Time heals all wounds—but how about honey?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Honey’s been slathered on wounds since King Tut. But did it HEAL or just STICK?
Andrew Jull, from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, dug further. He pored over scientific publications, and hospital and pharmaceutical databases.
And? In treating major problems like gangrene, honey was a flop.
But for mild to moderate injuries, BURNS in particular, honey treatment OUTPERFORMED conventional dressings. Injuries healed a full FIVE DAYS faster, on average!
Honey also appears to help skin shed dead tissue, and provides nutrition that spurs tissue growth. Plus, honey contains enzymes that gradually turn the sugars glucose and fructose into hydrogen peroxide, generating a continuous trickle of antiseptic!
Now that’s what we call a sugar fix.
Reference: Jull, A. B., Rodgers, A., & Walker, N. (2008). Honey as a topical treatment for wounds. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4), CD005083. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005083.pub2