How does Active Leptospermum Honey work?
Not all honeys are created equal. Only Leptospermum honeys (Manuka from New Zealand and Jellybush from Australia) have the unique characteristics that make these honeys ideal for use as dressings on acute and chronic wounds and burns. However, even within this species of honey there is considerable variability. That is why global thought leaders have cautioned that, when using honey, clinicians should:
- Not use honey straight from the supermarket. Honey is known to contain Clostridium botulinum spores. When used as a dressing on wounds and burns, only sterilized honey products should be used.
- Select only those products that have been standardized to a certain specification with regard to the special characteristics that make honey beneficial for wounds and burns. This standardization process is achieved, in part, by observing the honey's activity level in the presence of catalase. Catalase is an enzyme found in wound fluid that breaks down the active components in most honeys. Only the Leptospermum species has been shown to retain its activity even in the presence of catalase.
Medical-grade honey
"Medical grade" honey is standardized, sterilized honey intended for wound care. All MEDIHONEY™ dressings are sterilized by gamma irradiation, which destroys any bacterial spores.
All Leptospermum honeys are controlled against a rigorous set of systems and standards, including a rating system to quantify level of medical activity in wounds and burns. Some batches show no activity, and are rated at 0. Others show varying rates of activity and are rated from +1 to +12 to +25. Leptospermum honeys with a rating of +12 or higher are recommended for use as wound and burn dressings. MEDIHONEY dressings have an activity rating of +15.
Dynamic Moisture Balance™*
MEDIHONEY dressings create a layer of fluid beneath the dressing to produce a moist environment,¹ thus, promoting optimal conditions for wound healing. The high osmotic activity of honey is responsible for this Dynamic Moisture Balance™. An outflow of lymph from the wound provides nutrition for regenerating tissue and also helps to lift dirt and debris from the wound bed. Meanwhile, the osmotic pull of MEDIHONEY draws lymph from deeper tissues through the wound, constantly bathing the wound bed.
pH activity
Wounds heal more rapidly in an acidic environment, which helps to explain why MEDIHONEY, with a pH near 3.5, improves the wound healing environment.²
In a study of 20 chronic, non-healing wounds treated over a 2-week period, wounds with a pH of 7.6 showed a 30% reduction in wound size. As the pH level increased, wounds healed less effectively or worsened. The use of MEDIHONEY resulted in a statistically significant reduction in surface wound pH (p=0.001).2,3
United States Patent 6956144
Honey-based wound dressing
US Patent Issued on October 18, 2005
The present invention is directed to the use of honey in medical dressings. Preferred embodiments modify honey with a viscosity increasing agent, resulting in a range of possible compositions including ointments and salves, self-adhesive gels such as for use on mouth ulcers and pustules, and pliable or flexible sheets which can be used as a wound covering. Preferred viscosity increasing agents include both particulate and continuous gels, respective examples of each including agars and alginates. Selected honeys preferably, but not necessarily, exhibit properties other than what is merely conferred by osmolarity and sugar concentration effects.
| 1. |
Van der Weyden EA. The use of honey for the treatment of two patients with pressure ulcers. Br J Community Nurs. 2003;8(12)(suppl.):S14-S20. |
| 2. |
Gethin G. Understanding the significance of surface pH in chronic wounds. Wounds UK. 2007;3(3):52-54. |
| 3. |
Lusby PE, Coombes A, Wilkinson JM. Honey: A potent agent for wound healing?
J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2002;29(6):295-300. |
| *Dynamic Moisture Balance™ is a trademark of Derma Sciences, Inc. |
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