Medical Honey for Wounds: Your Buyer’s Guide
You might remember a simpler time when scrapes and minor burns were treated with a drop of honey, administered by a loved one as an at-home solution..Grandma and grandpa, at one time, turned to the kitchen pantry, offering a solution to address such minor injuries, an option that was literally as sweet as honey.
While that may have been years ago, if not decades ago, some might be surprised that there was legitimacy behind using honey to treat minor scrapes, cuts, or burns. Today, medical honey has grown into a viable option for home use, offering therapeutic properties that can help heal minor injuries, slowly growing into a popular and mainstream option for Americans.
With its incredible amount of therapeutic uses, medical-grade honey may be the perfect option for greater healing in wounds of all kinds.
Use this buyer’s guide to make informed decisions about the products you purchase and find the perfect option to suit your needs. This guide remains suitable for clinicians, wound care professionals, and consumers who wish to explore their options and help select the best product.
Explore our full line of medical honey products and find offerings that suit your needs.
Why Use Medical Honey for Wound Healing?
Honey has been used for centuries to treat minor wounds, as it is a uniquely complex product that offers antibacterial properties and healing compounds that are safe, easy-to-use, and effective. Uniquely all-natural and gentle, some kinds of honey can help the body recover from wounds, creating a moist and sterile environment that can help individuals heal quickly and safely.
However, before you head into the kitchen and turn to your locally sourced honey, there is more behind this sweetener than meets the eye. Interested parties should turn to medical-grade honey as a product that offers many different antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, capable of promoting healing in a variety of scenarios.
What makes medical honey unique is that it is all-natural, entirely non-toxic, with an ancient history of effectiveness. Best paired with a wound dressing, medical honey can reduce the growth of bacteria in a wound and create an environment dedicated to healing and the creation of healthy tissues. Medical honey can draw away the fluids that are found in many wounds, creating a slight sting or cooling sensation upon application. As a result, using medical honey can reduce bacteria levels in a wound, but also reduce odor, decrease inflammation, and assist with the reduction of unwanted, dead tissues that arise in some wounds.
There are also many carefully sterilized dressings that include medical honey directly impregnated within the product itself. Some of these dressings can even include gels and ointments that are seaweed-based, capable of being applied directly to the wound itself.
Today, medical-grade honey from trusted providers can work to support the safe healing of wounds without heavy bleeding, and burns other than third-degree burns. What is most remarkable about medical honey is that it continues to be safe to use. As it continues to grow into a mainstream option, clinical research continues to explore how it can be better leveraged for the healing of many kinds of wounds.
Key Features to Compare & Contrast
Not all honey is created equally, as there are many options to choose from. For anyone interested in exploring honey as an option for promoting greater healing in a variety of different wounds or burns, understanding the products available to you can help you find the perfect product.
To ensure you get the most out of your honey, including its many bioactive compounds that can promote healing, you will need to purchase medical-grade honey that has been properly sterilized to ensure that it is safe to use.
Manuka honey, in particular, maintains high concentrations of the healing properties, including anti-bacterial, antimicrobial, and bioactive compounds that can promote deeper healing in a variety of wounds, ulcers, and burns. With a low pH and several bioactive compounds known for helping create clean, safe, and moist environments for the regeneration of healthy tissues and complete wound healing.
MediHoney continues to be a trusted brand in wound care, as it contains Leptospermum Honey, which is honey that has been derived from the Leptospermum scoparium plant.
Exploring Medical Honey Dressings, Gels, and Impregnated Pads
Using medical-grade honey isn’t as simple as dropping it into your favorite tea.
Instead, it comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes to suit your needs. Each product brings the therapeutic benefits of Manuka Honey, with additional features that can help promote healing in different circumstances. Some wounds may call for different products, including those paired with a dressing.
Click the links below to learn more about the options available to you.
- Medical Honey Gel is an all-natural healing option capable of addressing ulcers, first or second-degree burns, and a variety of minor-to-moderate wounds. Easy to apply and with a low pH, this gel can help create a moist and balanced environment for healing a variety of wounds. These gels are typically simple to apply and allow for use in healthcare and at-home settings.
- Medical Honey Paste can act as an all-natural wound dressing paste to support wound recovery with a moist, pH-balanced healing environment. Suitable for use on a variety of ulcers, some burns, and wounds of all kinds.
- Medical Honey Hydrogel Sheets in both adhesive and non-adhesive formulas offer simple application and cooling effect, capable of offering healing properties with 100 percent, all-natural Active Leptospermum (Manuka) Honey.
- Medical Honey Hydrocolloid Dressings are great for promoting a moist and healing environment, reducing the potential for infection, and working to promote the creation of new tissues. Place such form-fitting dressings on common wounds or burns and protect the environment from outside influences.
- Medical Honey Calcium Alginate offers additional moisture absorption properties perfect for helping promote deep healing in a variety of wounds. Available in gel, rope, and impregnated pads.
How to Choose the Right Honey for Your Wound
Never, under any circumstances, use honey available at local stores to treat wounds. Such usage could complicate the healing of your wounds and provide poor results. In some cases, using non-medical honey for wound or burn healing can prompt adverse reactions.
Instead, look to trusted providers of medical products such as Medihoney. Read each product description carefully and take the time to learn what would best suit your needs. Consider reading more about the nature of wound healing, wound odor management, and carefully watch medical honey demos to see if it is the right product for you.
Choosing Medical Honey Based On Wound Type
Exuding Wounds can be addressed with medical honey applied alongside a specialized pad.
Sloughing Wounds can see benefits from medical honey gel paired with regularly changed dressings.
Superficial wounds that only impact the top layer of skin are best addressed with medical honey gel or paste.
Application Tips & Safety Considerations
Always carefully read and follow the guidelines labeled on the product of your choosing. Before application, always clean and disinfect your wound prior to application. Medical honey is not suitable for wounds with heavy bleeding or third-degree burns. Some wounds will need to be regularly re-dressed, depending on the nature of the wound itself.
For children under 12, speak with a trusted healthcare professional before use. Some complications may arise with medical honey use among those with diabetes.
Read more about wound dressing before application, and learn more about wound cleaning as well.
When Not to Use Medical Honey
While the therapeutic benefits of medical honey are obvious, it may not be suitable for some kinds of wounds or burns. Wounds with heavy bleeding and third-degree burns are not suitable for medical-grade honey.
Further, should you have any kind of honey allergy, refrain from using the product entirely. Those who have had an adverse reaction from bees or bee stings should avoid using medical honey.
Should you be unsure which product is for you, consider speaking with a healthcare professional before usage. Use these products with caution, and carefully research each product before purchasing. Speak with a healthcare professional about the role of medical honey in your journey towards healing.
Lean On Medical Monks To Help You Select The Right Products
Many forms of medical-grade honey are carefully sterilized, sourced from locations like Australia and New Zealand to offer the most exceptional healing qualities. Use this guide to learn more about these products and make informed purchasing decisions. This guide is not intended as formal medical guidance, but instead focuses on helping consumers learn more about the products and how they could be used to help promote deeper healing.
Explore the Medical Monks store to learn more about available products. Have more questions? Reach out to us directly and contact us.
The MEDICAL MONKS STAFF brings to the table decades of combined knowledge and experience in the medical products industry.
Edited for content by JORDAN GAYSO.
