Honey The Wonderful Antibiotic
Everybody has once in their life have tasted honey and not only does it tastes good and have been used as culinary component for many years it has also been a very good healer. Many years ago when there was nothing like drugs they used natural antibiotics like honey. Honey with its sweet taste used to heal everything from sore throats, mouth ulcers, used as a laxative, upset stomach and for diarrhoea. Honey was used to prevent infection after any wounds and speed up the healing process. Then in 1940's antibiotic was introduced and after that it has been used for every other disease and infections.
Honey is a natural product and for those who believe in using natural products should think about using honey. As we see that most old habits are being reinstated whether it is fashion or drugs people are appreciating the old ways again. Scientists have proven that honey is very effective in treating burns, cuts, insect bites, yeast infections, different skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, and fungal infections to athlete's foot to ringworm. It has been observed that honey being a natural product speed up the healing properties with no side-effects. It also clears up the infection and prevents wound to get worse.
Mechanism of action of honey
Honey very slowly releases the hydrogen peroxide that has antibacterial, antiseptic and antimicrobial properties which means when honey is applied to broken skin or cuts or burn it stops the itching and burning and repairs the skin rapidly with its healing properties. Also some researcher concluded that most of the strains of bacteria cannot survive in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Honey's viscosity gives a protective shield and forms a moist environment for the infected wound. It creates a healing barrier or layer between the wound and the dressing so there is no tissue damage and no sticking. It is very beneficial because it provides healing without scarring as the skin cells grow without any scab. It also provides the necessary nutrients for health tissue regeneration and restarts the growth of new blood capillaries. The antibacterial properties creates a perfect barrier for the cross infection of wounds. Honey also has an osmosis effect on wounds because of its high sugar content. It provides anti-inflammatory action which reduces pain and swelling while it lymph out to the cells during absorbing the extra moisture. Honey has huge amounts of glucose, a simple sugar that adds chemically with collagen that is a tissue protein. Therefore when honey is applied to cuts or burn on the skin it heals the wound like magic without the possibility of scar. It is often observed that it creates a sweet smelling fragrance when applied to the wounds as the bacteria eats the high content of the honey sugar and gives off the sweet smelling gases.
You can get the manuka honey which has been known to have great antibacterial properties. It is sold in the name medihoney online.