August 22, 2006
The Buzz About Honey
Since I have launched my new project, in which I am likely to be exposed to more bacteria than usual, I thought it would be wise to have a little medical honey on hand.
It has already been proved that medihoney even puts paid to multi-resistant germs such as MRSA [sic]. In this respect medihoney is neck and neck in the race to beat the antibiotic mupirocin, currently the local MRSA antibiotic of choice. This is shown by a study recently published by researchers in Australia. In one point medihoney was even superior to its rival: the bacteria did not develop any resistance to the natural product during the course of treatment.It is also known today why honey has an antiseptic effect: when producing honey, bees add an enzyme called glucose-oxidase. This enzyme ensures that small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, an effective antiseptic, are constantly being formed from the sugar in the honey. The advantage over the hydrogen peroxide from the chemist's is that small concentrations are sufficient to kill the germs, as it is constantly being produced. As a rule much larger quantities of hydrogen peroxide would have to be used, as hydrogen peroxide loses its potency over time. However, in large concentrations it not only damages the bacteria, but also the skin cells.
As an auxillary Sprinkler, I ordered (what I figure to be) the most potent kind at epharmacy in australia, although the milder complexion creams are available in the US on ebay, and you'll save postage.
I guess I could use honey right out of the jar, but I worry about attracting swarms of flies while sprinkling
Photo note: A gauzy bee replica, with a little something growing on it for creepiness value. Below - the universe telling me to pass along this information.
