Manuka Honey Fights Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Plus so Much More

Manuka honey is antiviral, antifungal, and active against 80 different species of bacteria. Natali Zakharova/Shutterstock

The steadily worsening problem of antibiotic-resistant pathogens – cause for grave concern in the medical community – has researchers working overtime to discover solutions.  But several studies raise hope that Manuka honey may hold the key to combating MRSA and other drug-resistant strains.

In one study conducted at Cardiff Metropolitan University and published in 2012 in Microbiology, researchers moved closer to understanding the mechanisms by which honey inhibits the formation of biofilms – difficult-to-treat communities of bacteria – and helps to clear chronic wounds.

Manuka Honey Quickly Incapacitates Infection-Causing Bacteria

Researchers found that Manuka honey produced in New Zealand and Australia has the ability to attack a common bacteria, Streptococcus pyogenes, often responsible for chronic infections, as well as the destruction of skin grafts.  In fact, it took only modest concentrations of honey to kill 85 percent of the biofilms in a Petri dish – within two hours.