Honey

Overview information

Honey is used for cough, asthma, and hay fever. It is also used for diarrhea and stomach ulcers caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria. Honey is also used as a source of carbohydrate during vigorous exercise.Some people apply honey directly to the skin for wound healing, burns, sunburn, cataracts, and diabetic foot ulcers. Topical use of honey has a long history. In fact, it is considered one of the oldest known wound dressings. Honey was used by the ancient Greek physician Dioscorides in 50 A.D. for sunburn and infected wounds. Honey’s healing properties are mentioned in the Bible, Koran, and Torah. In foods, honey is used as a sweetening agent. In manufacturing, honey is used as a fragrance and a moisturizer in soaps and cosmetics. Don’t confuse honey with bee pollen, bee venom, and royal jelly.

  • Uses & Effectiveness

    Burns

    Applying honey preparations directly to burns seems to improve healing.

  • Cough

    Taking a small amount of honey at bedtime appears to reduce the number of coughing spells in children age 2 and older. Honey appears to be at least as effective as the cough suppressantdextromethorphan in typical over-the-counter doses. Some researchers think the sweet taste of honey triggers salivation. This, in turn, promotes secretion of mucus, which wets the airway and calms the cough.

  • Diabetes

    Some evidence suggests that taking honey daily results in small decreases in blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and weight in people with diabetes

  • Sore mouth due to radiation treatment (mucositis)

    Results from clinical studies suggest that honey reduces the risk of developing mouth sores from radiation treatment. Other research shows that taking 20 mL of honey or applying honey gauze (HoneySoft) reduces the seriousness of mouth sores, painful swallowing, and weight loss associated with radiation therapy for head and neck cancers.

  • Wound healing

    Applying honey preparations directly to wounds or using dressings containing honey seems to improve healing. Several small studies describe the use of honey or honey-soaked dressings for various types of wounds, including wounds after surgery, chronic leg ulcers, abscesses, burns, abrasions, cuts, and places where skin was taken for grafting. Honey seems to reduce odors and pus, help clean the wound, reduce infection, reduce pain, and decrease time to healing. In some reports, wounds healed with honey after other treatments failed to work.

  • Dosing

    The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

  • By mouth:(Adults)

    For cough: 25 grams of a paste containing 20.8 grams of honey and 2.9 grams of coffee has been dissolved in 200 mL of warm water and drank every 8 hours.

    Applied to the skin or on the inside of the mouth:

    For the treatment of burns and wounds: Honey is applied directly or in a dressing or gauze. The dressings are usually changed every 24-48 hours, but are sometimes left in place for up to 25 days. The wound should be inspected every 2 days. When used directly, 15 mL to 30 mL of honey has been applied every 12-48 hours, and covered with sterile gauze and bandages or a polyurethane dressing.

    For sores in the mouth due to radiation or chemical treatment: Honey 20 mL has been rinsed around the mouth 15 minutes before radiation therapy, then 15 minutes and 6 hours after radiation or at bedtime, and then slowly swallowed or spit out. Honey has also been placed in the mouth in gauze and replaced daily. Also, a honey/coffee paste 10 mL or honey paste alone 10 mL, each containing 50% honey, has been rinsed around the mouth and swallowed every 3 hours.

    By mouth:(children)

    For cough: 2.5-10 mL (0.5-2 teaspoons) of honey at bedtime. For the treatment of wounds related to tonsil removal: 5 mL of honey taken every hour while awake for 14 days has been used in combination with antibiotics and acetaminophen


    Applied to the skin or on the inside of the mouth:

    For sores in the mouth due to radiation or chemical treatment: Up to 15 grams of honey has been applied inside the mouth three times daily.
    For the treatment of abscess wounds: Honey soaked gauze has been packed into wounds twice daily until healing.


Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Honey is LIKELY SAFE when taken in food amounts. The concern about botulism applies to infants and young children and not to adults or pregnant women. However, not enough is known about the safety of honey when used for medicinal purposes in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid medicinal amounts and topical applications.


Pollen allergies:

Avoid honey if you are allergic to pollen. Honey, which is made from pollen, may cause allergic reactions.


Source: webmd.com