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Q. I have been using honey as an ointment to prevent and treat skin infections for years. Not only does it work for cuts and scrapes, but it also works on herpes cold sores, cutting down on the length and severity of the outbreak. It’s truly a miracle cure! As far as I can tell, any kind of honey is effective. It’s great stuff, and it tastes good, too.
A. Your use of honey sounds like an old-fashioned remedy for hard-to-heal wounds. Before antibiotics, doctors and nurses applied sugar to wounds. Dr. Richard Knutson, an orthopedic surgeon in Greenville, MS, has had good experience using sugar on wounds. We have also heard from Dr. Ron Caless, a plastic surgeon in Columbia, SC, that medical grade honey speeds wound healing, provided the wound is clean and not infected. Keep in mind that a serious wound requires medical attention.
Nicole
Can I put honey on my bites and put saran wrap on them over night?
Angel Rodriguez
long island new york
I’m going to try that it sounds like it works
Laura
The Big Orange
So, I’ve been using honey on my skin for decades and it truly works!
But this week, for the first time, I started applying it to some scars that just aren’t going away like they used to.
Really hope it works coz the Mederma didn’t.
I’ve never used it in my hair but after reading the comments, i’ll be trying that this evening.
I’ve only recently heard about Manuka honey & will try that next to see how it works.
Even though this is an old thread, I’ll post an update if there’s any noticeable difference – maybe someone will see & find it helpful.
Laura
BTW: I’ve only ever used raw unfiltered honey.
Traci
California
I’ve been using honey for years on burns (curling iron and such) and cuts. It’s amazing! Heals very fast and leaves minimal or NO scarring for me. Which is crazy because I bruise/scar easily.
Mia
Ca
Hi. When using honey on curling iron burns, did you keep it covered with gauze. I had a 2nd degree burn that happened after my curling iron fell on me. I read about honey and started using it. When changing the gauze, I noticed it has not fired out. Should I leave it uncovered? Also about how many days did your take to heal using honey?
Cynthia R.
I would have never guessed that honey could be used to treat wounds. I have heard that clover honey has some anti-microbial properties but this is amazing. I guess it is kind of like natures disinfectant in a way.
Cynthia
Karen
When you think about it, though, how else does honey stored by the bees is not spoiled? That their hives aren’t susceptible to fungi or bacteria? It makes total sense.
BD
Have staph infection. Can I leave honey on sores all day uncovered?
D O
About 8 years ago, I had a diabetic sore on the bottom of my foot. Didn’t heal for 17 months. It hurt but never infected. Applied honey, on suggestion from a veterinarian, from kitchen supply & covered with bandage. Within a couple of days the soreness was going away & within a couple of weeks the sore was healed with no trace. A few years later, got another sore on foot – infected. Used honey again. Within a week the infection & swelling gone. Found it also stops yeast infections on the skin.
CL
I was walking out of a store and tripped on a corner of cement. Went down on my right knee. Got to work to see how bad it was. Pretty bad scrape that took half my knee. A coworker said, take any honey as long as it has no flavor. I applied it to my
Wound. Within a few days I could see the redness starting to slowly go away. I thank my coworker for giving me this advise. Will always use honey for different wounds.
Kobie V.
This really works, I have the worst case of stress related sores on my face and after reading this I mixed some honey with Aqua cream and applied. I left it on for about an hour and I left one sore untreated to see the difference and it was remarkable.
Sal
Hi I was burnt with hot oil whilst cooking and my hands and arms were painfully sore with bulging blisters. After washing with cold water and using savlon it was still painful. As soon as I put honey on (regular supermarket one) I found that it helped clam the skin.
I did this 3 times a day and applied a cold bandage that had been wet in cold water over it. After a while of doing this blisters went and my skin was back to normal. Could not tell at all I had severe burns this has left NO SCARS at all. I am very glad I did this from the start as it had a better chance for healing and leaving no scar. Excellent treatment. Very pleased.
Debbie P
I will be returning to work next week as a volunteer nurse in a jungle village in Sierra Leone. I have used raw honey taken straight out of the trees when there previously – it has worked amazingly well on wounds including wounds with a huge potential for infection. The honey there is really dark and tastes amazing too – nature is truly incredible. What I would like to know is if ants etc will be attracted to any honey seeping out of a bandage as obviously I do not want that to happen. Any thoughts?
