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Honey may help treat burns

08/10/2008

Honey may help treat mild to moderate burns, scientists have claimed.

In a report published today, researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration claim that honey might be useful as an alternative to traditional wound dressings in treating burns.

"We're treating these results with caution, but it looks like honey can help speed up healing in some burns," lead researcher Dr Andrew Jull, from the University of Auckland, said.

Researchers admit that the mechanism by which honey helps treat wounds remains unclear.

While honey may help the body remove dead tissue and provide a favourable environment for the growth of new, healthy tissue, current interest in medicinal honey focuses largely on its antibacterial effects.

The study found that honey was more effective in reducing healing time compared to some traditional gauze and film dressings.

However, the report does not advise using honey to treat any other type of wounds.

"Health services should invest in treatments that have been shown to work. But, we will keep monitoring new research to try and establish the effect of honey," Dr Jull added.