OTTAWA (AFP) - Honey, used in tea or hot water in Canada for
generations to soothe sore throats, could soon be substituted for
antibiotics in fighting stubborn ear, nose and throat infections,
according to a new study.
Ottawa University doctors found in tests that ordinary honey kills
bacteria that cause sinus infections, and does it better in most cases
than antibiotics.
"It's astonishing," researcher Joseph Marson said of bees' unexplained
ability to combine the nectar of flowers into a seemingly potent
medicine.
The preliminary tests were conducted in laboratory dishes, not in live
patients, but included the "superbug" methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, which is highly resistant to
antibiotics.
In upcoming human trials, a "honey rinse" would be used to "flush out
the goo from sinus cavities," said Marson in an interview with AFP.
The researchers have so far tested manuka honey from New Zealand, and
sidr honey from Yemen.
The two killed all floating bacteria in liquid, and 63-91 percent of
biofilms -- microorganisms that sometimes form a protective layer in
sinus cavities, urinary tracts, catheters, and heart valves,
protecting bacteria from normal drug treatments and often leading to
chronic infections.
The most effective antibiotic, rifampin, killed just 18 percent of the
biofilm samples in the tests.
"As of today, nobody is sure what in the honey kills the bacteria,"
Marson said, noting that "not all honeys have the same potency" and
calling for more research to determine the mechanism behind the
healing.
Canada's clover and buckwheat honey did not work at all.
Previous studies have shown honey's healing properties on infected wounds.
The results of the study were presented this week at the annual
meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck
Surgery, in Chica
