Northeastern Wildflower Honey Available in 1 lb. & 5 lb. Jars; or 60 lb. Pail Learn More: Medicinal Uses and Health Benefits For at least 2700 years, honey has been used to treat a variety of ailments through topical application, though it was not until modern times that the cause of infection was understood. Now, it is understood that the folk remedy of using honey to treat wounds has a scientific explanation: it acts as an antiseptic/antibacterial agent. As an antimicrobial agent, honey has potential for treating a variety of ailments. Antibacterial properties of honey are the result of the low water activity causing osmosis, hydrogen peroxide effect, and high acidity. According to Dr. Jarvis: Honey retains traces of pollen, propolis and beeswax (particularly good for sore throats and bronchitis). These traces contain healthful minerals, vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and carbohydrates. Collectively bees fly 24,000 miles and visit three to nine million flowers to make one pound of honey. Some of the flowers include dandelion, raspberry, blackberry, alfalfa, white clovers, vetches, basswood, milkweed, goldenrod, and the asters. If one has allergies to these flowers, some believe there is a beneficial anti-allergy effect by taking honey which contains trace amounts of their pollen. Honey used as an antibiotic 26-08-2005 From: The Daily Telegraph HONEY is mentioned in the Bible, the Koran and the Torah as being used for healing purposes. Now, Australian researchers have found it is effective as an antibiotic cream to prevent infections when applied to catheter sites in kidney dialysis patients. Kidney specialist David Johnson said honey also had an advantage over the commonly used antibiotic ointment, mupirocin, in that hospital "superbugs" such as staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as Golden Staph, had not developed resistance to it. "There are no documented cases of honey-resistant bacteria," Professor Johnson said yesterday. http://www.news.com.au/story/print/0,10119,16387979,00.html