Honey On Wounds: When, How, Safety, And Effectiveness - Healthline

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How, When, and Why Honey Is Used for Wound Care

Medically reviewed by Gerhard Whitworth, R.N. — Written by Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA — Updated on March 8, 2019

Effectiveness
Application
Complications
Takeaway

How is honey used on wounds?

People have used honey for thousands of years for wound healing. While we now have other very effective wound-healing options, honey may still be good for healing certain wounds.

Honey has antibacterial properties and a unique pH balance that promotes oxygen and healing compounds to a wound.

Before you reach into your cabinet, know that wound-care professionals use medical-grade honey for healing chronic wounds and other injuries.

Read on for more information on the right and wrong times to use honey for wound healing.

Is honey effective for healing?

Honey is a sugary, syrupy substance that has been shown to have bioactive components that can help heal wounds.

According to a literature review published in the journal Wounds, honey offers the following benefits in healing wounds:

Acidic pH promotes healing. Honey has an acidic pH of between 3.2 and 4.5. When applied to wounds, the acidic pH encourages the blood to release oxygen, which is important to wound healing. An acidic pH also reduces the presence of substances called proteases that impair the wound healing process.
Sugar has an osmotic effect. The sugar naturally present in honey has the effect of drawing water out of damaged tissues (known as an osmotic effect). This reduces swelling and encourages the flow of lymph to heal the wound. Sugar also draws water out of bacterial cells, which can help keep them from multiplying.
Antibacterial effect. Honey has been shown to have an antibacterial effect on bacteria commonly present in wounds, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). Part of this resistance may be through its osmotic effects.
boils
burns
nonhealing wounds and ulcers
pilonidal sinus
venous and diabetic foot ulcers

How do you apply honey for wounds?

If you have a wound or burn that won’t heal, it’s important to check with a doctor before using honey on the wound. Ask the doctor if honey is a possibility for treatment.

For severe wounds, it’s best a doctor or wound-care nurse shows you how to apply the honey the first time. This is because the amount of honey and the way the dressing is applied can impact how effective the wound-healing will be.

Tips for applying honey on wounds

If you’re applying honey on wounds at home, here are some general tips for application.

Always start with clean hands and applicators, such as sterile gauze and cotton tips.
Apply the honey to a dressing first, then apply the dressing to the skin. This helps to cut down on the messiness of honey when applied directly to the skin. You can also purchase honey-impregnated dressings, such as MediHoney brand dressings, which have been on the market for several years. An exception is, if you have a deep wound bed, such as an abscess. The honey should fill the wound bed before a dressing is applied.
Place a clean, dry dressing over the honey. This can be sterile gauze pads or an adhesive bandage. An occlusive dressing is best over honey because it keeps the honey from seeping out.
Replace the dressing when drainage from the wound saturates the dressing. As honey starts to heal the wound, the dressing changes will likely be less frequent.
Wash your hands after dressing the wound.

If you have any questions about applying honey to your wound, follow up with a physician.

Types of honey used on wounds

Ideally, a person should use medical-grade honey, which is sterilized and therefore less likely to cause immune system reactions.

In addition to Manuka honey, other forms sold for healing include Gelam, Tualang, and MediHoney, which is a brandname for a product where the honey has been sterilized by gamma irradiation.

What are the possible complications of honey for wounds?

It’s always possible that honey or its container can become contaminated, or, a person could have an allergic reaction. Sometimes, this is to the bee pollen that’s naturally present in honey.

Allergic reactions

Signs you could be having an allergic reaction to the honey include:

dizziness
extreme swelling
nausea
stinging or burning after topical application
trouble breathing
vomiting

If you experience these symptoms, clean your skin of the honey and seek medical attention. Do not apply the honey again until you talk to a doctor.

Risks with raw honey

Some researchers have raised concerns regarding the use of raw honey, which is made from honeycombs and unfiltered, for wound treatment. They theorize that there’s greater risks for infection using this honey type.

While this is more of an idea than something that is proven, it’s important to be aware of the risks, according to the journal Wilderness & Environmental Medicine.

Ineffective

It’s also possible honey may not work to heal your wound. Frequent applications are required to see a benefit. This could take a week or more. If you aren’t seeing any improvement, talk to a doctor or nurse.

The takeaway

Medical grade honey on wounds has been shown to help people with chronic and non-healing wounds. Medical honey has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-odor properties that can help people with chronic wounds.

You should always check with their doctor before using this honey type to ensure it’s safe to apply to the wound.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

JullA, et al. (2015). Honey as a topical treatment for wounds. DOI:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25742878
MolanP, et al. (2015). Honey: A biologic wound dressing.https://www.woundsresearch.com/article/honey-biologic-wound-dressing
OropezaK. (2014). What’s the buzz about medical-grade honey? DOI:https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Citation/2014/07000/What_s_the_buzz_about_medical_grade_honey_.17.aspx
Primarydressings with active manuka honey. (2007).https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf7/K072956.pdf
StewartJ, et al. (2014). Wound care in the wilderness: Is there evidence for honey?https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(13)00247-0/pdf
YaghoobiR, et al. (2013). Evidence for clinical use of honey in wound healing as ananti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory anti-oxidant and anti-viral agent: A review.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941901/

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Medically reviewed by Gerhard Whitworth, R.N. — Written by Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA — Updated on March 8, 2019

Honey On Wounds: When, How, Safety, And Effectiveness - Healthline

How is honey used on wounds?

Is honey effective for healing?

How do you apply honey for wounds?

Tips for applying honey on wounds

Types of honey used on wounds

What are the possible complications of honey for wounds?

Allergic reactions

Risks with raw honey

Ineffective

The takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

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