Honey is one of mother nature's true wonders and the animals and the Native Americans have known about it for many years. It is known to most people as something that is just plain sweet and it tastes good on ice cream. Yet there is a more serious side to honey that most people are not aware of and that is its wonderful healing properties.



As someone that has suffered from allergies and especially hayfever, I have found some relief from the symptoms of my allergies. This is because I use locally raised honey because it is made from the pollen of the local plants that cause my allergies. Taking it in small amounts has helped be build up a tolerance to the pollen that I would normally react to.

Honey can also be placed on bee stings and other wounds to help promote the healing of the injury. The effect of applying honey to an open wound is that it provides a moist healing environment. Honey contains a natural anti-biotic that is stronger than anything they currently use for topical treatments. In a three year clinical trial honey was found to promote faster and better healing in all kinds of wounds.

It was used on small wounds all the way up to skin ulcers and in 95% of all the cases it worked even when conventional treatments failed to work. "Honey provides a moist healing environment yet prevents bacterial growth even when wounds are heavily infected," notes Dr. Peter Molan of the Honey Research Unit at the

University of Waikato, New Zealand.

"It is a very effective means of quickly rendering heavily infected wounds sterile, without the side effects of antibiotics and it is even effective against antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria."

There are several factors that make it possible for honey to do what it does. Its acidity is too high for most bacteria to live in and it has the ability to absorb moisture. The ability helps keep the wound dry and that also prevents bacteria from growing. As the honey absorbs the water that is naturally in your wound it dilutes the honey closest to the surface produces Hydrogen Peroxide, which acts as an effective anti-bacterial agent.

Honey also has the ability to reduce inflammation, swelling and pain from deep wounds and burns. The benefits of using honey just keep adding up. You will need to apply honey to the dressing, as honey does not stick to the open wound.

Since honey forms its connection through the fluids in the wound it does not tear off or damage the new tissue forming under the dressing. This is a definite plus especially when dealing with kids, no pain when changing dressings.

Honey has many other healing properties that will require many more articles. It has been found to work with stomach ulcers, bed-wetting, alcohol metabolism, relieves indigestion and it is also an effective facial. The list of things that honey can be used for continues to grow with each and every day.