Introduction

Honey has been around since bees first inhabited the earth, and that was a long time before we arrived. Honey, the golden product produced by bees, has a long medicinal history. It was so valued once that the ancient Egyptians made offerings of honey to their gods. The Egyptians also used it for dressing wounds and as an embalming fluid. In modern times, most of us don't offer bee's honey to any god, but we do treasure it nonetheless. We embrace honey as a nutritious food and for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Holistic practitioners and some nutritionists consider honey as one of nature's best all-round remedies.

My Notes on Honey as a Healer:

Honey is well-established as a health food for humans. It goes all the way back to ancient Egyptian times. However, it's only in more recent times that we have picked this superfood up again. As time passes and more research gets published, people are using honey for health purposes as well as a food.

There is a whole plethora of health benefits attributed to pure honey, one of which is its ability to heal.

Honey the Antibacterial

Lab tests have shown that raw honey hampers the growth of food-borne pathogens. These include such things as E. coli and salmonella. It also helps to fight certain bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both of these forms of bacterium are common in hospitals and doctors' offices.

Not All Honeys Are Equal

Honey from around the world can vary a lot in color. To get the best antibacterial and antioxidant power, you need to choose the darker varieties. They need to be 100 percent pure too, that means with nothing added or taken away. Dark honeys include buckwheat, heather and avocado to name just three.

Honey for Healing Wounds

New Zealand's Manuka honey is well-known for its healing properties. It is particularly useful at treating chronic leg ulcers and pressure sores.

A scientific study on honey-impregnated gauze proved its effectiveness at healing wounds. The conclusion was that honey causes less pain and heals donor site wounds faster.

Indian J Surg. 2015 Dec;77(Suppl 2):261-3. doi: 10.1007/s12262-012-0789-9. Epub 2012 Dec 7.
Honey Dressing Accelerates Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Site Healing.
Subrahmanyam M.

Honey for Treating Allergies

Some laboratory studies have shown promising results on honey and allergies. They suggest that honey has the potential to ease pollen-triggered allergies and also helps to clear up stuffy noses.

Honey for the Common Cold

Honey might not heal a common cold, but it can certainly lesson the symptoms. Buckwheat honey-based syrup is particularly effective for easing the early signs of a cold.  It does this by calming inflamed membranes and easing cough. This is a perfect alternative for children over the age of one who may not take too well to conventional cough syrups.

Summary

Some studies into the healing properties of honey are conclusive whereas others need more research. Whichever way we look at it, the scientific community takes the healing potential of honey very seriously.