Manuka Honey and Your Health

Of all of nature's products, one of the most amazing - for its curative and nutritional properties - is undoubtedly honey.

People have known about the special uses of honey for millennia. Cave paintings in Spain suggest that people started hunting for honey as far back as 10,000 years ago. But with the advent of modern research into this miracle food, one variety stands out for its unique properties: Manuka.

A compound found only in Manuka honey is so special that scientists have given this ingredient the name “Unique Manuka Factor” or UMF. It is so complex that they have not been able to completely map its chemical profile. But they do know that it has an especially potent use as an anti-bacterial agent. In fact, it has proven to be effective against certain strains of bacteria that even conventional antibiotics cannot fight against.

Manuka honey is made from the flowers of the manuka bush which in indigenous to New Zealand. In fact several hospitals in New Zealand are even using the honey in its standard treatments of serious fungal infections and cancer-related surgeries in order to prevent and treat infections.

Interestingly, when diluted with water (about 10 - 14 parts the amount of honey), larger quantities of hydrogen peroxide is produced, which acts as an even stronger germicide.

Manuka honey is also a good digestive aid. Because it has been predigested by the worker bee, it contains the enzymes invertase, amylase and catalase in large quantities. These enzymes are especially helpful to people with weak digestive systems and has been proven to be able to treat stomach ulcers by killing the bacteria that causes it.

It should be noted however, that most of honey's nutritional and therapeutic properties can be eliminated by heat. Mixing honey with hot water destroys its enzymes and breaks up it sugar compounds, negating its uses as a germicide and digestive aid as previously mentioned. Therefore It would be best to mix honey with water at room temperature to preserve its properties the way nature intended them to be.

Another anecdotal cautionary tales involves metal spoons. Many people believe that because of honey’s slightly acidic pH value, it may accelerate corrosion of metal and transfer the byproduct to the honey itself. While the scientific evidence is still out, it may pay to avoid using metal utensils with honey. A simple wooden spoon is best.

Honey, in general, is a greatly-assimilable carbohydrate compound, capable of efficiently generating heat, creating and replacing energy in the human body, making it a particularly tasty and healthy pick-me-up as well.