Ben J.
I read online that honey is good on MRSA. I have been in pain for days due to those little blind-like pimples in my nostrils and the pain stopped in 10 minutes. I hope it heals it. The honey runs a little bit making my nose tickle, but at least I feel better.
amanda
Every time I’ve cut myself I’ve put honey on it. You can use any honey it doesn’t really matter. I cut my forehead open a few months back, the cut was deep and bleeding bad. So I just wiped the cut with a little water put pressure on it for a minute then applied honey, it stopped the bleeding so I used it a few times within the hour and by night time it was healing really well, the next day it was fully healed, but I was left with a scar. Honey is good for many things, not just burns, cuts, sore throats and allergies, it’s good for spots as well. Just apply on a clean face, leave 15 minutes then wash off with warm water. You can use honey on any part of your body, even your hair.
Susan
Really worked!!! After touching the metal handle of a pan on the grill I got two 1/2 inch long burns on two fingers. It hurt very bad, my skin turned white immediately and my fingers swelled slightly. I put my fingers in cold water for about 15 minutes , which helped the pain and reduced further burn damage, while researching for a remedy on the internet. I read about the honey and tried it.
When I took my fingers out of the water, the stinging pain returned. I applied a store brand pure clover honey that I had in the cabinet. I was amazed. Within minutes the pain subsided and felt much better. I put more honey on and covered my fingers with a loose bandage for a few hours. Not only is there no pain but there are no blisters. That’s a miracle!
Mägi
I get my raw honey from the local co-op.
AP
I live in San Francisco, Ca. I go to a place that’s called Trader Joe’s and also Rainbow.
Sylvia K.
I had a very serious surgery a few years ago. After 1 week I had a severe infection at the 8 inch incision. My surgeon suggested cleaning with peroxide and apply sourwood honey to the wound 2 times a day. In 2 days all the redness and the incision area was greatly improved. Within 7 days the area was almost completly healed. I always keep my sourwood honey in my pantry.
linda
viv
It’s because raw honey can contain (naturally) botulism spores. There have been cases and deaths of babies under age one from botulism from ingesting raw honey. My friends in Europe know this… perhaps people just arent’ informed when you say “there seems to be no problem in the rest of the world”.
Humans over age one have immune systems developed enough to fight off infection from the small amt of botulism spores that can be in raw honey.
viviM
I’m originally from Switzerland and grew up under the impression that only Raw Honey was/had/has antiBiotic, antiViral, AntiSeptic and antiFungal properties all at the same time…am I wrong…???
AND… why is it and when…did it become (supposedly) dangerous to feed raw or any other honey to babies under a year old…
My first grandchild arrived a couple of months ago and my daughter who is nursing (breast feeding) my grandaughter exclusively has been warned off adding honey when it’s time to begin introducing solid foods to supplement the baby’s diet at six months…what gives…???…it’s really curious…there seems to be no problem with it elsewhere in the world
Deborah T.
I was at work when I felt the tingling of a cold sore coming on. I looked in the mirror and saw several blisters about to burst forth. I had a special event coming up and did not want a cold sore. I quickly looked it up in People’s Pharmacy and read about the honey remedy. We had raw honey at work so I put some on my lip and then held an ice cube on my lip (wrapped in a cloth). I continued to reapply the honey and kept the ice on it for about two hours when I saw that the blisters had already dissolved away. I also took some drops of colloidal silver. The blisters were stopped dead in their tracks. I kept the honey on it for the next two days and it was completely gone in two days. Sure wish I heard about this 40 years ago!
EP
I usually get Manuka honey grade +15 or higher. Great taste, & great for arthritis sufferers!
Personally I like a good spoonful daily in a cup of coffee!
Am currently trying it out smeared on a bandage on my leg which is badly bruised. Will see what effect that has.
RAA
I also wanted to make a plug for using manuka honey in that I recently had a patient with horrible edema and leg ulcer that did not have medical insurance and did not believe in allopathic medicine. In trying to help this patient I was deeply concerned that if things progressed too much further an amputation may be necessary. However, I have been treating it with thickly applied manuka honey and dressing changes for the past two weeks with good results. Patient and I are not out of the woods yet, but the edema is gone and the appearance of the leg ulcer has significantly improved.
