Manuka Honey: Therapeutic Benefits, Uses & Properties

There are many therapeutic and medical benefits to manuka honey. Manuka honey is highly effective at healing wounds and other injuries due to its antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Unlike regular honey, manuka has the capability of combating the bacteria that infects a wound.

What is manuka honey?

• Manuka honey is a floral honey produced by bees that feed from the manuka bush (Leptospermum Scoparium) native to New Zealand.

What is it used for?

• Manuka honey can be used topically for skin conditions like burns, eczema and ringworm, or internally to treat strep throat, gastritis and stomach ulcers.

UMF

• UMF stands for the "unique manuka factor" and is a rating of a honey's antibacterial property. The higher the honey is rated, the stronger its effectiveness.

Potency

• Even when manuka honey is diluted more than 50 times it remains as powerful. Therefore, when applied to a wound it will remain resilient.

Treating MRSA

• Manuka honey has been highly effective at destroying the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. This staph infection is extremely resilient to some forms of antibiotics.

FDA Approval

• As of 2009 the FDA had not recognized manuka honey as a drug; therefore, many products containing this honey do not have a UMF rating.