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Our ancestors accumulated a lot of wisdom about the world around them. Without doctors or even the internet to do research, they were able to treat a lot of illnesses and issues at home using what nature provided.
One of the most important items that they had easy access to was honey. It is a pure food so is extremely healthy to eat. But it also has a lot of other important benefits when used topically. It was often and still is, used to treat wounds.
In fact, even today there is a popular wound filler that has honey as an important active ingredient. In this article, we will go over several of the benefits that honey brings when used to treat wounds.
Why it helps
Honey is a perfect food in the sense that it doesn’t ever spoil. In fact, the honey found in King Tut’s tomb in Egypt is still perfectly edible after thousands of years.
One of the reasons is that the honey has amazing antibacterial properties. This prevents spoilage and is why it doesn’t go bad. It has also been used as a preservative for this reason.
It also has a very unique pH balance that helps wounds heal faster. So the antibacterial property keeps the wound from getting infected and the pH balance is what makes it heal faster.
The pH of between 3.2 and 4.5 encourages the blood to produce more oxygen so it brings nutrients to the wound and promotes the healing process. The sucrose in the honey also acts as a drying agent as it draws water out of the wound and creates an antiseptic environment where bacteria cannot multiply.
Best type of honey
There is one particular type of honey that excels at wound treatment and is called Hanuka. It is a honey that is native to New Zealand where the Maori tribes have been using it for centuries.
It has a unique compound called methylglyoxal that kills bacteria and is able to easily absorb into the wound to promote faster and more effective healing.
This honey is now available all over the world and is found in many wound treatment products.
Type of wounds it can treat
Honey is most effective at treating minor wounds. Anything with major bleeding or third-degree burns needs to be treated by a doctor and with more advanced treatments than honey can provide.
However, for certain wounds that can be treated at home, honey is often used and recommended by healthcare professionals.
For instance, a minor burn can be soothed and healed much more quickly when dressed with honey. Small cuts can also be treated with honey after having been washed and then added to the bandage placed over it.
Insect bites that are uncomfortable are also ideal wounds to be treated with honey for relief and fast healing. Just put some honey to cover the wound and then cover it with a bandage that should be changed when it becomes saturated.
