Honey a medicine

ISLAMABAD: Recent scientific research has helped understand the manifold benefits of honey in greater depth.

The Journal of Medical Research reported that fresh honey is highly beneficial but should not be eaten with fish, vinegar, radish or melon.

It said that honey has a beneficial effect on the heart because it contains glucose that can be easily assimilated. “It has been noted that it has an invaluable effect on the weakened heart muscle in various types of cardiac diseases,” the journal reported. It said that even diabetics can take honey, since pure honey improves cardiac activity.

“At a concentration of 40 percent, honey has a bactericidal effect on various intestinal bacteria known to cause diarrhoea and dysentery, and honey given with oral dehydration fluid was shown to reduce the duration of bacterial diarrhoea in infants and children,” the journal reported. “Anti-cough properties are related to its capacity to dilute bronchial secretions and improve the function of the bronchial epithelium. Uncontaminated or pure honey is a natural, healthy, energy-rich and easily-digestible food.”

The researchers recommended random controlled trials to determine the efficacy of honey and invited physicians to consider topical honey therapy for patients with refractory diabetic foot ulcers.

The famous botanist Ali Ibn Sina considered honey to have absorbing properties, and recommended a waterless ointment of honey and wheat flour to treat wounds. Honey is known to be able to treat burns, infected surgical wounds and decubitus ulcers because it can absorb water from surrounding inflamed tissue due to its viscosity. It also has been suggested that honey may be useful in treating chronic, foul-smelling ulcers seen in leprosy.

“Honey speeds healing of open wounds and also combats infection. Modern science now acknowledges honey as an anti-microbial agent, meaning that it deters the growth of certain types of bacteria, yeast and moulds,” said Dr Peter Molan, a leading researcher on honey for the last three decades and a biochemistry professor at New Zealand’s Waikato University.

The journal said that honey and beeswax form the basic ingredients of many skin creams, lip-balms and hand lotions. By its ability to absorb moisture from the air, honey facilitates the healing process and prevents scarring by stimulating the growth of epithelial cells that form the new skin covering a healed wound. So honey may eliminate the need for tissue transplantation even in case of large wounds, the journal reported. APP

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