Honey made from the nectar of a certain kind of tree that grows only in New Zealand may offer new hope to people living with cystic fibrosis. New Zealand is the only place on Earth where wild honeybees can create monofloral honey from the beautiful blossoms of the native Mānuka trees.

A study at Swansea University in the UK has found that Mānuka honey is more powerful than antibiotics in treating chronic infections associated with the life-threatening genetic disease cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis affects more than 70,000 people around the world, causing persistent lung infections that get progressively worse and over time limit the ability to breathe.

Although there has been significant progress in treatments in recent years, there remains no cure. 

The long-lasting respiratory infections suffered by cystic fibrosis patients often prove fatal due to the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The authors of the Swansea University study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, noted that the natural antimicrobial properties of Mānuka honey have been used successfully for decades to treat chronic surface wounds infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. So, they set out to discover whether Mānuka honey might also be successful in treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa related to cystic fibrosis.

The results of their preliminary trials showed that Mānuka honey was more effective than pharmaceutical antibiotics, killing 39 percent of the bacteria as opposed to 29 percent, and when both treatments were used in combination, they killed 90 percent of the bacteria.

Study lead Dr Rowena Jenkins says the preliminary results are very promising, and if replicated in future clinical trials they could open up additional treatment options for cystic fibrosis sufferers. “The synergy with antibiotics and absence of resistance seen in the laboratory has allowed us to move into the current clinical trial, investigating the potential for Mānuka honey as part of a sinus rinse for alleviating infection in the upper airway.”

This research is just the latest in a number of studies that provide scientific evidence supporting the therapeutic benefits of Mānuka honey.  

Sources: Frontiers in Microbiology, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Swansea University 

Revolutionary potential cancer treatment has a sting in its tail  

It’s what makes bee stings sting, but bee venom may also be a force for good, according to new medical research. The clear liquid that bees shoot through their stingers when they feel threatened has been used as a natural therapy for generations, but now science is beginning to understand its curative powers.

New research from the University of Western Australia and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research has found that honeybee venom kills aggressive breast cancer cells and suggests it may also have applications with other cancers.

The researchers harvested venom from Australian, Irish and English honeybees and bumblebees, and tested its effect on breast cancer cells in a laboratory situation, including hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer. 

Published in September 2020 by the medical journal NPJ Precision Oncology, the research results revealed that honeybee venom significantly, selectively and quickly destroyed triple-negative breast cancer cells and HER2-enriched breast cancer cells.  

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting humans, and the most common cancer in women, with more than two million new cases diagnosed in 2018. It is most common in developed countries, with Australia having the seventh highest rate in the world, followed by the UK at eighth, New Zealand at 10th and the USA at 22nd.

The research found that it was a specific component in the venom of the European honeybee (Apis mellifera), a peptide called melittin, that was responsible for most of its anti-cancer effects. 

Study lead Dr Ciara Duffy said honeybee venom was extremely potent, and could kill 100 percent of cancer cells, while barely affecting normal cells. “We found that melittin can completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes.” Within only 20 minutes it had also substantially reduced the chemical signalling pathways essential to cancer cell growth and cell division.

“Beyond breast cancer, we also outline targeted modifications of melittin for potential use in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of other aggressive cancers.”

The researchers noted that humans have appreciated the medicinal benefits of bee products such as honey, propolis and venom for thousands of years. However, the cancer-battling potential of bee venom had until now been poorly understood.

“No-one had previously compared the effects of honeybee venom across all the different subtypes of breast cancer and normal cells,” said study lead Dr Ciara Duffy.

More studies are required to assess the optimum method of delivery of melittin, as well as toxicities and dosage. 

Sources: The University of Western Australia, NPJ Precision Oncology, World Cancer Research Fund International, Global Cancer Observatory. 

Disclaimer: This article is designed to inform and not to provide a direction on medication. The research quoted was conducted under laboratory conditions and was not a human trial. Bee products can cause a variety of reactions in susceptible people, so please consult your doctor before using any bee or honey products.

A spoonful of honey is the best medicine

A spoonful of honey doesn’t just help the medicine go down – turns out it is the best medicine for many ailments.

Next time you have a cold, you're better off looking for help in the pantry than the medicine cabinet, according to researchers. A growing body of scientific evidence supports honey’s use as a remedy for everything from coughs to burns and acne. It’s cheap, it doesn’t require a doctor’s visit or a prescription, and it carries a very low risk of side effects.

