Since antiquity honey has been used for wound healing of skin injuries.
Honey has been shown in several studies to fight the growth of bacteria responsible for wound infections. In one preliminary study, nine infants with large, open infected wounds that failed to heal with conventional treatment were treated successfully with topical application of honey. Fresh unprocessed honey was applied to wounds in amounts of 5?10 ml twice daily for a period of 21 days. All infants showed marked clinical improvement after 5 days, and the wounds were closed and free of infection by 21 days. (Vardi A, Barzilay Z, Linder N, et al. Local application of honey for treatment of neonatal postoperative wound infection. Acta Paediatr 1998;87:429?32.)
Now, a new clinical trail, honey has been found to be more effective than dextromethorphan, the most common active chemical ingredient in children’s over-the-counter cough medicine in the US.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant used for short-term treatment of nonproductive coughs. It is available in nonprescription products alone and in combination with other nonprescription drugs to treat symptoms of allergy, colds, and upper respiratory infections.
Researchers from Pennsylvania State University compared buckwheat honey with dextromethorphan. The study involved, “One hundred five children aged 2 to 18 years with upper respiratory tract infections, nocturnal symptoms, and illness duration of 7 days or less.” according to researchers. The participants were divided into three groups, one received a honey, one the medicine, while the third received a placebo.
Overall, the honey was rated by parents as more effective than the drug at relieving the severity and frequency of the cough.
“In a comparison of honey, DM, and no treatment, parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their child’s nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty due to upper respiratory tract infection the over-the-counter medicine “ said researchers. The study is published in the Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine
The medicine was found to be slightly more effective than no treatment at all.
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