Therapeutic honey

While a significant amount of evidence exists concerning the potential applications of honey, there are a number of factors that perhaps contribute to the lack of clinical use. The first problem is the sourcing of therapeutic honey. 

Stoya, W., Wachendoerfer, G., Kary, I., Siebentritt, P., and Kaiser, E. (1986). Formic acid as a therapeutic against varroatose and its effect on honey. Dtsch Lebensm. Rundsch. 82, 217-221. 

AIDS therapeutic effects. Water extract of the dried rhizome taken orally by adults was active. A pharmaceutical solution containing fruit bodies of Tremella fuciformis, Daucus carota rhizome. Astragalus mongho licus root, and Zizyphus jujuba fruits, honey, vitamin A palmitate, zinc sulfate, and vitamin C was useful for controlling acquired immunodifficiency syndrome (AIDS), cancer, and infections . 

If the ancients regarded honey as an elixir of life, the folk medicine7,8 of our time has proclaimed it to be a universal cure. Medical science has substantiated some of these claims, and has enumerated other medicinal uses of honey.9-28 The aforementioned treatise on the biology of the honeybee2 has a considerable portion of Volume 3 devoted to the therapeutic aspects of hive products, including honey. 

Robbins MJ, Starr KR, Honey A, Soffin EM, Rourke C, et al. 2007. Evaluation of the mGlu8 receptor as a putative therapeutic target in schizophrenia. Brain Res 1152 ... 

K Cutting, P Davies, Natural therapeutic agents for the topical management of wounds , Wounds UK, 2006 Mesitran Honey supplement, 4-13... 

Although most cases of poisoning are accidental, in a few cases deliberate selfpoisoning has occurred. In 21 patients (18 men) with acute grayanotoxin poisoning, enhancement of sexual performance was the reason for the would-be therapeutic use of mad honey [ll(f]. 

Demircan A, Kele A, Bildik F, Aygencel G, Dogan NO, Gomez HF. Mad honey sex therapeutic misadventures from an ancient biological weapon. Ann Emerg Med 2009 54(6) 824-9. 

Honey has been used in wound-managanent practice for a long time and many therapeutic properties have been attributed to it, including antibacterial activity and the ability to promote healing. Evidence of antibacterial activity is extensive, with more than 70 microbial species reported to be susceptible. 

Altmann, F. More than silk and honey-or, can insect cells serve in the production of therapeutic glycoproteins Glycoconj. J., 1997,14, 643-646. 

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