Natural honey is always known for its healing powers and unique characteristics. It is a popular natural sweetener used by people worldwide to enhance body, skin, and hair health. People who consume it daily enjoy a range of medicinal and therapeutic health benefits. But many of us don’t know about its exceptional benefits in healing ulcers.
Ulcers are commonly caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and are caused due to several factors. Traumatic wounds, diabetes, insect bites, bedsores, etc., are the common factors that result in painful and severe ulcers. Natural honey, rich in beneficial properties, helps in decreasing edema, discomfort, inflammation, neovascularization, collagen synthesis, granulation, epithelization, etc. and hence assists in treating chronic ulcers effectively.
Honey played a crucial role in treating chronic ulcers in olden times and is used even today to speed up the healing process. Numerous studies have been carried out to determine the benefits of using honey in complicated wounds. All of us know that the major component of honey comprises carbohydrates (82%), glucose (31%), disaccharides (9%), maltose, isomaltose, sucrose, turanose and kojibiose etc. oligosaccharides are 4.2%, including panose, erlose and the anderose. It is rich in beneficial enzymes, like “invertase”, which converts sucrose to glucose and fructose. This glucose oxidised is used to process glucose into gluconolactone, converting it into gluconic acid. H2O2. Furthermore, this process is beneficial in holding the wound moist, deodorizing and helping to loosen.
Natural honey also contains lactic, citric, acetic, formic, butanoic, pyroglutamic and aromatic acids. In addition, Hydroxymethyl furfural assists its pH below 5 (3.2-4.5), which encourages blood to release oxygen, preventing bacterial growth, reducing swelling, and promoting healing. Honey also shows traces of nitric oxide that enhance immunological response, and inhibit viral & bactericidal multiplication.
Benefits of Topical Application of Organic Raw Honey on Chronic Ulcers –
- Provides moist environment and nutrition
- Reduces local pain –
- Reduces oedema and inflammation
- Assists in wound management
- It helps in rapid disinfection and stimulates necrotic tissue removal
- Stimulates granulation
- Stimulates neovascularization
- Causes wound contraction and wound healing
How to Apply Honey on Wounds?
Before applying honey to any type of ulcer, knowing the best way to use it is necessary. This is because the measure of honey and applying dressing can affect how powerful the wound-healing will be. Below are some right ways to apply honey on ulcers –
- Always wash your hands and take clean applicators to apply honey.
- Take cotton, apply honey on it, and then apply it to the ulcer region.
- Clean the ulcer or wound region whenever drainage from the wound saturates the dressing.
- Never forget to wash your hands every time after applying honey on ulcers or wounds.
- It is essential to pick only the best quality raw honey, for this purpose, reducing the risk of immune system reactions.
What Are the Potential Complications of Using Honey for Chronic Ulcers?
It’s consistently conceivable that honey or its jar can become contaminated, or an individual could have an unfavourable allergic reaction. Now and again, this is to the honey bee pollen that is usually present in honey. Signs that show one could be having an allergic reaction to the honey include –
- Stinging or burning after topical application outrageous expanding
- Extreme swelling
- Nausea
- Vomiting,
- Dizziness
For people who experience these symptoms, clean the skin of the honey immediately and look for clinical consideration. Try not to apply the honey again until you converse with a specialist. Natural honey is likely an effective home remedy that may accelerate the healing process of chronic ulcers when used in conjunction with more conventional therapies.