Honey Beats Superbugs

[Guest guest]

Honey Beats Superbugs JoAnn Guest Aug 15, 2005 14:54 PDT

 

Don’t Let Biopiracy Spoil Revitalisation of Indigenous Health Systems

From the Editor

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Honeybeatssuperbugs.php

 

As the dominant reductionist medical model is falling apart and failing

to deliver health, scientists are rediscovering indigenous herbal

medicines around the world which have the potential to revitalise

indigenous health systems, protect biodiversity, and provide safe,

effective and affordable healthcare for all. We see this as a positive

trend, but are aware that it could encourage biopiracy and plagiarism of

indigenous knowledge, and has the potential to undermine the health

system of the community concerned.

 

So, in advance of circulating the report, " Honey beats superbugs "

featuring honey from the Manuka Tree, we sent a draft via our New

Zealand contacts to the Maori community. By coincidence, the Maori

people were holding a ‘hui’ (meeting) over a weekend to look at genetic

modification and indigenous and intellectual property rights. Our

message was taken to the meeting and discussed. We had several feedbacks

from the leaders, which Chris Webster summarised in his e-mail to me.

(Chris Webster is a representative of the Maori people who wrote the

submission for the National Maori Congress to the New Zealand Royal

Commission on Genetic Engineering and took active part in the debate.)

 

" Your email was debated and the focus centered upon who it was that the

scientist had spoken to within Aotearoa. We concluded that the

scientists (as usual) had spoken to just one Maori person (it could have

been any one person) claiming they had ‘spoken to Maori’ and therefore

legitimizing their research and consulting phase and ticked the box.

(This happens all the time and the Pakeha [white] scientists are very

good at deceitful and underhanded movements such as this)…

 

" Most people remembered the difficulty where an earlier claim had been

made by scientists, that manuka honey had certain properties. It was

found wanting, and the paper here carried the story exposing the authors

and the scientists….

 

" .. further debate abounds as to who owns the traditional knowledge and

is it described as biopiracy even if permission has been gained from

indigenous people -- albeit from one individual ……The manuka is owned by

the people that have it on their lands -- and it does exist on

everyone’s land in our country.

 

" Recently a Pakeha (white) scientist resigned his position from a

government research agency and is now both the owner of the manuka honey

company which he renamed, claiming that there is where his future lies.

However his previous works did not involve honey…. "

 

We have sent e-mails to both the scientist in New Zealand (Peter Molan)

and the company in UK (Manukahoney.co.uk) that carries his articles

promoting Manuka honey. We asked them politely if there has been

biopiracy or plagiarism of indigenous knowledge involved. But we have

had no reply as yet.

 

We believe scientists can play a major role. They should reject

biopiracy and plagiarism of indigenous knowledge. They should insist on

involving and informing the local community at every stage, to ensure

that its interests are protected. As a matter of principle, commercial

benefits arising from indigenous knowledge and plant resources should go

towards enhancing local biodiversity and revitalising the indigenous

health system.

-

Honey Beats Superbugs

-

 

As hospital acquired infections soar, and bacteria become resistant to

the last resort antibiotics, researchers come to the rescue with

startling discoveries on an ancient remedy. Sam Burcher reports.

 

Aaron Phipps nearly died of bacterial meningitis. His lower legs and

fingertips were amputated because of septicaemia (blood poisoning).

Numerous skin grafts failed to heal his wounds. Nine months had passed

with no cure for the infected lesions around his bone-protruding sores.

The smell alone was enough to terrify the brave teenager. Luckily, his

nurse contacted the University of Wales, Institute of Cardiff where

experiments with honey as a wound dressing were underway [1]. The effect

of honey on Aaron’s body was almost immediate. Honey acts as both

bacteriostatic, slowing down microbial growth, and bactericide, killing

it. It also assists in new tissue growth. The young man said, " The honey

healed my legs enough to start wearing artificial limbs. "

 

Honey is mentioned in ancient medical texts. Aristotle recommends that

honey collected in specific regions and seasons should be used for

treating particular ailments [2]. Honey has been known as a remedy for

burns for thousands of years, but only recently revealed its potential

for completely inhibiting the growth of some of the most infectious,

drug-resistant pathogens [3].

