Scientists in Sweden are launching their own mead. Mead is an alcoholic beverage that dates back a very long way. It's made from a fermented mix of bees honey and water. Mead is based on old recipes steeped in tradition and Folklore. One of the modern claims for mead is that it helps in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Watch the video to find out more.

My Notes

There are some Swedish scientists who are dedicated to the study of bees and their honey. They have since launched their own honey wine drink, or mead. The scientists have done this in partnership with a brewery. So what's going on, why this odd behavior?

Lund University researcher Tobias Olofsson explains all. Olofsson said that mead had a long track record in bringing positive effects on human health. He goes on to say how people once revered it as the drink of the gods. People used to think they could become immortal by drinking it. At the very least, it would help the consumer to sustain much better health.

Mead, this simple honey, water and yeast concoction, was once drunk by Vikings. The Mayas drank it too. Mayas are members of an American Indian people of Yucatán. The Egyptians also consumed mead and considered it to be beneficial to wellbeing.

The Purpose of the Study

Honey production is fundamental to the research. In previous research Olofsson and Alejandra Vasquez discovered something quite special. They found that lactic acid bacteria found in the stomach of bees, mixed with honey itself, could cure chronic wounds in horses. This included horses that had proved resistant to other treatments. The findings of this study were published in 2014.

This research proved that these bacteria have the power to collaborate and kill off all the human pathogens tested against. This includes resistant ones. They do this by producing 100s of antibacterial antibiotic-like substances.

Honey Hunter's Elixir | Original Mead

Honey Hunter's Elixir is different from other types of modern mead drinks. This is because it uses all 13 beneficial honeybee lactic acid bacteria. It also uses the wild yeasts from honey that naturally ferments the drink. Commercial honey does not contain these bacteria. To start with, producers sterilize the honey and water mixture before adding industrial wine yeast. This process kills off all other life in the honey, including the wild yeast.

The researchers say that their drink contains all the beneficial components. This includes 100 billion of these 13 different living and collaborating lactic acid bacteria. Olofsson believes original mead may be the most efficient historical equivalent to today's antibiotics. That's quite a claim, but if it's true then it's an enormous breakthrough. It could means that Honey Hunter's Elixir would lead the way in preventing infections in humans.

It's no secret that antibiotic resistance has become a critical issue for global health in recent times. There are an ever-increasing number of strains of bacteria developing immunity. As yet, we haven't come up with a solution to this growing, global problem.

You can read more on the science of this: Honey-based mead may curb antibiotic resistance, say makers | By Ilze Filks | Wed Jun 10, 2015 7:06am EDT

Summary

The research into mead looks promising, though trials are ongoing. If human trials are successful it could be a game changer in the world of medicine. It would mean that doctors could overturn the growing threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Fresh honey is more accessible than antibiotics in many developing countries, so the potential for mead really is huge.