Not only does honey provide adequate protection from bacterial invasion and infection, it also assists in managing inflammation, promoting necrotic tissue sloughing, relieving discomfort, swelling, and pain, while enhancing the formation of granulation tissue, re-growth of healthy tissue and ultimately, expediting the healing process with minimal scarring.
Honey’s gelatinous consistency and acidic properties prevent wounds from drying out and sticking to wound dressings, therefore decreasing the pain and discomfort for the animal during bandage changes. Unlike other commonly used topical antiseptics, honey does not produce any tissue damage, is less expensive and easier for rehabbers, rescuers and veterinarians to acquire.
Honey ahs also been shown to act against certain types of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin and vancomycin, and come fungal and viral agents.
In a study of randomized controlled trials using honey as a wound dressing, honey was found to give better relief of pain, less irritation of the wound, less exudation, a lower incidence of scar formation, acceleration of tissue regeneration, better control of infections, removal of offensive smell, and overall a more rapid healing time.
Honey is naturally an acidic compound because it contains hydrogen peroxide that acts as a natural disinfectant. It is very gentle on a healing wound, and does not cause any further tissue damage, as people may think when they hear that it has acidic properties.
Honey provides nutrients to healing tissue, stimulates the immune response and also has properties that draw tissue fluid (exudates) and lymph out to cells via osmosis. This process prevents swelling by creating a gelatinous solution in direct contact with the wound surface, thus preventing bandages from sticking, minimizing pain and discomfort the animal experiences during bandage changes. Furthermore, when honey becomes diluted with wound exudates, it continuously produces hydrogen peroxide through enzymes. This dilution maintains the honey’s acidic properties at a level that is effective as an antibiotic, but does not cause tissue damage.
Honey also stimulates specialized cells called macrophages that migrate into the wound tissue and start cleaning up dead tissue debris, an important and essential component of wound healing. Honey reduces inflammation by eliminating bacterial induced production of inflammatory regeneration by stimulating the development of new capillary bed, thereby increasing nutrient delivery and oxygen supply to healing tissue. Extensive anecdotal evidence to support the use of honey as an antibacterial treatment.
Many randomized controlled clinical trials have shown honey to be more effective then silver sulfadiazine and a polyurethane film dressing for treatment of superficial wounds such as burns.
The successful studies utilizing honey treatment recommend thoroughly cleansing and debriding the wound before application of honey. This includes draining abscesses, scrubbing the wound with a disinfectant such as betadine or nolvasan, and removing necrotic tissue. Taking these steps will allow the honey solution to work more effectively and expedite healing.
Unpasteruized honey can be applied in many different ways. Separate studies have demonstrated alternative methods showing varied results. Most studies reported applying honey, then a layer of sterile gauze, and finally bandaging material to hold the gauze in place. One study reported the use of a thin layer of honey applied once a day, the results of this treatment were poor. Other studies reported the use of a thin layer that was applied tow to three times a day, this technique produced better results. Some recommended applying a thick layer of honey over the wound, completely covering it or soaking the gauze in honey and then applying it to the wound.
Honey soaked gauze can also be used to pack open wounds. The wound itself can also be filled with honey using a squeeze out of the tube and then covered. The m methods of using honey soaked gauze and or squeeze out tubes is thought to produce the least amount of pain and discomfort for the animal.
The amount of honey applied is highly dependent on the size of the wound and the amount of exudates produced by the wound. If the ratio of honey to exudates is not high enough, the honey can actually become overly diluted by the exudates and the healing properties will be reduced. Therefore, it is better to apply too much honey than to little. One study stated that “there should be no need to change the dressing frequently to prevent bacterial growth under the dressing, as the antibacterial activity of honey will prevent this if there is not excessive dilution by exudates”.
Dressings can be changed daily or every 2 – 3 days if kept clean and dry. Some studies reported changing bandages up to 2 – 3 times a day if becoming soiled with feces and urine was an issue. The amount of dressing changes is greatly dependent of the animal’s lifestyle, activity level, and cleanliness of the animals housing facility. A different study reported changing the bandages 2 – 3 times a day until the wound had developed sufficient granulation tissue, at this point bandage changes were decreased to once a day. Rinsing the wound with sterile lactated ringers solution between bandage changes to aid in maintaining sterility of the wound was also suggested in a study. Once the wound has produced adequate granulation tissue, appears healthy with no necrotic tissue present, and is no longer bleeding or showing discharge, the honey treatment can be terminated. Healing times vary among species and types of wounds.
I've used honey on burns like when I oops...touched a hot pan.
I've heard that you can use honey for bee stings, but I've never tried it since I haven't been stung in years. I've also heard of using a piece of onion on a bee sting. Don't know if that works either, since I haven't tried it.
Honey and weight loss are often associated. Honey is a smarter choice than table sugar if you are watching your weight and what you eat?
Refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins and are often called empty calories. They draw upon the body's nutrients to be metabolized into the system, and when these nutrients are depleted, metabolizing of cholesterol and fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher cholesterol and promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid on the organs and tissues.
Honey is a natural sweetener. It contains 22 amino acids and a variety of minerals essential for its metabolism and hence is helpful in preventing obesity. It is believed that drinking lemon juice with a little honey the first thing in the morning is an effective anti cellulite treatment as it helps to increase body metabolism. If you are determined to shed weight and speed up your sluggish metabolism, try this honey and lemon diet tip.
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