With many children’s cough syrups being pulled from the market because they don’t work, an old folk remedy — honey — may work just as well or better, researchers report.
In a study of kids having trouble sleeping because of cough, a research team at Penn State College of Medicine compared the effectiveness of a little bit of buckwheat honey before bedtime versus either no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), the cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medicines. (more…)
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What most people don’t know is that honey, in addition to tasting good, has an antibacterial activity, due primarily to hydrogen peroxide formed in a slow-release manner by the enzyme glucose oxidase present in honey. Some honeys are no more antibacterial than sugar, while others can be diluted more than 100-fold and still halt the growth of bacteria. The difference in potency of antibacterial activity found among the different honeys is more than 100-fold.
Manuka Honey is the only honey that is tested for its antibacterial activity. It contains an additional antibacterial component found only in honey produced from Leptospermum plants found in New Zealand. Manuka Honey is more effective than other types of honey with hydrogen peroxide against some types of bacteria. For example, Active Manuka Honey is about twice as effective as other honey against Eschericihia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the most common causes of infected wounds. (more…)