Last month, while shopping in a local health food store on Cape Cod (Massachusetts), I came across a few jars of Manuka honey. They survived the crazy trip back to Firenze, and oh, I am sooo thrilled to have ’em!
Made by New Zealand bees, Manuka honey has very strong antibacterial, antifungal and antiprotozoal properties, see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3787867.stm. According to a New Zealand researcher, Prof. Molan, it can even tackle antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria – a growing problem for hospitals around the world. It apparently also has antioxidant, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory activity. I am now taking 1-2 tablespoons a day. Could this honey help me fight off the H1N1 virus, too? Not sure, but anything is possible. Besides, I happen to love honey…!
P.S. A quick note on the most recent addition to my daily supplement intake. I have decided to take ashwagandha (see my ashwagandha page on the right) for about a month. That’s not much time to test a new extract, true, but it’s all I have before my next set of blood tests. Okay, Tetris is roaring for my attention…I told you, this game is bloody addictive. I am up to level 6 now… 😉
What sort of research is there about ionized water? I am hearing claims that it also has properties of being anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, etc. There are several manufacturers of equipment who promote their product on these claims, but naturally I would question their claim when they provide the “research.” But it makes sense, sort of…
We have manuka trees growing round our house in New Zealand, and although I don’t make honey, I use manuka berries instead of juniper to flavour my home-made gin (home distillation is legal in New Zealand). Perhaps I am getting some health benefits! However, the strangest story in our news is that poultry farmers have secretly been putting an additive in their chicken feed to give the egg yolks a bright orange-yellow colour (New Zealanders like their eggs to have bright yolks). And what is this additive? Surprise, surprise: it’s curcumin! This must be the only sneaky food additive I actually approve of!
Hi Sandy, I don’t know beans about ionized water (the claims sound fishy to me, too…and, like you, I am VERY skeptical, to say the least, about manufacturers of a product providing their own “research”…!), but manuka honey was tested and compared to other types of honey at the Biological Sciences Dept of New Zealand’s University of Waikato. Good enough for me.
In yesterday’s quick post, I forgot to mention that not all Manuka honey is active (you can download Prof Molan’s 2001 paper, “Manuka honey as a medicine,” from the University of Waikato’s website…the link I tried to provide doesn’t work, unfortunately…but is easy to find, just look for the Honey Research Unit). The healthful Manuka honey has to be certified “UMF.”
Hmmm, I wonder what a combo of Manuka honey and curcumin would do…
Alex, thanks for the interesting titbit! Loved it.
Margaret, it is fascinating to read your investigations and enjoy your interesting discoveries. Hoping many are paying attention!