Heal with the home remedy honey

Honey: Traditional home remedy without confirmed effect

02/07/2013

Honey is known as a traditional remedy, but in acute conditions patients should not rely on the beneficial effects of honey, so the result of a recent evaluation of existing studies by the journal „Good pills - bad pills“ (GPSP), published as a joint project by „THE MEDICINAL LETTER“, „drug-telegram“, „Pharma-News“ and „Pharmaceutical regulations in practice“.

While against warm milk with honey as a home remedy for cough, according to the Journal „nothing wrong“ warns the editor-in-chief of „GPSP“, Christian Wagner-Ahlfs, above „Self-experiments, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.“ Even if honey could theoretically be helpful in an illness, medically secured treatments should be preferred, reports the journal. On the basis of the evaluation of available scientific literature, no disease-preventing effect of daily honey consumption can be established. Nevertheless, it remains „Honey is a traditional home remedy for everyday ailments“, even if „the scientific evidence for the effect of honey as medicine is insufficient“, explained Christian Wagner-Ahlfs.

Health-enhancing ingredients of honey?
Naturopathy relies on a variety of potentially health-promoting ingredients. of honey, what the journal „GPSP“ as an occasion for an evaluation of the existing scientific publication on the medicinal benefits of honey. „Although the medicinal use of honey has a long tradition, its effects have not been well studied scientifically“ and „The studies are usually of very low significance, for example, because they involve too few people and often lack a comparison with a placebo or a drug“, so one of the main results.

Honey for wound treatment
The data in the area of ​​wound treatment with honey was relatively comprehensive. Here, the authors were able to draw on numerous studies, reports „GPSP“. Thus, the results of a research group pointed to accelerated healing in minor burns, „when sterilized honey was applied to the wound.“ Since the data come only from a research group, but be „the reliability significantly reduced.“ Also, other studies have found that „In severe burns honey compared to the usual treatment to delay the cure even“ seems. The evaluation of the scientific literature has also shown that in the treatment of chronic wounds also no clear benefit of the honey application can be seen. For example, venous leg ulcers do not heal faster by applying honey (in addition to compresses), reports „GPSP“.

Wound treatment only with sterile honey
Although in some hospitals honey is used in addition to the established procedures for the treatment of chronic wounds due to metabolic or circulatory disorders. But this therapeutic honey application belongs in the hands of professionals, the authors write in the journal „GPSP“. In the clinics that use honey for wound healing, will „the condition of the wound is continuously monitored medically.“ In front „experiments“ At home is urgently advised against. Especially in the hospitals only sterilized honey is used, as it could otherwise contain bacteria and fungal spores that cause wound infection in the worst case. The wound treatment with honey can burn according to the announcement of the journal due to the acid initially unpleasant.

Honey has an antibacterial effect
Thanks to its high sugar content of 80 to 85 percent, undiluted honey can basically kill bacteria and other pathogens by depriving them of water „GPSP“. In addition, honey is slightly acidic, which additionally inhibits the growth of germs. However, fungal spores and some specialized bacteria can also be found in honey, which can cause serious health risks if they come in contact with open wounds. When used internally, the honey is diluted with saliva and gastric juice, whereby it loses its action against bacteria, reports the journal.

Honey as a home remedy for coughing
For coughs or colds and sleep disorders, milk with honey is a popular home remedy, which, according to the „GPSP“-Authors already because of „Expectation of a positive effect can help to relieve symptoms“ (Placebo effect). In addition, the coughing stimulus may also be somewhat alleviated by the salivation-stimulating effect of honey. Accordingly, be against „Honey as a home remedy for coughing nothing wrong - even if the scientific data for the benefit of lean.“ The same applies in principle for honey as a remedy for cold sores, although the authors could find no better effect than conventional herpes. Evidence for the alleged pain relief and the promotion of crust formation are, according to „GPSP“ not to be found. The study, in which the honey was certified to have a better effect than the cold sore agent aciclovir, had only eight participants. In addition, the usual pharmacy-only herpes supplements serve only to relieve the symptoms and „Herpes does not cure any more quickly with any of the usual pharmaceuticals“, reported „GPSP“.

Some applications refuted
Some naturopathic applications such as the use of gastric ulcer with honey are refuted today. „Honey does not eliminate Helicobacter bacteria, which are often triggers of gastric ulcers“, write the „GPSP“-Authors. In other applications, honey is not necessarily the key to success, it's the mixture of ingredients. A study has found that a directly applied mixture of honey, olive oil and beeswax can work against hemorrhoids and bleeding. Itchy rash was treated with this mixture relatively successfully. But honey alone is by no means the cause of the positive effect. (Fp)

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Picture: BirgitH