Thursday, September 12, 2013

How to get Health benefits using Manuka Honey?

There are lots of different types of honey in this world, but when it comes to health benefits, Manuka Honey is the clear winner. It has amazing antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. So, it’s actually no surprise that Manuka Honey is extremely effective in treating a wide range of health conditions. Almost all the varieties of honey have a naturally occurring active component that is believed to promote good health in humans. But unfortunately it gets destroyed when exposed to heat and light. On the other hand, Manuka Honey contains an additional antibacterial component, which remains completely stable. As a result, unlike other normal honey, Manuka Honey’s anti-bacterial activity is extremely stable and not affected by any environmental factors like heat or light.

How to get Health benefits using Manuka Honey?
Image Source: backtocurly.com

The special non-peroxide antibacterial property of Manuka Honey is known as Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). This means, the higher the UMF rating, the stronger the antibacterial potency of honey. Usually it is accepted that Manuka Honey with a UMF rating of 10-15 is most appropriate for medicinal use.
Manuka honey is a pure mono-floral honey produced by bees that feed on Manuka plant, exclusively found in New Zealand and some parts of Australia. And so unsurprisingly Manuka honey is quite expensive when compared to regular honey. But still it’s worth to invest in Manuka honey as it offers a host of health benefits in both internal as well as external applications. Some of the key health benefits of Manuka Honey are given below.

Health Benefits of Manuka Honey:

Wound Healing
Thanks to its amazing antibacterial properties, Manuka honey has been proven to be an effective treatment for wound infections. It’s a great natural remedy for minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. The excellent wound-healing property of Manuka honey is mainly due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide in it. This not only keeps the wound clean, but also naturally removes any debris that might be present inside the wound. In this way, it will also help prevent any further infections. What’s more, Manuka honey has been found to fight MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and two other types of bacteria that can often cause wounds to become infected.

No doubt Manuka honey treats wounds and helps them heal faster, but always make sure that you clean the wound thoroughly before applying honey to it. After cleaning, gently apply raw Manuka honey directly to the wound and see to it that you cover the area surrounding the wound as well.

Fights fungal infection
Besides antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, Manuka honey also contains powerful anti-fungal properties. This make Manuka honey an effective remedy for fungal infections. It has been found that Manuka honey, when used in its raw form, can indeed treat several types of fungal infections like ringworm, athlete’s foot, nail fungus, and jock itch.

Prevent and treat cancer
Interestingly, a team of UAE University researchers have recently discovered that Manuka honey could indeed help prevent as well as treat certain types of cancers including skin, breast, and colon cancer. Manuka honey is said to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and it could even help reduce the risk of chronic inflammation - a major factor in the development of degenerative diseases like cancer.

Manuka honey has powerful antibacterial and antiseptic properties that can help ward off infections related to cancer growth. Plus, these healing qualities may help treat the side effects of cancer treatments such as radiation or surgery. However, it’s also true that several studies have found that Manuka honey does interact with a few chemotherapy drugs. So it is highly recommended that patients should first consult a physician before using Manuka honey in combination with other cancer drugs or therapy.

Improves digestion
Manuka honey has some unusual benefits for digestion. It can stimulate the production of probiotics - the good bacteria residing in our digestive tract. The presence of these bacteria will help build and maintain a healthy digestive system. Manuka honey is also an excellent remedy for indigestion and various other stomach ailments like acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, peptic ulcers, gastritis, and acidity. So, no matter whether you’re experiencing minor stomach upsets or some serious problems like ulcers, or you simply want to improve your overall well-being, just give Manuka honey a try.

Cures skin conditions
Manuka honey is also highly beneficial for skin. It can really cure various skin conditions like acne, rashes, hives, eczema, rosacea, skin ulcers and dermatophytes. If you’re suffering from any of these problems then simply put a nice amount of Manuka honey directly on your skin. This would ease the inflammation and the associated discomfort more quickly. You can also use Manuka honey as an all-natural face mask to get a fair and glowing skin.

Fight gum disease
It has been found that Manuka honey has the ability to ward off three different types of mouth bacteria that cause gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath. Rubbing a sweet substance on the gums may seem counter-intuitive, but several studies have shown that rubbing Manuka honey on the gum can indeed reduce the levels of bacteria in the mouth. To protect your oral health, ensure to apply a small amount of Manuka honey (using either a cotton wool swab or your fingertip) directly to your gums everyday. Alternatively, you can also hold a teaspoon of honey inside your mouth and wait until it coats your teeth and gums completely.

Better Immunity and more energy
Manuka honey has been shown to boost the immune response of WBC (White Blood Cells), which plays a significant role in resisting infections like common cold, sore throats and flu. So, adding Manuka honey in your daily diet will help you maintain a healthy immune system throughout your life.

Perhaps the most important benefit of Manuka honey is that it will increase your stamina and energy level. It is a great source of carbohydrates and also contains rich quantities of water, sugar, minerals and vitamins. Moreover, Manuka honey has a very low glycemic index (GI), and this in turn helps create a rapid and sustained energy boost in the body while inhibiting hunger.

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