Manuka honey

Honey has been known for its healing properties for thousands of years - the Ancient Greeks used it, and so have many other peoples through the ages. Even up to the second world war, honey was being used for its antibacterial properties in treating wounds.

But with the advent of penicillin and other antibiotic drugs in the twentieth century, honey's medicinal qualities have taken a back seat.

The usage of honey as a medicine is referred to in the most ancient written records, it being prescribed by the physicians of many ancient races of people for a wide variety of ailments (Ransome 1937). It has continued to be used in folk medicine ever since, but in recent times there has been a renaissance of the use of honey in the medical profession: an editorial in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (Zumla and Lulat 1989) discussing this expressed the opinion “The therapeutic potential of uncontaminated, pure honey is grossly underutilized”.

Rich in proteins, pure Manuka honey contains vitamins and minerals that are known for their healing properties. Manuka honey is a natural emollient and returns much needed moisture to the skin to help soften and soothe.

Tests on honeys at Waikato University in New Zealand showed all honey had a low level of antibiotic activity, which was partly due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide. However, Manuka Honey had a much higher activity than other honeys, up to 30 times more.

It is not just the higher level of hydrogen peroxide, the answer is in a group of aromatic acids naturally present in Manuka honey that are related to the commonly used food preservative sodium benzoate. These substances are very rare compounds but seem intrinsic in Manuka honey. The glucose oxidase enzyme activated by dilutions of Manuka honey generates hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide generally is the major antibacterial factor in Manuka honey.

gifts2remember has been chosen to stock a wide range of body care products including creamy and exfoliating body washes, hand and nail cremes, body lotions, creamy soaps, body mousses and shimmer gels all containing the nourishing Manuka honey in a variety of fragrances :

Wild Rose and Manuka Honey
Lavender and Manuka Honey
Frangipani and Manuka Honey
Vanilla and Manuka Honey
Milk and Manuka Honey
Queen Bee – a facial range containing Manuka Honey
First Aid range including lip balms, hand creams, body butters and calming soaps all containing the active Manuka Honey ingredient