Honey has been used since ancient time for wound care. The ancient papyrus inscriptions from Egypt suggest that honey had been used for the treatment of burns even before 3500 B.C. Recent studies have indicated that a special type of honey found in the New Zealand called "Manuka Honey" has a good healing property for the burn wounds. This is said to be a special type of mono-floral honey which is produced by bees that gather nectar from the flowers that grow on the Manuka bush (also known as Leptospermum scoparium) which is indigenous to New Zealand. The studies have found that Manuka Honey contains very powerful antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties, making it extremely effective in treating a wide variety of medical conditions including burns. Some of the recent trials have suggested that Manuka Honey is an effective antibacterial agent against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Helicobacter Pylori and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Manuka honey is said to differ from ordinary honey by providing non-hydrogen peroxide antibacterial component( which remains unaffected by enzymes in the body), being effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, such as MRSA(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE(Vancomycin-resistant enterococci),property of being unaffected by heat or light, containing plant-derived components, such as methylglyoxal and the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF).

Evidence from preliminary trials though seems to be encouraging, however further Randomized controlled trails will be required for establishing the superiority of Manuka honey over conventional medical treatment for Burns.

References:

1.Topical application of honey in treatment of burns. Subramanian M Br J Surg. 1991 Apr; 78(4):497-8.

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4.Systematic review of the use of honey as a wound dressing. Moore OA, Smith LA, Campbell F, Seers K, McQuay HJ, Moore RA. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2001; 1:2. Epub 2001 Jun 4.

5.Dressings for superficial and partial thickness burns. Wasiak J, Cleland H, Campbell F.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Oct 8;(4):CD002106.

6.Antibacterial Honey (Medihoney™): in-vitro Activity against Clinical Isolates of MRSA, VRE, and Other Multiresistant Gram- negative. Narelle May George; Keith F. Cutting.Wounds.2007; 19(9).