Honey Provides Better, Faster Treatment for Burn Wounds

Incredible as it may seem, honey heals wounds and burns, protecting against inflammation or infection and enhancing new tissue formation and thus reducing scarring...

Comparison Between Topical Honey and Mafenide Acetate in Treatment of Burn Wounds

Ann BurnsFire Disasters, 2011 Sep 30

Histological and clinical studies of wound healing were performed in comparable cases of fresh partial-thickness burns treated with honey dressing or mafenide acetate in two groups of 50 randomly allocated patients.

Of the patients with honey-treated wounds, 84% showed satisfactory epithelialization by day 7 and 100% by day 21. In wounds treated with mafenide acetate, epithelialization occurred by day 7 in 72% of cases and in 84% by day 21. Histological evidence of reparative activity was observed in 80% of wounds treated with honey dressing by day 7 with minimal inflammation.

Fifty-two per cent of the mafenide acetate treated wounds showed reparative activity with inflammatory changes by day 7. Reparative activity reached 100% by day 21 with the honey dressing and 84% with mafenide acetate.

Thus, in honey-dressed wounds, early subsidence of acute inflammatory changes, better control of infection, and quicker wound healing were observed, while in mafenide acetate treated wounds a sustained inflammatory reaction was noted even on epithelialization. 

Honey Heals Better Than Traditional Burn Treatments

The statistics speak for themselves - honey heals better than SSD treatments used on burn patients - 18 days vs 32 days! In fact, the methodology is completely different. Typical burn unit protocols include scrubbing the wounds, a painful and scarring effect, aimed at keeping bacterial counts low. Honey dressing treatments allow wounds to remain moist, minimizing scarring.  While it may appear unattractive, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of honey keeps wounds germ-free and speeds healing.

Honey Dressing Versus Silver Sulfadiazene Dressing for Wound Healing in Burn Patients: A Retrospective Study

J Cutan Aesthet Surg, 2011 Sep 4

OBJECTIVE:

The aim was to evaluate the effect of honey dressing and silver sulfadiazene (SSD) dressing on wound healing in burn patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: 

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 108 patients (14-68 years of age), with first and second degree burns of less than 50% of the total body surface area admitted to our institution, over a period of 5 years (2004-2008). Fifty-one patients were treated with honey dressings and 57 with SSD. Time elapsed since burn, site, percentage, degree and depth of burns, results of culture sensitivity at various time intervals, duration of healing, formation of post-treatment hypertrophic scar, and/or contracture were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS:

The average duration of healing was 18.16 and 32.68 days for the honey and SSD group, respectively. Wounds of all patients reporting within 1 h of burns became sterile with the honey dressing in less than 7 days while there was none with SSD. All wounds treated with honey became sterile within 21 days while for SSD-treated wounds, this figure was 36.5%. A complete outcome was seen in 81% of all patients in the "honey group" while in only 37% patients in the "SSD group."

CONCLUSION:

Honey dressings make the wounds sterile in less time, enhance healing, and have a better outcome in terms of hypertropic scars and postburn contractures, as compared to SSD dressings.

Malaysian Tualang Honey Heals Wounds Faster Than Other Treatments

Placing honey immediately on a burn is very effective in eliminating the pain quickly and reducing the damage ...

Evaluations of Bacterial Contaminated Full Thickness Burn Wound Healing in Sprague Dawley Rats Treated with Tualang Honey
Indian J Plast Surg, 2011 Jan;44(1):112-7.

AIM: The effect of Tualang honey on wound healing in bacterial contaminated full-thickness burn wounds was evaluated in 36 male Sprague Dawley rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 12/group). Three full-thickness burn wounds were created on each rat. Each group of rats was inoculated with a different organism in the burn wounds: Group A was inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group B was inoculated with Klebsiella pneumoniae and Group C was inoculated with Acinetobacter baumannii. One wound on each rat was dressed with either Tualang honey, Chitosan gel or Hydrofibre silver. Each wound size was measured on day 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 of the study.

RESULTS: The mean wound size of the Tualang honey-treated wounds was not statistically different than that of the Chitosan gel or Hydrofibre silver-treated wounds when the wounds were compared throughout the entire experiment (P > 0.05). However, comparing the mean wound size on day 21 alone revealed that the Tualang honey-treated wounds were smaller in comparison to that of the Chitosan gel and Hydrofibre silver-treated groups.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that topical application of Tualang honey on burn wounds contaminated with P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii gave the fastest rate of healing compared with other treatments.

Burnt dog is treated with honey

A jar of local honey in the kitchen does more than sweeten tea or toasts, but works well on burns - skip the ice, aloe vera or anything else. It really works 

BBC NEWS|

A dog which was pulled from a house fire in Cornwall is being treated with honey pads to help heal her wounds.

Lady, the alsatian was found stuck under burning ceiling tiles after the fire at her owner's home near Stithians.

The treatment of eight-year-old dog, who suffered severe burns down one side and on her back, includes pads impregnated with manuka honey.

Owner Cyril Bond, 77, said her condition had improved because of the treatment.

'Very impressed'

Lady was trapped for two hours before fireman rescued her from the burning building.

Mr Bond said he was given the good news that she survived after he was taken to hospital.

He said: "One of the nurses came over and said the police had been on the phone to say the fire brigade got her out and she was on oxygen."

She is thought to have survived because she found an air pocket.

As part of her treatment, which has been ongoing for several months, her bandages which contain honey-coated dressings, are replaced several times a week.

Vet Amanda Manley, who works at the Cornwall Animal Hospital, said she believed the honey had greatly improved Lady's condition.

"I'd like to say it's all down to the honey, but to make a proper judgement you need to have a scientific control.

"But I'm very impressed and I'd use it again in this situation."

The honey is produced by bees feeding on the Manuka bush, which mainly found in New Zealand.

Manuka dressings for wounds were licensed for use in NHS hospitals in 2004.

Honey a Natural Support for Wound Healing

There's nothing like fresh honey!

Perhaps most widely used as a natural culinary sweetener, honey also has many traditional uses as a health support, including its ability to coat sore throats, as an energizing pick me up, and as a soothing digestive aid.

How many of us think to use it on our wounds, though? You may want to add it to your medicine cabinet as a natural, cost effective support for wound healing!

Research suggests the natural acidity of unprocessed honey may be low enough to help prevent bacterial growth. In addition, honey absorbs water, which drys out the moisture bacteria rely on. Further studies suggest it may be an especially effective support for burns.

References
[1] Al-Waili NS.(2003). Topical application of natural honey, beeswax and olive oil mixture for atopic dermatitis or psoriasis: partially controlled, single-blinded study. Complement Ther Med. 11(4):226-34. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15022655
[2] Eischen, N. (February/March 1999). The Benefits of Honey: A Remedy for Sore Throats, Wound Care and More. Mother Earth News. [Online] Retrieved from http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/1999-02-01/Honey-Benefits.aspx
[3] Nasir, et al. (2010). Antibacterial properties of tualang honey and its effect in burn wound management: a comparative study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 10: 31. Published online 2010 June 24. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-10-31. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908556/?tool=pubmed
[4] Waikato Honey Research Unit. (2009, September 3). What's special about Active Manuka Honey? The University of Waikato. Retrieved from http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey/special.shtml

This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. In an emergency, one should always call 911 or visit their primary care physician immediately.