 

One of these " superbugs " is Staphylococcus aureus, the predominant agent

of wound infections in hospitals. Stories abound of wards closed due to

MRSA or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureaus. Its multi-drug

resistant reputation grows as strains emerge which are resistant to the

last-resort antibiotic, vancomycin [4]. There are 100,000 cases of

hospital-acquired infections reported in the UK every year, with 5,000

deaths [5]. It is very good news that S. aureus is sensitive to the

antibacterial activity of honey.

 

Seven species of bacteria found in wound infections were tested against

a variety of honey. Results showed that honey diluted 10-fold completely

inhibited the growth of S. aureas and all other bacteria tested. One

type of honey, Manuka, made from the flower essences of the Manuka Tree

(Lepospermum scoparium) or Tea Tree, was noticeably more effective in

inhibiting S. aureus even when diluted with 54 times its volume of fluid

[3]. Manuka Tree is a small tree or shrub that grows abundantly

throughout New Zealand, and was named by Captain Cook. The properties of

this tree are known to some inhabitants and indigenous Maoris, who use

the leaves as bitter tea, similar to green tea. Cooled tea is used for

treating burns, and vapour from hot tea clears head colds. Only

compounds of a few of the 85 Lepospermum genus contribute to " active "

manuka honey used in clinical trials and produce the " unique manuka

factor " (UMF) that stops the superbug. This was advertised on two

company websites, one in New Zealand, and the other in the UK [6].

 

Honey is 80% simple sugars, glucose and fructose and 20% water. It

contains vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K and many minerals, and essential

oils and flavonoids contribute to its healing properties. Most honeys

contain some hydrogen peroxide thought to contribute high antibacterial

activity, but manuka honey does not have peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide in

honey is made by glucose oxidase enzyme added by the bees that becomes

activated by contact with water. In commercial honey, this element is

inactivated by exposure to heat. Honey has a pH of between 3.2 and 4.5,

acid enough to inhibit or stop the growth of many species of bacteria.

The sugar acts like a water magnet pulling water away from bacteria by

osmosis [7].

 

The Honey Research Unit at Waikato University, New Zealand, is led by

British honey pioneer Dr Peter Molan MBE. He has worked for 20 years on

the antimicrobial properties of honey and the ways in which it

effectively treats medical conditions naturally. In an article promoting

manuka honey on the website of the company, Manukahoney [8], Molan

states, " For over 10 years, I have scientifically investigated what many

local New Zealanders have accepted as common wisdom: our local manuka

honey is a superior treatment for wounds and infections. Manuka honey is

gathered in New Zealand from the manuka bush, Leptospermum scoparium,

which grows uncultivated throughout the country. (More recently, as a

result of systematic screening of Australian honeys, a honey with the

same properties has been found to be produced from Leptospermum

polygalifolium, which grows uncultivated in a few parts of Australlia

[sic].) " The article listed seven publications co-authored by Molan in

scientific journals dating from 1992.

 

In practice, covering a skin lesion with honey is a messy process, so

Molan created a rubbery wound dressing constructed entirely from manuka

honey. Placed directly onto the wound, it can be moulded or cut to fit

any shape [9].

 

The Unit claims to have found that manuka honey acts as bacteriocide

against streptococci (sore throats), fungal infections like athlete’s

foot, Candida albicans and bacteria that cause gut infections. It is

also effective against the bacterial species causing mastitis in cattle,

a major loss of milk production worldwide. Honey is a food preservative

in combination with the milk enzyme lactoperoxidase. Current research is

focussing on the flavonoids in honey, its probiotic properties, effects

on antibiotic-resistant organisms, protozoa and eczema [10]. The Unit

shares results with Dr Rose Cooper, a microbiologist at the University

of Wales, Institute of Cardiff, where Dr Molan graduated in

biochemistry. Laboratory tests at UWIC have demonstrated the potential

of honey to inhibit bacteria isolated from wounds. Claire Dunford,

clinical nurse specialist in tissue viability at Salisbury District

Hospital, Wiltshire applied the research results to heal the teenager

with meningococcal septicaemia. [1]

 

Manuka honey is also found to be helpful against H. pylori bacteria,

implicated in stomach ulcers. It appears that the bacteria are 5-10

times more sensitive to manuka than other honey and are completely

inhibited in a 5% solution [11].

 

Although manuka honey is special, commercially available honeys have

antimicrobial properties too, as found by a research team in Saudi

Arabia after testing six varieties of honey bought from local

supermarkets [12]. Control " superbugs " used were S. aureus, E. coli and

P. aeruginosa taken from bacteria isolated from hospital patients. The

end point of antimicrobial activity was defined as the highest dilution

(lowest concentration) of honey producing inhibition in the bacteria.