As antibiotic resistance continues to cause concern among doctors, the race is on to find alternative treatments to prevent over-prescription of antibiotics in the future. And leading the pack is Manuka honey, which is higher in antibacterial activity than any other variety of honey.

Antibiotic medications are often prescribed for coughs, sore throats and runny noses, but in many cases these symptoms are caused by viruses, rather than bacteria, so antibiotics (which only tackle bacteria) are totally ineffective. The more often we take antibiotics, the more bacteria build up resistance to them, so medical researchers are urgently investigating effective alternatives.

A recent study at the University of Oxford, published in the medical journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, looked at 14 clinical trials involving 1761 participants to try to answer the question: “Honey is a folklore favourite when it comes to cough and cold remedies. Is there any evidence that honey actually does improve cough and cold symptoms?”

The researchers found that honey was more effective than medications such as antihistamines, cough suppressants, expectorants and painkillers at reducing symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It was especially good at reducing the severity and frequency of coughing, and in some cases appeared to shorten the length of the illness by up to two days.

They recommended doctors suggest honey instead of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections.

Meanwhile, a further study took the investigation a step further by analysing the antibacterial properties of Manuka honey specifically. Published in the journal AIMS Microbiology, it analysed published research and concluded that the potential importance of the honey for medicinal purposes cannot be underestimated.

“Manuka honey is a dark monofloral honey rich in phenolic content, and currently it is gaining much attention for its antimicrobial activity,” the study team noted. “Research has shown that Manuka honey of different UMF values has medicinal properties.”

The research data confirmed that Manuka honey’s higher phenolic and methylglyoxal content gives it superior antibacterial activity, in comparison to non-Manuka honey. “Manuka honey has proved the front-runner of honeys for non-peroxide antimicrobial activity,” they said. “The antibacterial potency of Manuka honey was found to be related to the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating.”

The researchers concluded that Manuka honey can be safely used as an alternative natural antibiotic.

Source: BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, The Guardian, AIMS Microbiology

Disclaimer: This article is designed to inform and not to provide a direction on medication. The research outlined is in its infancy. Bee products can cause a variety of reactions so please consult your doctor before using any bee or honey products. Honey should not be given to babies under the age of one.

More evidence has emerged supporting the healing powers of Mānuka honey.

Crafted by honeybees from the nectar of New Zealand’s native Mānuka tree blossoms, this prized monofloral honey has long been valued in natural healing.

Now scientific research is beginning to catch up and provide explanations and evidence to support traditional knowledge that has been passed down through generations.

A study published in the scientific journal AIMS Microbiology reviewed the outcomes of dozens of studies regarding the medicinal properties of Mānuka honey. Its authors looked at ways the proven antibiotic effect of Mānuka honey could be harnessed to solve the increasingly urgent issue of antibiotic resistance due to over-use of prescribed antibiotics.

“There is a need of an alternative therapeutic agent,” they said. “In this review, we have focused on one such natural material, Mānuka honey, which could be used as a natural antibiotic and as an alternative medicine.  

“The importance of honey for medicinal purposes is well documented in some of the world's oldest literature. Honey is well known and studied for its antimicrobial properties. The medicinal properties in honey originate from the floral source used by bees. Mānuka honey is a dark monofloral honey rich in phenolic content, and currently it is gaining much attention for its antimicrobial activity. Researchers have found that honey is effective against a wide range of pathogens.” 

The results of their overview the medical literature left no doubt that Mānuka honey has powerful healing properties. “The potential importance of honey for medicinal purposes cannot be underestimated,” the authors wrote. “The research data has confirmed that Mānuka honey's antibacterial activity, in comparison to non-Mānuka honey, is due to a higher phenolic and methylglyoxal content. Mānuka honey of different UMF values has medicinal properties of interest and it can be beneficial when used as a combination treatment with other antimicrobial agents.” 

The study concluded that Mānuka honey can be safely used as an alternative natural antibiotic, and recommends that more research should be done to find our how it can be used in conjunction with commercial antibiotics to treat antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. 

Meanwhile, new research conducted by Austin Health in Australia and published in the Medical Press, has discovered that Mānuka honey may help prevent life-threatening urinary tract infections. 

Urinary tract infections are often accidentally caused during medical treatment, usually when a catheter is inserted to drain the patient’s bladder.  

The study showed that Mānuka honey slows the speed at which bacteria grow and hinders the build-up of microorganisms that prevent treatment and harbour infections. The research team came to the conclusion that flushing diluted Mānuka honey through a catheter before use might help prevent urinary tract infections, but emphasised that more research is needed to confirm this. 

Source: The Medical Press, Aims Microbiology