Sharon
I was a nursing assistant for 25 years. When I first became a CNA nurses used a mixture of betadine and sugar for bedsores. In a lot of cases it worked quite well and in other cases it did not. So, it totally makes sense that honey would work also. Honey has some antibacterial properties.
cornet78z
Me & my fellow classmates use your blogs as our reference materials. We look out for more interesting posts from your end about the same topic . Even the future updates about this topic would be of great help.
CELIA
WHERE CAN you get raw honey? Also, I use soy sauce (not light) over bad burns from cooking, and immediately takes out the pain.
Lory
There is medicinal grade honey being sold from New Zealand called manuka honey. It is very expensive but has been used for years for wound care, mrsa staph infections just to name a few. It is said that the darker the honey the higher the antibiotic and antimicrobial properties. If you can not afford the manuka honey I would recommend using and avocado honey or a peppertree honey because they are naturally darker verieties.
It should also be noted that if you are ingesting the honey you should always use raw honey because it has not been processed which can reduce or in some cased eliminate the medicinal properties of the honey.
Toni
I did nursing in Mexico for 25 years. We routinely use honey on bed sores and ulcers on legs caused by poor circulation and varicose veins with great results at little expense. It is just as effective for infected wounds also. I have found that bee propolis is more effective on herpes simple and any lesions in the mouth. Propolis is usually sold in an alcohol base so it stings but the results are worth it. Propolis is great for colds and sore throats when taken internally. The dose is indicated on the bottle (usually 10 drops in water for adults) I don´t know why it isn´t used much in the US. I believe it is popular in Germany.
Bonnie
After spending $20 for a tiny bottle of Abreva for a cold sore, I read about applying honey – it really works! Took the pain away instantly and healing process is much faster than with contemporary methods. Pass it along!
M. Thompson
When I was a kid, I worked for a beekeeper. Stings were a common thing, and the easiest and best treatment was to remove the stinger (of course) and dab honey on the spot. Didn’t necessarily do much for the pain, but swelling was almost nonexistent. The irony is almost as thick and sweet as the honey.
Dory B.
I have been volunteering in the Endocrine Ward in Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda where they routinely use honey (as well as systemic antibiotics when appropriate) on foot ulcers with excellent results.
sandy
Honey does work! But you should use RAW honey. Most of the honey sold in grcocery stores has been processed at high temperatures which can destroy a lot of its benefits whether you use it for eating or medication.
la
Our vet removed a lipoma from the center of our dog’s chest. His first day home he ripped out the stitches going out the doggie door. Re-suturing was not an option. Our vet told us to keep it clean with hydrogen peroxide then to sprinkle sugar on it daily. It took about three weeks but the wound healed completely without further intervention. Wow!
Monica
I have had a few really bad burns on my arms from, either steam or hot metal. I have found that pouring honey onto the burn takes away the soreness and heals the burn very fast. I had no blisters and no scarring afterwards. It is quite amazing.
Peggy
After reading about honey being an ancient antibiotic I use honey and warm water to keep my pores clean on my face.
Also 3 yrs ago my mom’s skin was breaking down (bedsores) in the nursing home and I put some pure honey on the skin and an aide told a nurse.
I brought the book and she was in awe.
Uses honey on bruises also.
SM
I woke up this morning with a horrible cold sore that caused half of my lower lip to swell. After applying honey to the area, in a few hours the swelling was completely gone. And after a several more hours the cold sore is already starting to heal. I felt pretty silly putting honey on my lip at work but it’s working like a charm.
MD
If you have a sore that is infected and open you can take honey and flour make a paste put it on it and bandage it up it will work like a drawing salve and suck out the infections. We did this on a spider bite my grandson had and the doctors wanted to cut it open and clean it out . We put it on over night and the next morning it was out. The doctors had been messing with it for 3 months.
BG
I didn’t know about honey for cuts and scrapes, but I had used it for years on burns. It is fantastic. I poured some scalding coffee down the front of my sweater. Couldn’t take it off right away, but after putting honey on later, it stopped burning and wasn’t sore at all. Of course the sooner you put it on the better. The last few years I discovered that Nutribiotic GSE (grapefruit seed extract) works even faster.