Turkish honey is bacteriostatic against S.aureus at 50% dilution and

Black Forest honey inhibits P. aeruginosa and E. coli at 50% dilution.

All honeys tested retained anti-microbial activity after storage at

2-8degrees Centigrade for six months, and being boiled for fifteen

minutes. This is a unique attribute of honey, as most antibiotics used

to treat open wounds are unstable after heat treatment.

 

Honey has still other uses. Arthritis is a painful disease affecting as

many as 8 million people in the UK. It’s not just adults that suffer -

one in every thousand cases is a child. Three million people are

significantly disabled and 20% of GP consultations are arthritis related

[13]. Conventional prescription consists of steroids, painkillers and

maybe a recommendation of a vegetarian diet. Some research is now

underway for the treatment of arthritis with a combination of bee venom

and manuka honey. Bee venom has been used for centuries as a therapy in

many cultures [14]. The application of bee venom (or any product of the

honeybee Apis mellifera) is known as Apitherapy and most popular in

Eastern Europe and China for relieving chronic inflammatory illness.

Receiving bee stings directly onto affected areas used to be the only

form of treatment.

 

People would go to their local beekeeper who would isolate bees from the

hive to sting them several times over a course of weeks. It is said that

Charlemagne (742-814 AD) underwent this treatment. Now, bee venom is

mixed with manuka honey for ailments such as rheumatoid and

osteoarthritis, tendonitis, ligament injuries and mastitis. Bee venom

contains a compound called apamin, which assists synaptic transmission

and dopamine, which encourages motor activity. Also present is adolapin,

another neurotransmitter, which has analgesic properties. A

pharmacological component of bee venom is peptide-401, a degranulating

mast cell protein. Researchers at Guys hospital and Kennedy Institute of

Rheumatology found peptide-401 one hundred times more effective as an

anti-inflammatory than hydrocortisone (a steroid). Dried bee venom is

found to contain mellitin, which indirectly stimulates the endocrine

system to produce natural cortisol via the adrenal glands. A modern way

of extracting venom from bees is via an electro-stimulant that does not

harm the bee. It is then made into a balm that can be rubbed on

arthritic or inflamed joints [15].

 

The jar of honey sitting on your kitchen shelf may do more than sweeten

your tea and toast. This is indeed a promising area that needs much more

research.

 

Meanwhile, we have to get rid of GM crops before they contaminate our

honey and kill our bees.

 

Dunford C. Cooper R. A. Molan P.C. (2000) Using honey as a dressing for

infected skin lesions. Nursing Times. NT Plus 96 (14) pp7-9

Thompson W. Historia Animalium The Works of Aristotle (350 BC) Oxford

University Press. Oxford 1910 volume IV.

Cooper RA, Molan PC, Harding KG. Antibacterial activity of honey against

strains of Staphylococcus aureus from infected wounds. J R Soc Med 1999,

92, 283-5.

Smith. TL. et al for The Glycopeptide-Intermediate Staphyloccus aureus

Working Group. Emergence of Vancomycin Resistance in Staphylococcus

aureus. The New England Journal of Medicine 1999, 340, 493-501.

Guardian Unlimited special reports Hospital infections kill 5,000 year.

Thursday November 23, 2000. Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001.

http://www.happyfamilies.co.nz/activehoney/research.html;

www.manukahoney.co.uk

Thomas P. Magic Bullet. Manuka honey, sorting the myth from the

Medicine. Proof! 2000, 5, 20-21.

Molan PC. The unique properties of manuka honey www.manukahoney.co.uk

The Pharmaceutical Journal vol 264 No 7098 p793. May 27th 2000 Clinical

http://www.uwic.ac.uk/info/news/may_18.htm

Somal. N.A., et al. Susceptibility of Heliobacter pylori to the

antibacterial activity of manuka honey. J Royal Soc Med 1994; 87:9-12.

Nzeako BC. Hamdi J. Antimicrobial potential of honey of some microbial

isolates. Medical Sciences 2000, 2, 75-79.

Arthritis Research Campaign www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/index.htm

Malone F. Bees Don’t Get Arthritis. New York Evening Post. Dutton 1979.

Bee Venom Therapy for the treatment of Arthritis pain and inflammation.

www.4cnrs-arthritis.com/bee-v-balm.html

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html