Honey for Natural Wound Care

Ever used honey for natural wound care? You might want to give it try. If you’re not aware of the healing properties of honey, dabbing honey on a cut, scrape, burn, or abrasion may sound a bit strange.

But it works, and it’s been used for that purpose for thousands of years.

In fact, at least 4000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians were using honey as their go-to method for treating wounds.

Why is honey so useful in treating wounds? Well, there are several reasons that we know of, and probably some that we don’t quite understand yet.

We know that honey is a great natural antibiotic. In fact, in some situations honey is a more effective antibiotic than many of the modern antibiotic drugs. We also know that honey is rich in antioxidants, and that is thought to be a factor.

But honey has other properties that make it great for natural wound care.

One of the problems encountered in treating wounds with the dressings and medications most commonly used by modern medicine is the dehydrating effect of these treatments. Dressing the wound with honey, though, keeps it moist. This helps to minimize the amount of scarring that will result from the healed wound.

Because of its high sugar content, honey also exerts a powerful osmotic effect. Because of this ability to attract moisture, honey tends to attract bodily fluids and nutrients to the area of the wound. This helps to accelerate the healing process.

Numerous studies with both animals and humans have proven the value of honey as a natural wound healing agent. They’ve shown honey to be effective in healing faster, better, with less pain, and with none of the side effects of other medications.

In fact, the use of honey on minor wounds may soon be thought of as not just a natural method of wound care, but as a go-to wound care method for mainstream medicine – just as it was for the ancient Egyptians.

What’s the old saying? The more things change, the more they stay the same!