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Manuka honey

(56 Posts)
NanKate Sun 26-May-19 10:45:05

Does anyone use it and have noticed any benefits ?

Whitewavemark2 Sun 26-May-19 10:46:36

Yes but only if I have a sore throat or cough. Soothes short term I always think.

NanKate Sun 26-May-19 11:19:51

Do you use Manuka honey or just a standard honey Whitewave ?

Nonnie Sun 26-May-19 11:22:09

I believe much of the manuka honey sold in the UK is fake. If is very expensive in the country it comes from (manuka tree) so should be expensive here. If it isn't I suspect it is fake.

Caledonai14 Sun 26-May-19 12:12:53

I used it when I was poorly because I wanted to stave off any colds etc. You have to use a certain strength (10+ I seem to remember). It was expensive but a spoonful a day seemed to be enough.

I've heard of medical staff, back in the seventies, using it as a last resort for wounds which refuse to heal. It just tastes like honey so it would be difficult to tell whether it is genuine.

The advice I got is that it comes from a very small area in New Zealand - hence the price - so that's your first clue. I certainly didn't catch any colds or anything like that while I used it, but that's not proof of anything at all. It's worth a try and it's a very interesting research topic if you have the time.

My understanding is that all honey starts off with benefits but most types lose lots of these in the processing which is necessary for health and safety reasons. Manuka manages to hold on to the good things (that might be overly simple but it works for me).

Whitewavemark2 Sun 26-May-19 12:41:40

nan manuka ?won’t say how much it cost. Lasts for ever though

paddyann Sun 26-May-19 12:46:18

I used it a number of years ago as part of a slimming plan,mixed with cider vinegar . It wasn't cheap !Gosh it was horrible and I didn't lose any more weight drinking it before meals than I would have anyway .When I buy honey its usually local honey as its said it helps with hay fever and we all have that .Not sure its working this year though as we all still have runny eyes and noses etc

notanan2 Sun 26-May-19 12:55:35

It needs to be a high strength to work. Cheaper ones arent fake they just have less peroxide. We use it for sore throats. What were you thinking of using it for OP?

Manuka isnt the only high strength peroxide honey that works there are others but manuka is most available in uk.

notanan2 Sun 26-May-19 12:59:24

Caledonail honey is used extensively in wound healing today in the NHS (only for infected wounds, dont use it at home for wounds if you dont know what youre doing as it adds a lot of moisture so can make skin break down, best only use it on prescription or you can do more harm than good) but its not Manuka, I think its a french honey thats used on the NHS

notanan2 Sun 26-May-19 13:04:47

outside-us.dermasciences.com/medihoney

Nope dunno where I got french from..its a NZ honey

Anyway DO NOT use it in this way without medical prescription. It can break down skin if uses wrong

Blinko Sun 26-May-19 13:29:15

Peroxide? In honey?? You're kidding me....

notanan2 Sun 26-May-19 13:30:18

Yeah. You can use it to lighten hair

notanan2 Sun 26-May-19 13:32:40

Thats why some honeys are more antibacterial (and expensive) than others. Hydrogen peroxide.

Blinko Sun 26-May-19 13:34:45

Well, stripe me pink!

notanan2 Sun 26-May-19 13:43:20

Well, stripe me pink!
Well orange actually... grin as teens we used to put honey in our hair if we werent allowed hair dye or highlights: only slightly worked & left hair over hydrated and felted and bleugh grin

NanaandGrampy Sun 26-May-19 14:12:05

Ive used high strength manuka honey for thinning skin wounds on the back of my leg when nothing else was helping.

I bought mine online from a reputable source.

I was speaking to my local beekeeper a few weeks ago and they have bought some manuka plants ( they're a species of flowering myrtle) to grow on and see if their bees make a good enough quality manuka honey from it . The plants themselves were very expensive as I understand it . So it will be interesting to see how that experiment goes.

David0205 Sun 26-May-19 16:19:00

My MIL used it for a long time to help cure a leg ulcer, that had to be sent direct from New Zealand on line from the beekeeper.

NanKate Sun 26-May-19 17:06:02

You ask Notanan what I want to use it for. Firstly I am rather run down with Polymyalgia and an under active thyroid. All being monitored by the Doc.

I am on my second lot of antibiotics for a gum infection which won’t go away. I will be having a tooth removed next month to sort this out.

I have oral thrush which is a result of taking both the antibiotics and steroids. So all in all I need what my gran would have called a tonic and until the doc gets me sorted out I want some self medication. YOU DID ASK !

I have seen manuka honey+10 and +15 in Waitrose from NZ from £11.00 - £25.00 and am willing to shell out.

M0nica Sun 26-May-19 17:44:53

In your case NanKate, I would have thought it worth trying. It may help, it may not, but at least it will do you no harm and, I presume, tastes nice.

NanKate Sun 26-May-19 18:04:20

Yes I agree MOnica. Does anyone have recommendations how to take it ? On a spoon, mixed in a drink, on toast ?

bikergran Sun 26-May-19 20:39:01

They have it in H n Barret very expensive

GrandmaKT Sun 26-May-19 20:44:06

My DIL, who is a Kiwi, tells me that honey bees hate the manuka plant and will only collect the pollen from them if it is the only plant available to them. I therefore would feel a bit bad buying the honey. (Yep, just another thing to feel guilty about - sorry!)

Ginny42 Sun 26-May-19 21:15:51

I buy 15+ from M&S at I think £22.00. I take approximately a teaspoonful(OK possibly 2) in the morning on some wholemeal toast. I don't have the flu jab and I've gone through all winter and spring without a cold or flu. Maybe a placebo effect as I believe it's good for me, but I certainly haven't had so much as a sniffle.

I saw in a TV documentary that scientists are experimenting with honey as a replacement for anti-biotics. However, as honey is sticky they have reduced it to a powder form so it would be more practical to use.

Chewbacca Sun 26-May-19 21:19:05

My OH was advised to use Manuka honey on the ulcers on his legs, post TKR operation. It did work quite well but it was prohibitively expensive to use long term.

BradfordLass72 Mon 27-May-19 06:17:37

Some doctors here will recommend it for stomach ulcers; UMF-5 or higher.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322740.php

And on the peroxide subject:

www.tinroofteas.com/tea-blog/the-hydrogen-peroxide-producing-capacity-of-honey-prt-2

Sore throats can be treated with Manuka oil, 2 drops in 1/4 cup warm, boiled water and gargle 3 times a day.
Tea Tree oil works too; also effective against insects!