The Miracle of Honey as an Alternative Medicine

More than 1400 years ago Allaah and His messenger told us that honey can heal a variety of medical problems.



Allaah
Says (what means): "And the Lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your
habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect.
Then, eat of all fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for
you)'. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colors
wherein is healing for men. Verily in this is indeed a sign for people
who think." [Quran 16-69]



The Prophet
has
also told us of the healing found within honey for a variety of medical
problems, including stomach ailments. It is reported by Al-Bukhaari
that a man came to the Prophet
because his brother had a stomach disorder. The Prophet said:
"Let him drink honey." The man returned a second time complaining that
no improvement happened in his brother’s case, and again the Prophet
responded: "Let him drink honey." The man returned again, and said: "I have done that but to no avail." Thereupon the Prophet
responded:
"Allaah has said the truth, but your brother's stomach has told a lie.
Let him drink honey." He drank it and was cured.

It is also reported that the Prophet

said: "Make use of the two remedies: honey and the Quran." (At-Tirmithi)

Modern medicine has only recently discovered the fact that honey is a remedy to many diseases.

Honey Used to Treat Wound Infections in German Hospital

The Healing Touch of Honey
By Kirsten Traynor, Humbolt Scholar, Celle, Germany
Excerpts reprinted with permission


[The
open back of the premature newborn described in the article. Using
traditional wound care, the back refuses to heal due to infection from
three different types of resistant bacteria. (Photos by Kai Santos)]


[Through regular application of Medihoney, the infected wound cleared.
After two weeks of treatment, the child was released home.]


[Dr.
Arne] Simon, consultant of the oncology department at the children’s
clinic in Bonn, Germany has helped his patients find relief through the
application of honey. Most of his patients suffer from a suppressed
immune system, due to their underlying illness (i.e. leukemia) and the
chemotherapy they undergo.

Immunosuppression leaves the body open
to attack; natural defenses are weakened and the body mends itself
poorly. This frequently results in chronic wounds that refuse to heal,
leaving the patient susceptible to wound infections. Unfortunately these
infections spread easily and can cause sepsis, a potentially
life-threatening state where the body goes into overdrive and attacks
its own organs and tissues.

Five years ago a 12-year-old patient
was submitted to the children’s clinic in Bonn. Prior to his arrival at
the clinic, doctors at another hospital had partially removed an
abdominal tumor, leaving an open drainage site on his stomach. Under
Simon’s care the wound was treated with Octenidin for 12 days. When no
improvements occurred, the doctor tested the wound and discovered a
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection…

One of the
clinic’s wound care nurses, Ms. Blaser had heard of Medihoney’s
successful application against MRSA and suggested the clinic try
treating the patient’s infected wound. Although the patient was
scheduled to receive multi-pronged chemotherapy, treatment could not
commence until the infection cleared. After only two days of
application, Medihoney cleared the wound of MRSA, and the patient could
start his cancer treatment…

In Europe, Medihoney has received CE
Certification, so it can be prescribed by a dermatologist or general
physician, in which case medical insurance must cover the cost. It is
also available over the counter from pharmacies and online, but without a
prescription the buyer bears the brunt of the cost.

So what
makes Medihoney so effective? Honey works differently than prescribed
antibiotics, a selective poison that attacks the bacteria’s cell-wall
building mechanism. Instead of poisoning bacteria, to which resistance
can develop, honey works in a multi-pronged attack. Honey is
hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture out of the environment and thus
dehydrates bacteria.

Its sugar content is also high enough to
hinder the growth of microbes, but the sugar content alone is not the
sole reason for honey’s antibacterial properties. When honey is diluted
with water, reducing its high sugar content, it still stops the common
bacteria S. aureus in its tracks. In fact honey’s natural antibacterial
properties inhibit the growth of approximately 60 species of bacteria,
including aerobes and anaerobes, gram-positives and gram-negatives.

Medihoney,
a combination of two different honeys, works in a two-fold punch. The
first honey, rich in the enzyme glucose oxidase, reacts and produces
gluconic acid and minute amounts of hydrogen peroxide when diluted by
body fluids or wound exudates. As many know, hydrogen peroxide was once
welcomed by the medical community with great applause as a fantastic
healer, but then faded from the stage as it damaged tissue. In contrast,
the continuous production of weak hydrogen peroxide from honey (at
approximately 1/1000 of the strength of the store bought 3% solution5)
helps heal without any negative drawbacks.

The second source in
Medihoney is an active manuka or jellybush (Leptospermum spp.) honey,
rich in plant derived antibacterial properties. Unlike glucose oxidase,
the antibacterial properties from manuka and jellybush honey are light
and heat stable. Over 100 substances are candidates for this
antibacterial property, but the active ingredient has not yet been
identified. Even if you block the hydrogen peroxide activity and the
osmotic effect of honey due to its high sugar content, manuka and
jellybush honey still stop bacterial growth.




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