HONEY AS A THERAPEUTIC AGENT, AN INSIGHT INTO ITS ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES.

Traditionally, honey has been used as both food and medicine since ancient times worldwide. Due to its nutritious content and sweet flavor, honey has been in great demand worldwide with China being the leading producer. People apply honey on the wound without having any knowledge of its antibacterial properties. Honey has proven to contain some antibacterial properties such as hydrogen peroxide, acidity, low moisture content, pH, etc. Bacteria are ubiquitous and their life has a close association with humans in their diet, food processing, etc. Some bacteria eg Staphylococcus aureus, consist of the normal flora of humans making them partially harmless but some can be harmful and in turn cause infections. Clinically, antibiotics such as tetracycline, penicillin, amoxicillin lincomycin, etc. have been used in the treatment of bacterial infections but some bacteria eg Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus have shown resistance to some antibiotics. Medical practitioners have opted for the use of honey in treating bacterial infections due to its antibacterial properties. Researches have proven that honey can kill or inhibit almost every bacteria and is very effective in wound treatment as compared to antibiotics. In light of this most medical practitioners prefer the use of honey in treating bacterial infections.