|
Sydney: Honey
suppresses the growth of a quartet of bugs commonly infesting
chronic wounds, but according to a finding manuka honey is the
best of them for healing injuries.
University of Technology Sydney (UTS) researchers looked at three
kinds of honey, namely manuka, kanuka and clover, to determine
which was the most effective in combating them.
Real Manuka honey comes from the Leptospermum scoparium plant that
is native to New Zealand, the journal Public Library of Science
ONE reports.
However, many companies attempt to artificially increase
methylglyoxal (MGO) levels, known to inhibit bacterial growth in
inferior honey products, and label them as genuine Manuka, but
synthetically altered honeys are no match for the real thing.
Researchers looked at two key honey ingredients known to inhibit
bacterial growth: MGO, which is present at high concentrations in
Manuka honeys; and hydrogen peroxide which is present in many
honeys at varying concentrations, including manuka.
"What we saw was that the manuka honeys were the most effective at
inhibiting growth of all the bacteria," said Liz Harry, professor
at the UTS, who led the study.
"Interestingly, the MGO level alone cannot explain the variation
in the effects we saw; the key to the effectiveness of honey is
its chemical complexity - it contains several chemicals that
inhibit bacterial growth, not just MGO," said Harry, according to
an UTS statement.
The research was conducted at the three institute at UTS, in
collaboration with New Zealand natural health and beauty products
company.
"Unlike antibiotics, it is not expected that bacteria will become
resistant to honey, a claim that has been supported by our
research," Harry added.
|
Comments
|
Quick links