FAQ
What is Honey?
Honey is a saturated solution of sugar made by bees that collect nectar, which is a liquid secretion from flowers. The honeybees take this nectar back to their hives where they add enzymes to it and place it in wax cells called honeycombs. This is where it ripens to form honey. During the ripening process, the enzymes convert sucrose into glucose and fructose.
Honey has been used for medical purposes for many years. However, with the advent of antibiotics, medical professionals were under the misconception that modern medicine was more effective than honey. New research is proving otherwise.
What type of honey is in Honeymark products?
Honeymark uses Active UMF10+ Manuka Honey in all its products. This is a medical grade honey that has been proven to be effective in treating many types of health conditions. Even though Honeymark is a U.S. company, the Manuka Honey is imported from New Zealand.
What is the advantage of using Honeymark products instead of plain Manuka Honey?
Like all types of honey, Manuka Honey is a sticky substance and not particularly user-friendly when applied to the skin. Honeymark blends Manuka Honey into its creams and lotions for a comfortable and more desirable application. There are also other ingredients in our products that are essential in treating various symptoms. Honeymark products have a smooth texture that absorb easily into the skin, without leaving a sticky residue.
What is Manuka Honey?
Manuka Honey is a special type of mono-floral honey which is produced by bees that gather nectar from the flowers that grow on the Manuka bush (also known as tea tree or Leptospermum scoparium) which is indigenous to New Zealand. Studies have found that Manuka Honey contains very powerful antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties, making it extremely effective in treating a wide variety of health conditions.
How does Manuka Honey work?
All types of honey contain hydrogen peroxide which is produced when the bees add an enzyme to the nectar. Hydrogen peroxide is produced in a slow-release manner that is strong enough to be effective in destroying bacteria but low enough not to harm tissue. Manuka Honey is different in that it also contains plant-derived components, such as methylglyoxal and what some experts refer to as the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF).
What is UMF?
UMF in an acronym for 'Unique Manuka Factor' and is an antibacterial property which is present in Active Manuka Honey. UMF is a floral property that comes from the nectar of Manuka flowers and has been found to posses extraordinary healing powers. This antibacterial activity is not present in any other type of honey.
Manuka Honey is tested and rated for its antibacterial potency. It is generally accepted that Manuka Honey with a UMF rating of 10 or higher is appropriate for medical use. The higher the UMF rating, the higher the antibacterial activity.
The term "UMF" is a registered trademark of the Active Manuka Honey Association in New Zealand.
How is Manuka Honey different from regular honey?
Standard honey has been used in the past to heal wounds, primarily due to the fact that it keeps the wound moist and nurtures the growth of new tissue with important vitamins and amino acids. Honey also contains hydrogen peroxide which is a known antiseptic. Therefore, regular honey could theoretically be effective in treating wounds. However, standard honey looses most of its healing properties when it comes in contact with wound fluids. Another problem is that honey has high sugar content which can actually promote the growth of bacteria. Only Active Manuka Honey has additional antibacterial properties that have the ability to destroy the bacteria that are responsible for infecting wounds. Manuka Honey is also stable so there is no concern of it losing its potency or healing properties.
There are a few major differences between ordinary honey and Manuka Honey.
1. Only Manuka Honey provides non-hydrogen peroxide antibacterial components.
2. Manuka Honey's antibacterial factor is unaffected by enzymes in the body that destroy hydrogen peroxide components.
3. Manuka Honey is highly effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
4. Manuka Honey maintains its potency even when diluted over 50 times, as will happen when used on the body.
5. Manuka Honey is unaffected by heat or light.
6. Manuka Honey does not require moisture or oxygen to be effective.
7. Manuka Honey diffuses deep into skin tissue, making it possible to get to effected areas.
What are the medical uses for Manuka Honey?
Based on recent studies, Manuka Honey has been known to effectively treat the following symptoms and health conditions:
What types of microorganisms can Manuka Honey destroy?
The antimicrobial activity of Manuka Honey has been observed in many studies around the world. It has been discovered that Manuka Honey is effective in destroying the following bacterial and fungal microorganisms:
- Escherichia coli (E. coli)
- Staphylococcus aureus (Staph infections)
- Citrobacter freundii
- Proteus mirabilis
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Salmonella typhimurium
- Streptococcus faecalis
- Streptococcus pyogenes
- Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori, stomach ulcers)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Research also indicates that Manuka Honey inhibits enzymes called cysteine proteases, which have been implicated in muscle-wasting diseases such as muscular dystrophy, viral replication, tumor invasion and metastasis.
If UMF Manuka Honey is considered to have active healing properties, why is it listed in the inactive ingredients list on the Honeymark website and labels?
Even though Manuka Honey has medicinal value and is effective in treating a wide variety of different health conditions, honey is not yet considered to be an FDA recognized drug. Therefore, Honeymark is limited in terms of marketing Manuka Honey as a medicine or an active ingredient within the United States. Ministries of Health and other foreign FDA equivalents in other countries have already approved Manuka Honey as a medicine. Hopefully the U.S. will catch up soon.
Can Manuka Honey destroy MRSA and heal Staph infections?
There is documented evidence indicating that Manuka Honey is capable of destroying the MRSA bacterium. Bacteria has the ability to mutate and become resistant to elements that are attempting to destroy them, such as antibiotics. However, Manuka Honey destroys bacteria in a different manner, by drawing water out of the bacteria, making it impossible for the microbes to survive. To date, there has been no reported bacteria that has been able to develop a resistance to Manuka Honey.
What is Methylglyoxal?
Some scientists have reason to believe that Methylglyoxal (MGO) may be one of the compounds responsible for the antibacterial action in Manuka honey. However, others believe that the Methylglyoxal level in Manuka Honey does not account for the antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity of Manuka Honey is due to synergy between Methylglyoxal and non-antibacterial components. This synergy accounts for half or more of the UMF activity.
The antibacterial activity of Methylglyoxal is far less when it is in water than when it is in honey. It has less than half of the antibacterial activity that is seen when the same level is in Manuka Honey. This is scientific proof that the Methylglyoxal present in Manuka Honey does not account for the non-peroxide (UMF) antibacterial activity of Manuka Honey by itself . Increased levels of Methylglyoxal only add to the base level of activity, which is why the antibacterial activity of the honey does not increase in proportion to the level of Methylglyoxal .
Can Manuka Honey be used to treat wounds or burns?
Manuka Honey is one of the best treatments available for wounds and burns because it provides a moist, sterile environment for the regeneration of tissue. It also makes a soft barrier between the wound and bandages, preventing new tissue from being torn away when the dressing is changed. Manuka Honey is capable of destroying the bacteria the cause infection in wounds. It is especially useful in treating persistent, hard-to-heal wounds such as leg ulcers, bed sores and 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree burns that don't respond to conventional treatments, antibiotics or other traditional forms of medication.
Where can I find clinical studies and documented evidence of the effectiveness of Manuka Honey?
Some of the most comprehensive research of the medical usage of Manuka Honey has been done by Dr. Peter Molan and his staff at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. You can read their findings at the following link: http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey
What are the special skin care characteristics of Manuka honey?
Manuka Honey is a natural skin moisturizer that has the ability to draw water molecules into the skin. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that act as a natural pain reliever, an antibacterial agent that can heal infections and antifungal properties that can eliminate ringworm and other fungal infections.
Can children safely use Honeymark products?
While medical professionals recommend that children less than 1 year old should not ingest honey, there is no harm in infants using honey topically on the skin.
Are Honeymark products animal friendly and cruelty free?
Honeymark products are not tested on animals.
For more information or to purchase Honeymark products, call 1-866-427-7329.
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