Whether it’s common flu, a tummy bug or any kind of infection, antibiotics is our common answer to these problems.
However, at a time when bugs are becoming increasingly smarter to overcome antibiotics, researchers have found some hope in an old age natural remedy — honey. Researchers from Lund University have highlighted that lactic acid bacteria found in fresh honey could offer a possible alternative to antibiotics as published in International Wound Journal.
Study Specifications
The researchers applied the lactic acid bacteria from honey directly to 10 horses with persistent wounds. While the owners had tried several other methods to no avail, honey helped to heal the wounds in horses.
Findings and Implications
The bacteria produced a number of active anti-microbial compounds, the findings showed.“When used alive, these 13 lactic acid bacteria produce the right kind of anti-microbial compounds, depending on the threat,” explained study co-author Tobias Olofsson from Lund University in Sweden.
When the lactic acid bacteria were applied to severe human wound pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), among others in the laboratory, the bacteria counteracted all of them.
The secret to the strong results lie in the broad spectrum of active substances involved, the researchers said.“However, since store-bought honey does not contain the living lactic acid bacteria, many of its unique properties have been lost in recent times,” Olofsson noted.
