Honey has been widely accepted as food and medicine by all generations, traditions, and civilizations,

both ancient and modern. For at least 2700 years, honey has been used by humans to treat a variety of
ailments through topical application, but only recently have the antiseptic and antimicrobial properties of
honey been discovered. Honey has been reported to be effective in a number of human pathologies.
Clinical studies have demonstrated that application of honey to severely infected cutaneous wounds
rapidly clears infection from the wound and improves tissue healing. A large number of in vitro and
limited clinical studies have confirmed the broad-spectrum antimicrobial (antibacterial, antifungal,
antiviral, and antimycobacterial) properties of honey, which may be attributed to the acidity (low pH),
osmotic effect, high sugar concentration, presence of bacteriostatic and bactericidal factors (hydrogen
peroxide, antioxidants, lysozyme, polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, methylglyoxal, and bee
peptides), and increase in cytokine release, and to immune modulating and anti-inflammatory properties
of honey; the antimicrobial action involves several mechanisms. Despite a large amount of data
confirming the antimicrobial activity of honey, there are no studies that support the systemic use of
honey as an antibacterial agent.

Israili, ZH 2014, 'Antimicrobial properties of honey', American Journal Of Therapeutics, 21, 4, pp. 304323, MEDLINE Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 25 October 2016.
Honey has been used as a medicine throughout the ages and has recently been reintroduced to modern
medical practice. Much of the research to date has addressed honey's antibacterial properties and its
effects on wound healing. Laboratory studies and clinical trials have shown that honey is an effective
broad-spectrum antibacterial agent. Honey antimicrobial action explains the external and internal uses of
honey. Honey has been used to treat adult and neonatal postoperative infection, burns, necrotizing
fasciitis, infected and nonhealing wounds and ulcers, boils, pilonidal sinus, venous ulcers, and diabetic
foot ulcers. These effects are ascribed to honey's antibacterial action, which is due to acidity, hydrogen
peroxide content, osmotic effect, nutritional and antioxidants content, stimulation of immunity, and to
unidentified compounds. When ingested, honey also promotes healing and shows antibacterial action by
decreasing prostaglandin levels, elevating nitric oxide levels, and exerting prebiotic effects. These
factors play a major role in controlling inflammation and promoting microbial control and healing
processes. This article reviews data supporting the effectiveness of natural honey in eradicating human
pathogens and discusses the mechanism of actions.
Al-Waili, N, Salom, K, Butler, G, & Al Ghamdi, A 2011, 'Honey and microbial infections: a review
supporting the use of honey for microbial control', Journal Of Medicinal Food, 14, 10, pp. 1079-1096,
MEDLINE Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 25 October 2016.
Present study illustrated efficacy of particular honey dilution (.1%) with characteristic free radical
scavenging activity in facilitating cell proliferation and attainment of confluence towards faster wound
healing and modulation of cardinal epithelial genes (viz. p63, E-cadherin, -catenin, Gnt-III and V).
(Copyright 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Chaudhary, A, Bag, S, Mandal, M, Krishna Karri, S, Barui, A, Rajput, M, Banerjee, P, Sheet, D, &
Chatterjee, J 2015, 'Modulating prime molecular expressions and in vitro wound healing rate in
keratinocyte (HaCaT) population under characteristic honey dilutions', Journal Of Ethnopharmacology,
166, pp. 211-219, MEDLINE Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 26 October 2016.

The stimulatory effect of honey on fibroblast proliferation was observed to be time- and dosedependent. The continuous production of hydrogen peroxide by the honey-glucose oxidase system also
acts to stimulate cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The presence of phenolics
with antioxidant properties, on the other hand, renders protection to the cells against the toxic effect of

hydrogen peroxide. However, the presence of a growth factor-like substance in honey could not be
ascertained.
Al-Jadi, A, Kanyan Enchang, F, & Mohd Yusoff, K 2014, 'The effect of Malaysian honey and its major
components on the proliferation of cultured fibroblasts', Turkish Journal Of Medical Sciences, 44, 5, pp.
733-740, MEDLINE Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2016.