Manuka Honey

[Trunk]

Quality articles, videos, personal experience re: manuka honey.  I'm just starting off exploring manuka.  Seems too good to be true, but am having extraordinary initial results.  Cautiously optimistic.  Too new to it to sort out what is b.s. and what is sound on this topic.

 

 

[thelerner]

What's the buzz about it? 

I notice Trader Joe's has some. 

[silent thunder]

Thanks for sharing this! 

 

I've never heard of Manuka Honey until now, but my gal and I were just chatting and wondering the other day about more possible natural remedies for her to try to treat her regular bouts with ulcertative colitis.  Will be getting some of this next time we're at Trader Joes... thanks for the tip.

 

I began using honey medicinally and regularly some 16 years ago, at the prompting of a nutritionist friend, when I shared with her that I was rather severely allergic to some of the plants out East of us here in the desert of Southern California and they regularly kicked my ass. 

 

It took some time, but my allergies steadily decreased and have been gone for over a decade completely.

[Taomeow]

The difference between manuka honey and other kinds is its high content of methylglyoxal.  I've met the Indian researcher, Manju Ray, who pioneered the use of methylglyoxal for cancer treatment (disclaimer: not FDA approved in the US.  She did her work in India, including human studies -- something that never happened with FDA-approved chemo drugs, by the way, since human studies for this were deemed "unethical."  Sorry for the tangent.)  She used pure methylglyoxal though, apparently with good results.  She's a very interesting lady, a no-nonsense scientific type wrapped in a sari...  looks like a guru, talks like a biochemist, a sharp Western mind in a rounded Eastern body.  Besides cancer, apparently methylglyoxal is useful for some other conditions, don't remember what they are, don't know how much manuka honey one would have to eat to obtain the therapeutic dose, but this is something you may want to explore.     

 

My favorite honeys, linden and buckwheat, come from Eastern Europe, Amazon delivers. 

 

[thelerner]

When I was younger and going on nutritional kicks I'd buy Royal Jelly stored in honey.  Even had a special ceramic spoon for it.  Then the next fad came along and dropped it.   Probably the best tasting nutritional food you can eat.  Great in tea too. 

[Trunk]

Ok, I'm doing web-research on this, so I'm going to go ahead and post those articles / videos that look substantial.  (Again, disclaimer that I don't know, and all this seems too good to be true, lol.)  Here's the first one, with a few quotes and video:

 

Medicinal Manuka Honey

Quote

 

Studies have found that Manuka honey contains very powerful antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. Manuka honey can even kill antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria, a growing problem worldwide. It can heal a huge variety of health conditions.

...

Bacteria have the ability to mutate and become resistant to elements that are attempting to destroy them, such as antibiotics. However, manuka honey destroys bacteria in a different manner, by drawing water out of the bacteria, making it impossible for the microbes to survive. To date, there has been no reported bacterium that has been able to develop a resistance to manuka honey.

 

How it Works

The following six factors work together to provide broad-spectrum activity against bacteria. Honey has the right mix for maximum destruction.

    Methylglyoxal (MGO). The amount of MGO, an antibacterial compound, determines its level of antibacterial activity. This unique compound is what differentiates manuka from other honeys.
    Hydrogen peroxide. The honey enzyme called glucose oxidase makes hydrogen peroxide when honey is diluted with water. This is produced when the bee adds enzymes to the nectar.
    Sugar. Honey has so much sugar there’s hardly any water for bacteria to grow in.
    Bee defensin 1. A protein found in royal jelly (special food for queen bee larva) works as an antibiotic.
    Acid. Diluted honey has a pH of around 3.5; the acidic environment slows down bacterial growth.
    Dehydration. Manuka honey draws water out of the bacteria, making it impossible for microbes to survive.

...

