Honey - Treats Wounds and Burns

In additional to being used to add sweetness to food, honey has been valued for its soothing, antiseptic and healing properties and for centuries, it has been used as a conventional treatment for wounds and burns. However, in the 20th century with the arrival of antibiotics, the use honey for treatment steadily declined until recently when it has again sparked interest in the medical field.

Burns and wounds are easily infected and if left untreated, the infection can spread to the rest of the body and probably kill you. Honey is a proven antiseptic and in 2007, the Federal Drug Administration recommended it as a suitable option for wound and burn treatment. So how does honey work?

Honey has high osmolarity that is; it has a high sugar concentration. It therefore restricts the availability of water to infection causing bacteria and also withdraws water from their cells hence dehydrating and killing them. This property reduces the bacteria number on the wound or burn hence preventing infection.

The acidic pH of honey which is between 3.5 and 4.5 alters the alkaline environment in chronic wounds causing more oxygen release from hemoglobin which promotes healing.

Honey also produces hydrogen peroxide which kills microbes on contact and this property together with its acidity makes it a very effective antiseptic.

Numerous clinical trials have shown honey to have numerous antioxidants, enzymes, minerals and other compounds whose bio-activities are involved in the fast healing process of wound and burns.

User guidelines

You need to follow a few steps to effectively use honey in treating a burn or wound.

- Clean the wound.

- Apply an amount of honey proportional to the size of the wound or burn preferably 1 ounce per 4 inches.

- Spread the honey evenly around the wound or burn.

You may also apply honey on a dressing pad then wrap it around the affected area. This has proven to be a more effective approach.

Honey is cheap, readily available, non toxic and unlikely to cause bacterial resistance but you are not likely to find a jar in the doctor’s office, ambulance or hospital. So after reading this, I hope you stock up your cabinet drawers with honey for your next cut or burn. Keep in mind however that for serious burns and deep cuts, seek medical treatment from a doctor and get advice on how to correctly use the honey.