The Use of Honey as a Healing Agent

Would you believe that researchers have found that using honey to treat pressure ulcers, bed sores and other wounds is more effective than conventional treatment, healing even advanced pressure ulcers four times faster than the usual treatment protocol?

After stumbling upon a 2007 study of how effective honey dressings were in treating pressure ulcers - sometimes called bed sores - I was on a quest to learn about the use of honey for treatment of other wounds too. What I learned was quite interesting.

The study I referred to was conducted in March and April, 2007, by the Ege University School of Nursing in Izmir, Turkey. During the 5-week clinical trial, the researchers found that honey dressings were not only effective and practical in treating pressure ulcers, but promoted healing four times faster than the conventional treatment.

Pressure ulcers or bed sores, as they are commonly called, come about as a result of constant pressure on one area of the body, poor circulation or a prior infection. They often develop from sitting in a poorly-fitted wheelchair, using a poorly-fitted orthotic or orthopedic device or lying for prolonged periods in one position, such as in a hospital bed. Pressure ulcers and bed sores are notoriously difficult to treat; they heal slowly, especially if a bacterial infection sets in.

Ege University's study included 36 participants with a total of 68 advanced pressure ulcers; 26 patients completed the clinical trial. Over a 5-week period, 25 pressure ulcers were treated with honey dressings, and 25 were treated with ethoxy-diaminoacridine plus nitrofurazone dressings. After the five weeks, those pressure ulcers treated with honey dressings healed approximately four times faster - or had four times the healing - than those pressure ulcers treated conventionally.