Health Benefits

If manuka honey can kill MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it can kill your cold! Manuka honey aids in healing the following conditions:

    Improves overall immune system function by killing harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (the GI tract contains 85% of the immune system)
    Colds, flu, and sore throat (it kills the bacteria your throat)
    Cough suppressant proven to work as good as over the counter cough medicines
    Mouth infections like bad breath, dental cavities, plaque, gingivitis, and periodontal disease
    Cold sores
    Skin injuries and infections like MRSA, staph, abrasions, mastitis (breast infection), boils, diabetic ulcers, ringworm, rashes, athlete’s foot, nail fungus
    Burns
    Bedsores
    Eczema
    Psoriasis
    Rosacea
    Acne
    Gastrointestinal infections like Candida Albicans (yeast), etc
    Heartburn, acid reflux, gastritis and indigestion
    Stomach (peptic) ulcers
    H. pylori (25-50% of people have this stomach infection)
    IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    Diarrhea
    Constipation
    Shown to be effective in controlling cancer tumor growth and metastasis
    Can aid in relieving symptoms of chemotherapy and radiation

 

 

 

[Trunk]

Ok, this yt video is poor, but it has a number of scientific study links in the description that are gold.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=manuka

 

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/manuka-honey-medicinal-uses#1

 

https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/can-honey-fight-superbugs-like-mrsa/

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907013759.htm

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3399220/

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3865795/

[Taomeow]

Also the rate of glycation 50 times that of white sugar...  just sayin'...

[Trunk]

This is a good over-view scientific article, which includes a table of bacteria that are, in vitro, susceptible to manuka.

 

Quote

 

To date, in vitro assays have found manuka honey can effectively inhibit all problematic bacterial pathogens tested (summarized in Table Table11).

...

As well as inhibiting planktonic cells, honey can disperse and kill bacteria living in biofilms.

...

Manuka honey disrupts cellular aggregates (Maddocks et al., 2012; Roberts et al., 2012) and prevents the formation of biofilms by a wide range of problematic pathogens, including Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumonia (Maddocks et al., 2012, 2013; Lu et al., 2014; Majtan et al., 2014a; Halstead et al., 2016) Importantly, honey can also disrupt established biofilms and kill resident cells, although a higher concentration is required than for planktonic cells (Okhiria et al., 2009; Maddocks et al., 2013; Lu et al., 2014; Majtan et al., 2014a). Very recently, manuka honey was tested on a multispecies biofilm containing Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus faecalis and was found to reduce viability of all species but E. faecalis, which could not be eradicated (Sojka et al., 2016).

 

 

 

p.s.

.. from wikipedia

Quote

In vitro (meaning: in the glass) studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology and its subdisciplines are traditionally done in labware such as test tubes, flasks, Petri dishes, and microtiter plates.

 

[C T]

and this is the ugly outflow that is currently besetting the manuka industry in NZ. 

(just for information purposes, should there be any interest in finding out why manuka honey is so bloody costly)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/manuka-honey-wars-new-zealand-crime-booming-industry-poisoning-beatings

 

There's only 2 brands of NZ manuka available in health food stores in Ireland, plus another half dozen marketed commercially by local honey producers who have jumped on the money train and stuck the word 'manuka' onto some of their honeys. Im not going to mention their prices as its immaterial. 

 

The 2 NZ brands each have a range on the shelves, with MGOs ranging from 50 upwards. The last jar of MGO100+ that I bought, maybe 6 months or so back, costs about 17euro for 250g. Now its retailing at 25euro. At the upper end of the scale, 250g of MGO 550+ would set one back 75euro. Thats a lot of money for 250g of honey. The rhyming call, "NO money, NO honey" comes to mind... 

 

One of the brands, in addition to listing the MGO level, also lists the UMF. This is what sets Manuka apart from all other honeys available, and it is this property that is apparently of more significance. 

 

 

edit -- The reason I keep a jar at home is that I find it is highly efficacious in treating sore throats and easing flu symptoms. 

 

 

 

Quote

 

What is MGO?

MGO is short for a substance called Methylglyoxal – pronounced meth-uhl-glahy-ok-suhl – an organic substance found in Manuka honey that has a part to play in the honeys antibacterial properties. This study gained results that showed MGO was part of the Unique factor, but once removed the honey still retained its antibacterial qualities, so it is only a small part of the healing nature of Manuka Honey. You may now be asking “what’s the point of MGO - is there any way I can tell im getting genuine healing Manuka Honey?” – Yes there is, buy UMF honey.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2017 by C T

[Taomeow]

1 hour ago, C T said:

One of the brands, in addition to listing the MGO level, also lists the UMF. This is what sets Manuka apart from all other honeys available, and it is this property that is apparently of more significance. 

 

 

edit -- The reason I keep a jar at home is that I find it is highly efficacious in treating sore throats and easing flu symptoms. 

