A new study into an ancient remedy now proves that honey helps the treatment of some wounds better than most modern antibiotics.

The study, by researchers from the University of Bonn, Germany, has found that medihoney is a very effective healer, even healing chronic wounds infected with multi-resistant bacteria within a few weeks.

The study was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Düsseldorf, Homburg and Berlin.

Dr Arne Simon from the cancer ward of the Bonn University Children’s Clinic said that with doctors being faced with germs resistant to all current anti-biotic, honey was once again being seen as a viable treatment.

“In hospitals today we are faced with germs which are resistant to almost all the current anti-biotics. As a result, the medical use of honey is becoming attractive again for the treatment of wounds,” he said.

Bonn paediatricians have over the years been pioneering the use in Germany of medihoney in treating wounds. Kai Sofka, wound specialist at the University Children’s Clinic, said that medihoney, that bears the CE seal for medical products, has proved to be extremely successful in treating wounds.

“Dead tissue is rejected faster, and the wounds heal more rapidly. What is more, changing dressings is less painful, since the poultices are easier to remove without damaging the newly formed layers of skin. Even wounds which consistently refused to heal for years can, in our experience, be brought under control with medihoney – and this frequently happens within a few weeks,” Kai Sofka said.

Medihoney consists of two different types of honey: one which forms a comparatively large amount of hydrogen peroxide, and another known as ‘lepto-spermum honey’. Leptospermum is a species of tree which occurs in New Zealand and Australia. Honey from these trees has a particularly strong anti-bacterial effect, even in a 10 percent dilution. ANI