Active Manuka Honey

Honeymeisters sell two grades of Active Manuka Honey:
 
Total Activity, tested for the total activity of the honey, ie the combination of the hydrogen peroxide (H202) found in ordinary honeys and the non-peroxide activity unique to manuka, and Exclusive Activity, tested for the non-peroxide activity only.
 
Both grades are guaranteed to be fresh season, pure New Zealand, unblended quality manuka honey.
 
Pure manuka honey contains more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants than other types of honey.  This helps to boost the immune system, and many of our customers who eat our active manuka honey on a regular basis tell us they notice more energy and are rarely sick.  
 
These two grades are based on the testing methods of NZLABS, a NZ laboratory that tests for Total Activity (% of phenol) and Non-peroxide Activity (% phenol).  This laboratory uses the University of Waikato’s Honey Assay Method. The activity is measured using Staphylococcus aureus NZRM 87 (ATCC 9144) and expressed as the equivalent % phenol.  Two types of activity are measured:  Total Activity: all the activity, including activity due to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and Non-Peroxide Activity: H2O2 is removed by treating honey with enzyme.

Our Total Activity honey contains a percentage of non-peroxide activity, however this percentage will vary with each and every batch of honey tested.  Typically, the non-peroxide activity will be up to 10%, as product with this level of activity or higher will be graded as Non-Peroxide Activity, ie our Exclusive Activity range.  The antibacterial activity of our Total Activity honey is therefore mainly due to the hydrogen peroxide.
 
Our range includes 5-10%, 10-15%, 15-20%, 20-25%, available in 250g, 500g and 1kg jars.  Due to seasonal fluctuations, some of this range may not be available throughout the year.
 
The Hydrogen Peroxide Producing Capacity of Active Manuka Honey

Many people have lost sight of the fact that honey was used for medicinal purposes many years before modern-day medicine invented.  Honey's ability to produce hydrogen peroxide is one of the main reasons for its antibacterial activity.  The most common form of antibacterial activity is due to the slow release of hydrogen peroxide with the help of the enzyme glucose oxidase present in honey.

There is a great variation in the hydrogen peroxide releasing ability of different honeys, with some honeys being no more antibacterial than sugar.  The reason for this variation is probably due to the fact that the enzyme responsible for the release of hydrogen peroxide is sensitive to both heat and light and also to other natural chemical compounds within some honeys. This enzyme can be deactivated by exposure to heat, light and natural phytochemicals and reduce the honey's ability to release hydrogen peroxide. This is why when some honeys are tested in laboratories they show no sign of hydrogen peroxide activity.

However, due to its high sugar content, manuka honey is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water to itself.  Bacteria need water to survive and the deprivation of water is one of the reasons for its antibacterial effect.  Manuka honey also retains its microbial activity even after it has been diluted to a level at which it is no longer able to attract water to itself.

Directions for Use
1-3 teaspoons per day to assist in good health and well being.

Our Exclusive Activity honey contains both hydrogen peroxide and non-peroxide activity, but only the non-peroxide activity test results are used.

Our range includes 10-15% Medium Activity and 15-20% High Activity, available only in a 500g jar.  Due to seasonal fluctuations, some of this range may not be available throughout the year.
 
Medium Active Manuka Honey (10-15%)

Medical professionals in New Zealand use active manuka honey with a rating of 10% or higher activity.  Although good results may be obtained with lower levels of activity, there is a chance that the lower activity will not be enough to fully clear an infection.  This honey is recommended for antibacterial treatments.
 
High Active Manuka Honey (15-20%)

A stronger activity will be more effective as it dilutes with body fluids.  This honey is recommended to help improve immunity functions and specific hard-to-treat infections.

The Non-Peroxide Producing Capacity of Active Manuka Honey

In clinical studies, there is evidence that non-peroxide active manuka honey is more effective than even traditional medical treatments because of the non-peroxide antibacterial component that works synergistically with the hydrogen peroxide-producing enzyme to reduce infections and inflammation.

It is active manuka honey with a minimum of 10% non-peroxide activity that has been used in the clinical trials at Waikato University.  To appreciate the strength of the antibacterial activity of a batch of non-peroxide active manuka honey is to see how much it could be diluted by body fluids and still be an effective antiseptic.

In the research work carried out at Waikato University, a batch of active manuka honey that had a non-peroxide antibacterial activity equivalent to a solution of phenol at 13.2%, the most resistant species of bacteria could be stopped completely from growing with this honey diluted nine-fold, ie with eight volumes of water added to one volume of honey, Helicobacter pylori could be stopped completely from growing with twenty-fold dilution.

So effective is this honey, that it is being used in hospitals to ward off antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that cause potentially life threatening conditions such as MRSA and VRE. In addition to its impressive antibacterial activity, studies have also revealed manuka honey's antiviral properties which make it effective in treating cold and flu symptoms.
 
Directions for Use
1-3 teaspoons per day to assist in good health and well being.

Directions when Using Active Manuka on Wounds:  
When wounds are kept moist they will heal faster and there will be less scarring.  A dry scab on a wound means the epithelial tissue cannot grow across a healing wound at the level of the skin surface but is forced to grow deeper down where there is the moisture needed to replace the skin cover.  Fully moist conditions stop dressings adhering to the wound bed, meaning newly-repaired tissue will not be torn away when the dressings are changed.  The osmotic effect of honey draws lymph out from the wound bed so the honey dressing sits on a layer of fluid.  Not all honeys are good for use on wounds and we recommend you use Medium Activity (10-15%) or higher.  To apply to a wound, use a Gamgee-type dressing pad and impregnate honey into alginate dressings.  
 
Warning:  some people may experience a temporary stinging sensation when applying honey to a wound.