Waikato Honey Research Unit

What's special about active manuka honey?

For the past 19 years honey researchers at the University of Waikato have been investigating what many local New Zealanders have accepted as common wisdom: our local manuka honey is a superior treatment for wound infections. Manuka honey is gathered in New Zealand from the manuka bush, Leptospermum scoparium, which grows uncultivated throughout the country. (as a result of systematic screening of Australian honeys, a honey with the same properties has been found to be produced from Leptospermum polygalifolium, which grows uncultivated in a few parts of Australia.) After the results of this work became known through publications in scientific journals, many people contacted the Honey Research Unit to find out what is so special about active manuka honey. The pertinent facts are:

Honey has an antibacterial activity, due primarily to hydrogen peroxide formed in a "slow-release" manner by the enzyme glucose oxidase present in honey, which can vary widely in potency. Some honeys are no more antibacterial than sugar, while others can be diluted more than 100-fold and still halt the growth of bacteria. The difference in potency of antibacterial activity found among the different honeys is more than 100-fold.
"Active manuka honey" (and its Australian equivalent) is the only honey available for sale that is tested for its antibacterial activity. It contains an additional antibacterial component found only in honey produced from Leptospermum plants: what has been called the “Unique Manuka Factor”. There is evidence that the two antibacterial components may have a synergistic action.
“Unique Manuka Factor” is not affected by the catalase enzyme present in body tissue and serum. This enzyme will break down, to some degree, the hydrogen peroxide which is the major antibacterial factor found in other types of honey. If a honey without “Unique Manuka Factor” were used to treat an infection, the potency of the honey's antibacterial activity would most likely be reduced because of the action of catalase.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey is destroyed when honey is exposed to heat and light. But “Unique Manuka Factor” is stable, so there is no concern about manuka honey losing its activity in storage.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey becomes active only when honey is diluted. But “Unique Manuka Factor” is active in full strength honey, which will provide a more potent antibacterial action diffusing into the depth of infected tissues.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey needs oxygen to be available for the reaction, so may not work under wound dressings or in wound cavities. Honey with “Unique Manuka Factor” is active in all situations.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey becomes active only when the acidity of honey is neutralised by body fluids, but then the honey is diluted.
The enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide in honey could be destroyed by the protein-digesting enzymes that are in wound fluids.
The “Unique Manuka Factor” antibacterial activity diffuses deeper into skin tissues than does the hydrogen peroxide from other types of honey.
Honey with “Unique Manuka Factor” is more effective than that with hydrogen peroxide against some types of bacteria. For example, active manuka honey with “Unique Manuka Factor” is about twice as effective as other honey against Eschericihia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the most common causes of infected wounds

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