Using Honey For Wounds Care & Dressings - Manuka Honey Wound Care
Many people that have used honey for wounds experience a remarkable effect. Applying honey on wounds is not a recent idea. In fact, this treatment has been practiced since the ancient times. The Egyptians, for instance, used a salve of honey and grease as wound dressing. It was also used by the German physicians during World War I to treat gunshot wounds. In 1946, Professor S. Smirnov from the Tomsk Medical Institute applied honey on bullet wounds in 75 cases and concluded that it stimulates the growth of tissue in wounds that take a very long time to heal. Today, clinical studies have shown that using honey to heal wounds is highly effective, and this includes chronic ones such as diabetic ulcers and pressure ulcers that failed to heal when conventional therapy is used.
Honey reacts by releasing small quantities of hydrogen peroxide and creates a moist environment through a solution that does not stick or damage the skin tissues. The natural hydrogen peroxide in honey makes it an excellent antibacterial. In fact, the properties of honey, when compared to other antibacterial agents, show that honey is more superior in reducing inflammation and preventing the growth of microorganisms by draining out excessive fluid and secretions from the wound. This condition inhibits the growth of pathogens and protects the skin against any infection. Honey also contains many enzymes and one of them is catalase. What this enzyme does is speed up the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide and changes it into oxygen and water. Oxygen accelerates the healing process by stopping the growth of bacteria in the affected area. An important reason why applying honey on wounds works so well is due to the high concentration of sugars contained in it, which prevents bacterial growth. Plus, by keeping it closed, clean and sterile, honey helps the wound to heal faster.
The effectiveness of using honey for wounds was demonstrated in one Israeli study in which health care workers applied unprocessed honey to open wounds of infants that did not heal despite the use of conventional treatment. After 5 days, they found that all infants showed great progress and 3 weeks later, the wounds had healed. Using honey to heal wounds can be done by applying a small amount of raw honey over the affected area and covering it with a gauze or bandage. The gauze does not stick to the flesh though, because honey stimulates a flow of lubricating healing fluid. Recently, honey wound dressings or wound plaster have been produced, which I think is a great, practical honey based product invented in the field of medicine. Not only are these honey impregnated gauzes effective and easy to use, they also reduced the pain sensation when compared to paraffin and saline-soaked gauzes.
Get more Health benefits of honey other than Honey for Wounds. Return to Honey for Health Home. |