 

 

 

 

I keep a jar of raspberry preserves for this.  The traditional sore throat/cold/flu remedy where I come from.  Works better in my experience. 

 

Honey is used too, any good unadulterated honey (hard to find anywhere these days), and I don't know (and am too lazy to look up) what UMF is, but what I do know is that one "mystery ingredient" with antibacterial and antiviral properties is contained in all honeys too but in different amounts in different kinds:  hydrogen peroxide.  Yup.  Which is why I occasionally make a honey-based hair mask to lighten my highlights.  Oh, and for anti-cold/anti-sore-throat treatment, we use tea with  honey, lemon and a splash of cognac.  Anyone sick will sleep like a baby and wake up feeling better from this potion.  Contraindicated if there's high fever though.  

[blue eyed snake]

for sore throat, cough/flu I've always used elderberry juice, with a bit of honey and hot water, depending on the person some lemonjuice added too

[C T]

53 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

 

I keep a jar of raspberry preserves for this.  The traditional sore throat/cold/flu remedy where I come from.  Works better in my experience. 

 

Honey is used too, any good unadulterated honey (hard to find anywhere these days), and I don't know (and am too lazy to look up) what UMF is, but what I do know is that one "mystery ingredient" with antibacterial and antiviral properties is contained in all honeys too but in different amounts in different kinds:  hydrogen peroxide.  Yup.  Which is why I occasionally make a honey-based hair mask to lighten my highlights.  Oh, and for anti-cold/anti-sore-throat treatment, we use tea with  honey, lemon and a splash of cognac.  Anyone sick will sleep like a baby and wake up feeling better from this potion.  Contraindicated if there's high fever though.  

Its been so long since I have had a cough or cold that I had forgotten about the wonders of raspberry preserves! It is the national folk remedy (for listed ailments above) in Poland too, and my partner, who's Polish, gets jars of it from home whenever she visits. Good reminder. Thank you!

 

umf = unique manuka factor

[Trunk]

On 9/30/2017 at 7:03 PM, Taomeow said:

Also the rate of glycation 50 times that of white sugar...  just sayin'...

 

Thanks and interesting... curious where you got that?  (Sounds like you quoted it from somewhere but can't find it in the links in this thread.  No worries if it's a link that's flown the coop.)

I had to look up glycation:

Quote

noun (biochem)
1. the bonding of a sugar molecule to a protein or lipid
2. a compound produced by such bonding

 

Obviously it's pretty sweet.  I don't know all the implications all down the line for that in this case ... but it seems one obvious area of concern is teeth, tooth decay.  One precaution might be to:

1. Rinse: Chase the makuna honey with hot tea, swish it around.

2. Brush right away.

 

I did some reading that honey is actually good for diabetes ???, counter-intuitive.

 

4 hours ago, C T said:

umf = unique manuka factor

 

Yup.  It's the rating, from 1 - 30, of the concentration of whatever super-duper chemicals that are unusual to manuka.  It's the most popular scientific testing basis of manuka honey that's been broadly agreed upon (there's several rating systems).  At 10+ it has moderate medical properties, at 15+ pretty strong, at 20+ it's very strong and beyond that it's overkill ... from my memory of the various videos I've been watching (I've been trying to post only the best ones).

 

That table of bacteria that it is proven to kill (could be that there's more that've not been tested yet?) that I posted previously is worth a quick scan.  It's like a list as long as your arm, pretty impressive.  In that particular article they said that they only found 1 illness-bacteria that was unaffected by manuka.

 

- Keith

[Taomeow]

On 10/2/2017 at 2:41 PM, Trunk said:

 

Thanks and interesting... curious where you got that?  (Sounds like you quoted it from somewhere but can't find it in the links in this thread.  No worries if it's a link that's flown the coop.)

I had to look up glycation:

 

 

Got it from my paleo days guru, Nora Gedgaudas,Ph.D. -- either from her book "Primal Body, Primal Mind" or from an interview or website of hers, don't remember which.  (The book is always on loan...  an aside:  there's three books I know I own and once read  cover to cover which I never get to re-read because someone else is hogging them...  too difficult to read, too difficult to admit defeat, that must be it -- there's a haiku somewhere in there, might remove a couple of syllables and voila...  They are the one referenced above, then "The Vegetarian Myth" by Lierre Keith, and "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi.  Fighting books all of them, and nigh invincible. )