Honey would be able to destroy a fungus that infects wounds, according to results of a study published by the University of Manchester (United Kingdom). A major discovery, because the fusarium fungus can lead to blindness or premature death.
The healing powers of honey have been known for hundreds of years and scientific studies follow one another to recall the health benefits of honey and bee products.
Researchers at the University of Manchester (UK) used different concentrations of Surgihoney, an organic honey that produces chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen, to test its effectiveness in destroying the fungus Fusarium, which is found on plants and in the soil and which can cause devastating infections in vulnerable people.
Honey would be effective even in small quantities
The results of the study showed that even in small quantities, the Honey manages to destroy the cell membrane and break through the biofilm (thin layers of microorganisms, which contribute to the severity and delayed healing of chronic wounds) of the fungus. This would promote the treatment and healing of patients.
“What’s amazing,” says study author Zain Habib Alhindi, “is that honey even works better than some antifungals.”
“Honey has been used since ancient times for the treatment of several diseases. But only a limited number of studies have looked at its effect on pathogenic fungi,” says Malcolm Richardson, Professor of Medical Mycology at the University of Manchester.
“This opens an exciting door for further work on the application of honey for many fungal infections and allows researchers to adopt different options to treat a range of superficial infections.”
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