# Medical grade Manuka honey? Or food grade? Help!



## montanna (28 May 2014)

My little mare sliced a gash in her heel bulb from overreaching on Monday. There is an inch long flap, but due to the acute angle, it is very deep and therefore cannot be cut away. The vet cleaned it all up and bandaged it for me. Trouble is she isnt coping particularly well on box rest!

 I am due to change the dressing today  I have been reading a lot about Manuka Honey there is some in Aldi for about £5 (UMF factor 10) or there is medical grade stuff online for about £30+! This doesnt give a UMF factor though? Am I right in thinking the higher the factor the better? The money doesnt fuss me, Ill pay whatever if it actually works but is this the same stuff? Im reading a lot of conflicting info on this, some saying the food grade stuff is fine and is the same stuff as the medical grade, some saying that the food grade honey can make the problem worse!?

So Im thinking to be on the safe side I should go for the medical grade honey but where is the best place to buy this from?


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## mynutmeg (28 May 2014)

The reason for using the medical grade is that food grade is pasturised which kills bacteria etc but does not kill botulism spores which can sometimes be found in honey - it's not an issue to eat those but you can't put them on an open wound. Medical grade is sterilised which also kills the spores so safe to use on wounds.


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## montanna (28 May 2014)

Ok fab - I have bought this:

http://www.newzealandhoneyshop.co.uk/manuka-honey/medihoney-medical-honey.html

It worked out just over £17 with postage, so not too bad. Hopefully it will make a difference.


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## fatpiggy (29 May 2014)

I always used Aldi's manuka honey on my own and my horse's open wounds without any problems at all and the healing was fantastic.  Clean the wound properly every time you reapply the honey and stop worrying about infection from unpasturised products.  Let's face it, look how many people get infections in hospital and they are supposed to be clean, sterile and staffed by people who know how to prevent infection!!!!

Forgot to say, one of the wounds my horse sustained was a bad kick to the hind leg, almost down to the bone and with a big skin flap.  It healed no problem at all.


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## Tnavas (29 May 2014)

I've always used normal activated Manuka Honey with no problems at all, have been using it for over a decade including some very large wounds.


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## Goldenstar (29 May 2014)

The thing is it will work fine until some unfortunate horse gets botulism from non medical grade honey .
So if you are happy to gamble that's fine .


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## mynutmeg (29 May 2014)

Goldenstar said:



			The thing is it will work fine until some unfortunate horse gets botulism from non medical grade honey .
So if you are happy to gamble that's fine .
		
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this exactly. Most of the time you'll be fine as the botulism spores are fairly rare but the reason the medical grade is sterilised is because there is a risk of it


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## Lynsey&Smartie (29 May 2014)

There was an the article in H&H magazine I was reading earlier today (Nov 2013) about this where they tested 20 different types of 'normal' honey purchased from different places and found that 18 of those contained visible pathogens which the vets said would introduce an infection into a wound.

The article went on to test the effectiveness of 11 sterile honeys on the growth of bacteria from infected equine wounds and found that 8 of these inhibited the growth bacteria with the most effective being heather honey and Manuka 20+ honey.


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## flojo (30 May 2014)

montanna said:



			Ok fab - I have bought this:

http://www.newzealandhoneyshop.co.uk/manuka-honey/medihoney-medical-honey.html

It worked out just over £17 with postage, so not too bad. Hopefully it will make a difference.
		
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OP this is the product that we use in the hospital where I work so you can rest assured it's an excellent product 

However it may better in future if you buy smaller tubes (10g) as once opened it is no longer sterile.


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## NZJenny (30 May 2014)

It's all about the UMF.  Down here we just buy it at the supermarket and slap it on.  It's also yummy on toast !  Just make sure you are buying the real deal Made in NZ, not a cheap copy.


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## Tnavas (30 May 2014)

NZJenny said:



			It's all about the UMF.  Down here we just buy it at the supermarket and slap it on.  It's also yummy on toast !  Just make sure you are buying the real deal Made in NZ, not a cheap copy.
		
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Most Definately!

New Zealand is the true home of 'Activated Manuka Honey' these are the key words when choosing the product.


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## maccachic (30 May 2014)

http://www.comvita.co.uk/store/browse/_/N-0Z1z141f1/Nr-Site_ID:SGS_COMVITA_UK?Ns=  this may help


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## flojo (31 May 2014)

The honey needs to be sterile to use safely on wounds.....You can get Penicillin by scraping it off mouldy bread but I wouldn't slap that on an open wound!


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## montanna (2 June 2014)

flojo said:



			OP this is the product that we use in the hospital where I work so you can rest assured it's an excellent product 

However it may better in future if you buy smaller tubes (10g) as once opened it is no longer sterile.
		
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Oh bloody hell. It comes in a tube, I have been using it all weekend. Does it need throwing away after every use?!


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## flojo (2 June 2014)

Yes, you carry on using it for this wound 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 but it won't keep safely for future use. 

Some people are advocating using honey bought in supermarkets (food grade) but although honey naturally inhibits bacterial growth unless it's been sterilised specifically for wounds you shouldn't really use it. I wouldn't risk using on my horses.


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## Tnavas (2 June 2014)

flojo said:



			Yes, you carry on using it for this wound 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 but it won't keep safely for future use. 

Some people are advocating using honey bought in supermarkets (food grade) but although honey naturally inhibits bacterial growth unless it's been sterilised specifically for wounds you shouldn't really use it. I wouldn't risk using on my horses.
		
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If you'd treated some wounds the size I've treated you'd be using a dozen tubes at a time.

 The risk of Botulism is so slight that Supermarket - Activated Manuka Honey - is fine. Please note the name of the product, not just honey, but 'ACTIVATED Manuka Honey.

I've been using it now for many years and had no problem at any time. Just well healed wounds with minimal scarring.


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## Tnavas (2 June 2014)

flojo said:



			The honey needs to be sterile to use safely on wounds.....You can get Penicillin by scraping it off mouldy bread but I wouldn't slap that on an open wound! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




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The Egyptians did!


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