Surgihoney: the new super honey making a buzz

Newly approved for use in the UK as a wound-care dressing, Surgihoney is a new alternative medicine that can help to treat skin conditions and health problems.

For thousands of years honey has been associated with numerous health benefits, but now there is a new super honey designed to combat certain skin conditions and infections – Surgihoney.

Developed by former Halfords managing director, Ian Staples, Surgihoney is believed to possess healing powers far greater than the average pot of the nation’s favourite sweet sticky spread.

This is because the honey’s natural antibacterial properties have been boosted, meaning it contains double the dose of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and sugars – all of which help in the healing of burns and wounds.

Surgihoney is believed to be particularly useful for fighting superbugs such as MRSA, which are resistant to many types of antibiotics. It is thought to treat these infections by killing the bugs, getting rid of dead tissue and pus, and then providing a moisture coating as well as local nutrition.

The substance has also been linked to speeding up the healing of hard-to-treat trauma injuries, infected surgical wounds and leg and foot ulcers.

While Surgihoney has been approved for use in the UK as a wound-care dressing, NHS consultant microbiologist, Dr Matthew Dryden is hopeful that it will revolutionize the treatment of wounds and infections around the world. He is optimistic that it will provide a more natural alternative to antibiotics and harsh chemical antiseptics,

“Surgihoney is active against all the bacteria we find in soft tissue wounds. The important extra is that it kills the bugs but doesn’t damage the tissue. Honey is a fantastic natural medicine.”

An additional benefit of Surgihoney lies in its accessibility. Compared to Manuka honey  – which is generally regarded as the most potent variety, but can only be found in New Zealand – Surgihoney can be made from organic honey found in a variety of floral sources.

Dryden adds that Surgihoney is particularly useful “as a wound treatment in the tropics” due to its “ideal, low-technology solution which is easily stored, applied and ought to be cost-effective.”

Find out more about alternative therapies and natural remedies by visiting our herbalism page. You may also want to find out more about the range of therapies available by taking a look at out therapy topics page. 

View and comment on the original Guardian article.