Unveiling the Power of Manuka Honey: Health Benefits and Uses

Manuka honey is a monofloral honey that is made by bees that have fed on the flowers of the Manuka plant. This plant is also known as the tea tree and it's found in New Zealand.

What makes this honey so unique is its special medicinal qualities that are not found in other honeys.

Characteristics of Manuka Honey

This honey is very dark in color and its flavor is rather intense when compared to other kinds of honey.

It's used as a sweetener just like most honeys and many people around the world enjoy it.

Other honey products are made from this variety such as honey cream and whipped honey.

Medicinal Qualities

This delicious honey can also be used for health issues.

Research has proven that the Manuka plant has many antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Studies have shown the that it can heal certain kinds of skin infections.

This honey is a natural and very inexpensive alternative to conventional pharmaceutical medicines.

Some people may consider the idea of putting this honey on their wounds rather strange, but it has been used to treat wounds for hundreds of years.

Actually, it was a widely used medical treatment during World War I. It has even been used to treat gum infections, indigestion, eczema and acne.

Honey in general is considered to be a natural antiseptic that can speed-up the healing process while it protects the wound at the same time.

It also has the additional benefit of being a lubricant because it keeps bandages from sticking to wounds.

In recent years, there has been an increasing resurgence of using honey as an antibacterial agent. Today, this type of honey is specially packaged so it can be included in first-aid kits.
Unique Manuka Factor

Sometimes Manuka honey is labeled as being “UMF honey.” UMF stands for the Unique Manuka Factor which was created by researcher, Peter Molan in New Zealand. The UMF is used to determine the antibacterial strength in the honey.

The UMF is generally associated with a number.

The minimum level that is approved by the University of Waikato's Honey Research Unit is 10, and 16 is one of the highest levels.

The UMF is the only international standard that is used to identify and measure the particular antibacterial strength of this honey.

Molan's research also discovered that Manuka honey is effective against different kinds bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics, was tested on many infections in his study.

Ordinary Manuka honey contains hydrogen peroxide antibacterial properties that are common to most kinds of honey. Not all Manuka honey has the same antibacterial killing strengths so read your labels.

Benefits of this Special Honey

One important benefit of this honey is that it is totally natural. There are no artificial ingredients or colors added to this honey.

Additionally, this honey comes from a location that is very pollutant-free. And, once you taste it, you will certainly understand why it is so popular throughout the world.