subject: Manuka Honey Benefits [print this page] This article looks at the different benefits that come from the use of Manuka Honey, both as a health treatment and as a food.
Manuka Honey comes from uncultivated Manuka Bushes which are found in New Zealand, a country in the South Pacific Ocean, south-east of Australia.
For many years it has been recognized that this honey contains special qualities that differentiate it from other honeys. The benefits are strongest when it is in its raw state.
When it has not been processed with heat treatment or pasteurization it retains most of its nutritional content. However, its other benefits require it to be activated.
Activation means that it contains the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) which is not found in other types of honey. The level of this activation can be measured and it runs from around 5 to 30 on a percentage scale with 30 being the highest.
Activation over 10 is best for deriving the benefits of this honey. It must be noted that only a small percentage of the harvested honey contains the UMF. Scientists are still trying to understand why some Manuka Bushes produce the UMF while others do not.
Manuka Honey Benefits are both nutritional, and in healing and medicine. The nutritional benefits; the vitamin, mineral, and enzyme content, are greatest when the product has not been processed.
Processing with heat or pasteurization leads to a loss of nutritional value, mainly vitamins and enzymes.
Manuka Honey Benefits in health and medicine are numerous. Manuka Honey is excellent for wound care. It is used in hospitals because it is highly effective in killing bacteria.
All honey has an anti-septic quality which can be used for wound healing, but Manuka Honey has the UMF which makes it superior for this purpose. It also has an analgesic effect; it helps with wound pain.
It is used in alternative health and not just for wound treatments and infections. It is used for treating many skin conditions such as acne, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, cold sores, burns, blisters, and even Athlete's Foot.
It can be applied to scar tissue to help reduce its size and prominence.
Manuka Honey Benefits in alternative medical treatment include treatments for digestion, infections, ulcers, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, sore throats, and colds.
Staph infections such as the hard to treat MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) improve with use of this honey. There are many Manuka products on the market that deal specifically with these conditions.
Manuka Honey Benefits are not exclusively for humans. It has been used successfully for treating animal wounds on horses and dogs. It has similar outcomes to those with humans and consequently, some veterinarians are now using it for this application.
The benefits of the honey include the taste; a wonderful tangy bush taste which is unique. It makes an excellent spread for bread and toast. The great taste is common to all the honey so the cheaper honey is fine for eating if taste is the only consideration.
Manuka Honey has so many benefits they are impossible to list here. The broad benefit categories can be described as taste, nutrition, wound care, skin care and infection. Some of these categories overlap.
Manuka Honey has been studied academically for over 20 years. Most of the benefits discussed in this article have been studied and proven in laboratories such as the Honey Research Unit of Waikato University in Hamilton, New Zealand.
The honey can also be combined with bee and non-bee products to treat different medical conditions. An example is Bee Venom which is another great bee product. It is combined with Manuka Honey and used to treat medical conditions such as arthritis.
Unfortunately, Manuka Honey's shortcoming is that it is expensive. The more UMF the product contains (the higher the UMF), the higher the cost.
In summary, the wide range of Manuka Honey Benefits available make it one of Nature's true super foods!
