About Manuka Honey
Background history on honey
Honey is produced in one of the world's most efficient "factories" - beehives. Bees may travel as far as 88,000 kilometers, or more than twice the distance around the world, to collect enough nectar to produce just 500 grams of honey.
Honey has been associated with human history for centuries. Our ancestors have long realized its value. The Bible referred to the Promised Land as "the land of milk and honey". (Exodus 3:8) Ancient civilizations such as Egyptians, Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians all have incorporated honey into their daily lives and used it as a form of payment and part of commemorative offerings.
Honey is also one of the oldest known medicines. It has been used topically as an antiseptic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds for centuries. Aristotle called mild honey "good as salve for sore eyes and wounds". The Greeks and Romans dressed their soldiers' battle wounds with honey to help prevent infections. In China, there have been documented uses of honey for its medicinal purposes dating as far back as the Han Dynasty.
Manuka Honey
Honey as a medicine has been documented for over 4,000 years. It was only until recently that we attributed honey's remedial qualities to two factors: its relative acidic pH level (between 3 to 5) helps prevent bacteria growth; and it contains an enzyme, glucose oxidase, that when mixed with water and oxygen, slowly produces hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria.
In 1981, Dr. Peter Molan of University of Waikato’s Honey Research Unit in Hamilton, New Zealand discovered that certain types of manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey unique to New Zealand contained much higher antibacterial activity levels than those of regular honey. In fact, the potency of these “active” manuka honeys’ antibacterial levels can be 30 times stronger when compared to regular table honeys. Dr. Molan realized the active manuka honey’s remarkable antibacterial strength must be due to a third ingredient that he termed Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), for it is only found in New Zealand’s manuka honey and not in any other honey.
What is UMF?
There are two types of manuka honey:
- Ordinary Manuka Honey – contains hydrogen peroxide antibacterial properties common to most honeys.
- UMF Manuka Honey – contains hydrogen peroxide plus its own natural Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) antibacterial property, which gives it increased antibacterial potency. It is a preferred honey for wound dressing and special therapeutic uses.
- UMF is stable - Exposure to heat destroys the enzyme, glucose oxidase, in regular honeys responsible for hydrogen peroxide production. However, the UMF property in manuka honey is very stable even when the honey is heated up to 90ºC, which makes it preferred choice for therapeutic use.
- UMF is therapeutic - studies have shown that when applied directly on skin's surface, UMF active manuka honey could be very effective in assisting the natural healing of skin ulcers, wounds, burns, boils and cracked skins.
- UMF is antibacterial - In lab tests, UMF active manuka honey has been found to be effective against a wide range of bacteria, including the very resistant strains of helicobacter pylori (causes stomach ulcers), staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (wound infecting), and streptococcus pyogenes (causes sore throats).
How is UMF Tested?
UMF is an industry standard indicating which honey has the special UMF antibacterial strength and how potent the strength is. There are four UMF ratings to indicate the antibacterial strength of manuka honey:
- UMF0 to UMF4 - not detectable
- UMF5 to UMF9 - maintenance level only (not recommended for therapeutic uses)
- UMF10 to UMF15 - useful therapeutic levels endorsed by the Honey Research Unit at University of Waikato
- UMF16+ - superior strength with very high antibacterial levels
Each batch of manuka honey must be independently tested by New Zealand Laboratory Services, to ensure its UMF activity levels are accurate. New Zealand Laboratory Services is the only laboratory in New Zealand appointed to test manuka honey for antibacterial activity using criteria laid down by the Honey Research Unit at Waikato University.
Naturenu carries the Apicare brand of manuka honey skin care products that incorporates UMF16+ active manuka honey in all of its products. All products are made in New Zealand, contain no parabens, mineral oils or harmful chemicals, and are not tested on animals.
