I visited a local Honey Farm with my son’s preschool class earlier this year.  The owner was extolling the virtues of honey, talking about how honey had great antibacterial properties, was great for coughs, and, my personal favorite, how honey never spoiled. He actually said that honey found in the Pharos’s tombs from thousands of years ago could still be eaten today, so good were the antimicrobial properties.  At the time, I attributed this to someone who was a bit overly zealous about his product.  It turns out honey can reduce antibiotic resistance and clear chronically infected wounds, according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Harrogate.

“Manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Harrogate.

“Our findings with streptococci and pseudomonads suggest that manuka honey can hamper the attachment of bacteria to tissues which is an essential step in the initiation of acute infections. Inhibiting attachment also blocks the formation of biofilms, which can protect bacteria from antibiotics and allow them to cause persistent infections,” explained Professor Cooper. “Other work in our lab has shown that honey can make MRSA more sensitive to antibiotics such as oxacillin – effectively reversing antibiotic resistance. This indicates that existing antibiotics may be more effective against drug-resistant infections if used in combination with manuka honey.””

I’m sorry I doubted you, honey man… Perhaps tomorrow morning I will dust off the bottle of honey that has been biding its time in the back of my pantry for the last 10 years, pop it in the microwave to dissolve the crystals as per your instructions,  and use it on my breakfast toast.