Honey Part Two - What Kind of Honey?
Before I even start, I have to say that you must talk with your doctor and find out whether your use of any of the products mentioned in this post, or indeed anywhere on this site, is appropriate for you. All statements are only personal opinion, and have not been approved by any authority or agency or anyone else whatsoever. And read our disclaimer statement.
And truly, a person must also learn the proper technique before using any of the products mentioned, or they may do more harm than good.
Additionally, some people are allergic to honey. You must never use honey if you are allergic to it, or put it on anyone who is allergic to it. You could initiate an anaphylactic reaction that could be life threatening.
(Read Part One)
(Read Part Three)
(Read Addendum)
After researching the kind of honey used for treatment of wounds, I found that most sources said that local honey was best. That makes sense to me, because perhaps the more local it is, the better suited it is for the disease-causing organisms of a particular area. We get an organic, raw, unfiltered honey produced within 15 miles of our house, when it is available. When it is not available, I get one made about 50 miles away. I ‘feel’ that the more local honey does better, but I have no solid proof of that. Both of them have been effective when I’ve used them, so maybe there is no difference.
If you cannot find locally produced honey, there is a honey produced by Honey New Zealand that they claim is bioactive and useful in all locales. I have never tried that product, because I can get good local honey that I know works. But if you cannot, this may be worth checking out. It is very expensive.
MSNBC ran an article about a product called Medihoney that seems interesting. It has been approved by the US. Food and Drug Administration as a wound care product. The article is worth reading, and provides another take on why honey is becoming an important addition to the modern medicinal arsenal.
We store 4 to 5 pounds of honey for the purposes of wound care. If the organic, raw, unfiltered honey we buy were not quite so expensive, we would store more. I’ve tried to make arrangements to get a 50 lb. container from a local producer, but have not been able to so far. As you may have read in the media, honeybees are disappearing in huge numbers. No one knows why. I’m guessing the price of good honey can only go up, and the availability may become less. As always, I suggest you get some now.
One important warning about buying honey: some of it is cut with water or corn syrup to reduce the price. This is sometimes not mentioned on the label, which claims it is 100% honey. I was so incensed when I discovered this deceptive practice. The way I found out was by buying one bottle of inexpensive ‘organic’ honey at a supermarket, just to see if I could save some money. Price was great. The effectiveness was… zero. If honey is cut with anything at all, it loses its wound care qualities. I’ll write more about that in an upcoming post.
I now check to see how ‘runny’ the honey is before I buy it. If it moves slowly in the jar when I tilt it, I think it is an indication that it is actually 100% honey. If it seems thin, moving more quickly when I tilt the jar, I put it back on the shelf. Caveat emptor… let the buyer beware, in this very greedy world of ours.
