Research
What is Special About UMF Rated Manuka Honey?

UMF is a highly beneficial antibacterial property naturally present in some strains of manuka honey.
Studies are showing manuka honey with a high levels of UMF(UMF10 or higher) deals with bacterial infection and helps the natural healing processes and is the preferred honey when selecting honey for its healing qualities.

In his paper, The Unique Properties of Manuka Honey, Dr Peter Molan describes the following unique features which make UMF Manuka Honey a very special honey. The name UMF Manuka Honey indicates the type of manuka honey which has high levels of the UMF healing property.

More powerfully antibacterial.

• Laboratory studies have found the UMF antibacterial property to be more effective in vitro than the hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property against some types of very resistant bacteria:
• Twice as effective as other honey against staphylococcus aureus and eschericihia coli, the most common cause of infected wounds.
• Eight times as effective against helicobacter pylori, the bacteria which causes most stomach ulcers.
• Significantly more effective than other honey against streptococcus pyogenes which causes sore throats

Double antibacterial potency.

• UMF Manuka Honey has both the hydrogen peroxide and the UMF antibacterial properties making it doubly potent.
  There is evidence that these two antibacterial components together(hydrogen peroxide and UMF) may have a synergistic action - their combined effect is greater than the sum of the parts - making manuka honey which has the UMF property doubly potent and effective.

No bacteria has been found, in the laboratory, to be resistant to the UMF activity

More stable

• The UMF property is very stable and not easily destroyed.
  It is resistant to heat and more resistant to being broken down by the catalase effect of body fluids than the hydrogen peroxide activity.
  The hydrogen peroxide property is easily destroyed by heat, fluid and sunlight. If a honey without UMF was to be used to treat an infection, the potency of the honey's antibacterial activity would most likely be reduced because the body tissues and serum contain an enzyme catalase which breaks down hydrogen peroxide. UMF is stable and not affected.

Can diffuse deeply into skin tissues, so that it can reach deep-seated infections

• The UMF antibacterial property can penetrate flesh much more deeply than the hydrogen peroxide property - it has been found to be able to penetrate 1cm of pork skin, fat and muscle overnight.
  The hydrogen peroxide property does not penetrate tissues.

Not Reliant on Moisture

• To activate hydrogen peroxide moisture is required, but too much moisture also destroys it, and the moisture reduces the concentration of the honey
  The UMF does not need moisture to activate it, yet it is also quite stable in moisture such as body fluids.

Honey is acidic

• The pH of honey is low enough to slow down or prevent the growth of many species of bacteria.
  But this acidity may be neutralised if honey is diluted with body fluids. UMF is stable in moisture.

Not Reliant on Oxygen

• The glucose oxidase enzyme which produces hydrogen peroxide needs oxygen, but the phytochemical UMF does not.
  So it could remain active even when smothered by wound dressings or in wound cavities.

Back to Research Page