Manuka Honey – Information and Measuring Methods

What is Manuka Honey?

Manuka honey comes from manuka trees (duh) which thrive almost exclusively in the East Cape region of New Zealand. The word manuka refers to the red tea tree (scientific name Lepstospermum scoparium). Manuka honey is recognised for its distinct antibacterial properties. Methylglyoxal is the active ingredient responsible for its unique abilities.

Benefits of Manuka Honey

Manuka honey, a “cut” above the rest

Not all honey is the same. What better way to prove this than to illustrate what manuka honey can do for you?

All honeys have some antibacterial activity due to their hydrogen peroxide content. Hydrogen peroxide acts as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial. Wonderful, huh? Yes, indeed. The hydrogen peroxide in honey prevents oxygen free radicals from perpetuating inflammation in your system (anti-inflammatory). Hydrogen peroxide also hunts down oxygen free radicals and neutralises them (antioxidant). Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide destroys the cell membranes of bacteria by making their coverings unstable. If their cell membranes are destroyed, bacteria will not survive (antibacterial).

Unfortunately, the hydrogen peroxide in honey loses its unique properties when exposed to sunlight and heat. Enter manuka honey. You see, unlike most of the honey out there, manuka honey contains an extra antibacterial ingredient called methylglyoxal (MG).

MG isn’t deactivated by light or heat like hydrogen peroxide is. The nectar found in manuka flowers contain huge concentrations of a substance called dihydroxyacetone which is then converted to MG. MG is believed and proven to be the most valuable player when it comes to manuka honey’s antibacterial properties. The greater the amount of MG in your manuka honey, the greater its bacteria fighting capabilities.

Because of the unique properties of manuka honey, honey producers came up with a way to measure the potency of their manuka honey. There are now two rating systems used to denote the antibacterial strength of manuka honey: UMF® (Unique Manuka Factor) and MGO™ (which stands for methylglyoxal, the active ingredient).

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For you to appreciate the therapeutic benefits of manuka honey, it should be either UMF® 10+ or MGO™100+. Honey producers designate their manuka honey products with either a UMF® or MGO™ rating. It’s your guarantee that the manuka honey you purchased provides therapeutic benefits. The rating measures the manuka honey’s ability to produce non-peroxide (not because of hydrogen peroxide) therapeutic effects. Relatively speaking, it tells you the amount required to produce the desired result.

UMF Rating

A rating of UMF® 10 means that the manuka honey possesses the same antibacterial activity as the test solution which contains 10% phenol. In other words, your manuka honey is as effective in killing bacteria as a solution which contains 10% phenol (a common antiseptic).

MGO Rating

An MGO™ rating of 100+ means that the manuka honey contains 100mg of methylglyoxal per kg. Methylglyoxal levels in manuka honey can range from 30 to 900 mg/kg. Other types of honey (other than manuka honey) have a level of only about 8 mg/kg. Imagine (or calculate) the difference. Really significant!

For people with no specific medical conditions to deal with, a low MGO™ or UMF® rating is enough for daily consumption. If you’re addressing a specific medical condition, you will require a stronger rating. Manuka honey is used for many types of infections, but perhaps the greatest medical use for manuka honey is for the treatment of minor burns and wounds.

Intense research is aimed at the effects of manuka honey on three groups of harmful bacteria.

With respect to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), manuka honey was found to inhibit the growth and even kill MRSA. This effect was further enhanced in the presence of the antibiotics oxacillin and vancomycin. MRSA is a very common cause of wound infections worldwide. It has become a burden during treatment because it is resistant to most available antibiotics.
Among people who suffered burns, manuka honey was able to alter the protein structure of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This was enough to cause changes in the bacteria making it unable to thrive. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common cause of infections among burn patients and in burn units of hospitals.
Last but not least, manuka honey was demonstrated to prevent the formation of biofilms in Streptococcus pyogenes infections. These biofilms allow the bacteria to stick together and survive longer at the site of infection. Without biofilms, Streptococcus pyogenes infections can become a thing of the past. With the use of manuka honey, that might just become a reality.

Other benefits of using manuka honey include:

Helicobacter pylori is a harmful bacteria which lives in your stomach. It can cause stomach upset and ulcers. A study was done to find out if these bacteria were susceptible to manuka honey. During experiments in the laboratory (in vitro testing), it was found that they were indeed susceptible. Many people who have been using manuka honey to cure their gastrointestinal problems swear by its effectiveness. Some people use it even if they don’t have any gastrointestinal problems. To date, there are no reported side effects from using manuka honey to address digestive symptoms like indigestion, acid reflux, stomach pain and bloating.

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When you feel a sore throat is heading your way, better load up on manuka honey. Its unique antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties can shorten the duration and lessen the severity of symptoms like coughing, pain during swallowing and fever.

People undergoing chemotherapy for cancer can sometimes experience painful esophagitis (inflammation of the lining of their oesophagus). Lucky for them, an alternative and harmless treatment exists to address their problem. The US National Cancer Institute actually approved a proposal suggesting the use of manuka honey to alleviate the symptoms of esophagitis. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, manuka honey can be used to treat the symptoms of esophagitis among patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Note: The benefits of manuka honey mentioned here are just some of the many. We gave these ones priority because they have research studies to back up them up. For sure, more and more manuka health benefits will surface and will certainly be backed up by scientific evidence.

Just a Reminder: Manuka honey blends, NOT as effective and therapeutic as pure manuka honey.

For your information dear reader, not all manuka honey out there has therapeutic properties. Some of the manuka honey blends have undergone some form of processing which could have destroyed the active ingredients. Make sure to get the rated manuka honey in the store shelves if you want to receive its therapeutic benefits. Manuka honey blends that have no rating may contain suboptimal levels of the active ingredients. It’s best to go for raw, unaltered manuka honey (without any other supposedly-good-for-your-health ingredients) with either the MGO™ or UMF® rating.

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Honey, I’m home

Honey, especially manuka honey should be respected as a therapeutic alternative medicine. This is particularly true when it comes to the treatment of non-healing wounds. Evidence is rapidly mounting to support its numerous benefits. Rest assured, it’s just a matter of time before manuka honey becomes a mainstay in your first aid kit at home. Mine already has one!