Properties:
1. Anti-bacterial:
The quality of Manuka honey is reflected in its broad-spectrum ability to inhibit a wide variety of bacterial pathogens (Blair SE, et. al, 2009)3.
Manuka honey is also found to prevent biofilm formation as well as disrupt preformed Streptococcus pyogenes and Clostridium difficile biofilms (Maddocks SE, et.al., 2012 / 2014)4.
Manuka honey with MGO higher than 250mg/kg is showing a strong antimicrobial effect against Gram(+) bacteria (Michał Gośliński, et. al., 2020)5.
Manuka honey with MGO higher than 250mg/kg is also showing high antibiotic activity against the strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis (Michał Gośliński, et. al., 2020)5.
Manuka honey supports gut health and treats gastric issues such as gastric ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori (N al Somal et. al., 1994)6.
2. Anti-viral:
Manuka honey efficiently inhibits influenza virus replication (Ken Watanabe et.al., 2014)7.
3. Anti-fungal:
Manuka is effective against Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum and Candida albicans with fungistatic activity (Sushil Anand et. al., 2019)8.
The quality of Manuka honey is reflected in its broad-spectrum ability to inhibit a wide variety of yeast pathogens (Blair SE, et. al, 2009)3.
5. Anti-inflammatory:
Manuka honey can have a positive impact on the inflammatory response associated with wound healing (Victoria Tomblin, et. al., 2014)11.
6. Anti-oxidant:
Monofloral Manuka honey shows antimicrobial and antioxidant capacities (José M. Alvarez-Suarez, et.al., 2014)12.
7. Antiparasitic:
Manuka honey can be used as an additional therapy for treating parasitic infections such as giardiasis or trichomoniasis(Shweta Sinha et.al., 2018)13.
8. Immuno-stimulating:
Manuka honey has the potential for immune system stimulation (Gannabathula S, et.al., 2012)10.
9. No multidrug-resistance:
The quality of Manuka honey is reflected in its broad-spectrum ability to inhibit multidrug-resistant bacteria (Blair SE et. al, 2009)3.
There is no evidence of the development of resistance to Manuka honey under in vitro conditions as compared to other standard antimicrobials (Blair SE et. al, 2009)3.
Industries Concerned:
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Nutraceutical industry
- Cosmetic industry
- Hygiene and oral care industry
- Personal care industry
- Veterinary industry
Uses / Applications:
Personal Care / Hygiene: e.g. shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face cleanser, toothpaste.
Cosmetic Applications: High-value premium skincare, e.g. hand cream, day cream, night cream, body lotion.
Food supplements
Dermatology: For acne and dermatitis treatments and other skin disorders.
Gastroenterology: Products combatting infections in the gastrointestinal tract.
Wound healing: Used for wound care dressing as antiseptic applications.
Burns: Soothing and healing applications, care dressings for soothing pain from burns.
Oropharyngeal cavity: Combatting infections in mouth and throat, soothing sore throats.
Respiratory diseases: Treatment of coughs.
Parasites: Combatting parasites, used as antiseptic in the treatment of external and internal parasites.
Parasites in animals: Used as a natural drench against internal parasites in animals including horses and other domesticated animals where it even works in low concentrations.
References:
3) Blair SE, Cokcetin NN, Harry EJ, Carter DA. “The unusual antibacterial activity of medical-grade Leptospermum honey: Antibacterial spectrum, resistance and transcriptome analysis.” Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2009;28:1199–208.
4) Maddocks SE, Lopez MS, Rowlands RS, Cooper RA. “Manuka honey inhibits the development of Streptococcus pyogenes biofilms and causes reduced expression of two fibronectin binding proteins.” Microbiology. 2012;158:781–90 Hammond EN, Donkor ES, Brown CA. Biofilm formation of Clostridium difficile and susceptibility to Manuka honey. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014;14:329.
5) Michał Gośliński, Dariusz Nowak, Lucyna Kłębukowska, “Antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity of Manuka honey versus Polish honeys”, J Food Sci Technol. 2020 Apr;57(4):1269-1277. doi: 10.1007/s13197-019-04159-w. Epub 2019 Dec 16.
6) N al Somal, K E Coley, P C Molan, B M Hancock, “Susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to the antibacterial activity of Manuka honey”, J R Soc Med. 1994 Jan;87(1):9-12.
7) Ken Watanabe, Ratika Rahmasari, Ayaka Matsunaga, Takahiro Haruyama, Nobuyuki Kobayashi “Anti-influenza viral effects of honey in vitro: potent high activity of Manuka honey.” Arch Med Res. 2014 Jul; 45(5):359-65. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2014.05.006. Epub 2014 May 29.
8) Sushil Anand, Margaret Deighton, George Livanos, Edwin Chi Kyong Pang & Nitin Mantri, “Agastache honey has superior antifungal activity in comparison with important commercial honeys”, Scientific Reports volume 9, Article number: 18197 (2019).
9) Pauline McLoone, Afolabi Oluwadun, Mary Warnock, and Lorna Fyfe, Cent Asian J Glob Health. 2016; 5(1): 241. “Honey: A Therapeutic Agent for Disorders of the Skin” Published online 2016 Aug 4. doi: 10.5195/cajgh.2016.241.
10) Gannabathula S, Skinner MA, Rosendale D, Greenwood JM, Mutukumira AN, Steinhorn G, et al. “Arabinogalactan proteins contribute to the immunostimulatory properties of New Zealand honeys.” Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2012;34:598–607.
11) Victoria Tomblin, Lynnette R Ferguson, Dug Yeo Han, Pamela Murray, and Ralf Schlothauer “Potential pathway of anti-inflammatory effect by New Zealand honeys” Int J Gen Med. 2014; 7: 149–158. Published online 2014 Mar 5. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S45839.
12) José M. Alvarez-Suarez, Massimiliano Gasparrini, Tamara Y. Forbes-Hernández, Luca Mazzoni and Francesca Giampieri, “The Composition and Biological Activity of Honey: A Focus on Manuka Honey”, Foods 2014, 3(3), 420-432.
13) Shweta Sinha, Ajay Prakash, Rakesh Sehgal, Bikash Medhi, “Comparative effect of manuka honey on anaerobic parasitic protozoans with standard drug therapy under in vitro conditions: A preliminary study”, Indian J Pharmacol. Jul-Aug 2018;50(4):197-203. doi: 10.4103/ijp.IJP_227_18.
14) José M. Alvarez-Suarez, Massimiliano Gasparrini, Tamara Y. Forbes-Hernández, Luca Mazzoni and Francesca Giampieri, “The Composition and Biological Activity of Honey: A Focus on Manuka Honey”, Foods 2014, 3(3), 420-432.
15) Shweta Sinha, Ajay Prakash, Rakesh Sehgal, Bikash Medhi, “Comparative effect of manuka honey on anaerobic parasitic protozoans with standard drug therapy under in vitro conditions: A preliminary study”, Indian J Pharmacol. Jul-Aug 2018;50(4):197-203. doi: 10.4103/ijp.IJP_227_18.