The therapeutic use of honey.

Abstract

Honey has been shown to have antibacterial activity against a variety of species of bacteria in vitro. Although the evidence regarding the use of honey for wound treatment in neonates and infants is interesting, it is not strong. The sample sizes in the cited clinical studies are small; there were no comparison groups and no randomization. It appears that honey may be safe and useful in treating difficult-to-heal infected wounds, but double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trials with sufficient power are needed to determine the efficacy of honey in both initial wound management and secondary treatment of infected and poorly healing wounds. A comparison of different types of honey would be an important component of these trials. Currently, there is not enough evidence to recommend one type of honey over another type; however, honey and wound care experts do recommend honey for wound care, not for consumption.