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Local honey is found to be good for beating bacteria

By Siski Green , Tuesday 8 October 2013

Manuka honey is the one health aficionados like to recommend for everything from sore throats to IBS – its antibacterial properties are so well researched that it is even used in medicine to treat or prevent infection. But now new research suggests that Scottish honey is also rich in antibacterial properties... and it’s a lot less expensive!

Honey

The research found that local heather honey was just as good as imported and exensive Manuka honey

Researchers from the Univeresity of Glasgow wanted to find out whether Manuka was the only honey with antibacterial properties, or whether other honeys could also be effective. So they assessed 29 different honey products, including commercial medical grade honeys used to treat infections, standard supermarket honeys, and honeys from local bee keepers, to find out what effect they had on bacterial contamination.

Honeys that were derived from ‘mixed flower sources’, as opposed to types such as heather or clover, for example, were found to contain contaminating bacteria so could not be used. Of the rest of the honeys, eight were found to be effective against bacteria, but heather honey from Inverness was particularly good, killing MRSA bacteria as well as three other types.

"Honeys derived from one type of flower were shown to be the most effective, and while Manuka is currently the only medical grade honey, the study reveals that other honeys may be just as suitable for such purposes,” says Dr Patrick Pollock, lead study author.

"Consequently, it may prove unnecessary to transport Manuka honey from New Zealand when more local sources may be as, or even more, effective.”

[rick1]

Local honey is good for people who suffer with hay fever.

[Toci]

Interesting. Thanks Annie.

[KingoftheCocktails]

You are the only HONEY for me annieseed

[Hidden]

Ooh, er, King. You charmer!

[nanaber]

I love toast bananas and honey for breakfast.

[Hidden]

We could talk "breakfasts" my favourite meal. After then, my appetite disappears if I hear the word cooking. A bowl of my chosen cereal/porridge, with milk, low fat yoghurt and fruit and a little drizzle of honey. Thats me for the day!

[longlungs]

Thanks for that annie good to know we have some of the good stuff here,is the scottish honey easy to get and hopefully cheaper.Im lucky i have my aunts honey which for years have used inhot fresh lemons or by the spoonful for coughs,when my children were young ,they would have the flannel to soothe, calpol and the honey,if all that didnt work it was time for the docs which was incredibly rare fortunately .Janexx

[knitter]

HI annie, thanks for the info about honey...I was going to try another honey next as Manuka so expensive.

[helingmic]

Hi annie, Manuka makes me very ill! Yes, I would go for the local honey too. I don't think one necessarily need "strong grade". One plant honey is perhaps a good idea.

Please, don't be hurt is I say I found some Spanish Lavender honey that works just as well. sometimes, though, the taste can be a bit overwhelming. I think this is due to the fact that when I was a child, my granny used to sit me with a honey bread and butter. The honey was the worst quality and the taste was overwhelmingly sickly sweet.

One day that put an end to these "sittings". I took an hour to eat this bread and honey. Then it all came up on the table!!! Never seen this honey any more!!!

[Hidden]

I'm not upset, helingmic. It is a good idea to put all choices forward. I have always thought that manuka honey was pricey. I bet your granny learned her lesson.