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Research
Manuka honey as a medicine
P. C. Molan, Honey Research Unit, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Honey - an ancient remedy "rediscovered" 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. It is widely available in most communities and although the mechanism of action of several of its properties remains obscure and needs further investigation, the time has now come for conventional medicine to lift the blinds off this 'traditional remedy' and give it its due recognition." Some examples of the reports being published are given here:
Waikato Honey Research Unit: http://honey.bio.waikato.ac.nz
The Honey Research Unit was set up in 1995, with financial support from the New Zealand Honey Industry Trust, in recognition of the expertise at The University of Waikato in the composition of honey and its antimicrobial activity. |
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