside the wound) to avoid further damages.

Finally, after the wound is well-dried, then, you can use Manuka honey and cover the
wound with sterile gauze.

Dr.Alba