Medicinal Effect of Honey

Abstract

The application of honey as internal and external remedies is dates back to the history of medicine itself. In the ancient times, the Greek and Egyptians used unprocessed honey to inhibit microbial infections and in the treatment of wound management [2-4]. The earliest evidence of its application in wound management was a recipe for an ointment inscribed on the 4500 years old fragment of clay tablet. The writing of Smith papyrus (1650 BC) shows that Egyptian applied honey as a component in topical application of wounds 4000 years ago [5,6]. Hippocrates (460-357 BC) used many of the Egyptian prescription, in the treatment of carbuncles, running sores and ulcers of the lips effectively. In 50 A.D, Dioscorides gave the valued status to honey for the treatment of all types rotten and hollow ulcers [7]. Thus there is a long history of its application of cure wide variety of wounds infection at folk level and still used in folk medicine for its beneficial therapeutic and medicinal effects. In 1982 Emarah treated 102 patients of various ophthalmological disorders (keratitis, conjunctivitis and blepharitis) with honey not responding to conventional treatment [8]. Improvement was observed in 85% of the cases and with no any deterioration observed with the other 15% redness of the eye and transient stinging sensation was reported soon after putting honey in the eye, but this is not enough to stop the treatment.