Frequently Asked Questions about Active Manuka Honey and the UMF
Rating:
What does UMF stand for?
What does the UMF Factor guarantee?
How does Active Manuka Honey work?
How is Active Manuka Honey packaged?
Where can I buy Active Manuka Honey and other related Manuka
Products?
Has Manuka Honey been researched?
In depth Information about the UMF Rating and the Chemistry of Honey
UMF stands for Unique Manuka Factor,
the factor responsible for naturally destroying bacteria such as staph (staph
aureus), MRSA, strep (streptococcus) and H. Pylori (Helicobacter
Pylori). According to Dr. Molan's research of more than 20 years, UMF is
a special non-peroxide antibacterial activity making Active Manuka Honey one of the rarest and most precious honeys in the world!
What does the UMF Factor guarantee?
Every batch of Manuka Honey is
tested by an independent laboratory for UMF antibacterial activity,
using a testing method developed at Waikato University of New Zealand.
Each jar is guaranteed to have an antibacterial activity 2.5
times greater than standard antiseptic (minimum 10% carbolic
equivalent).
How is Active Manuka Honey packaged?
Active Manuka Honey is
exclusively packaged for MANUKA HONEY USA. The honey is packaged in
food grade safe brown containers, protecting the content
from sunlight and breakage.
Store Active Manuka Honey on a
shelf at room temperature, away from direct sunlight exposure. You can
also store the honey in the refrigerator if you wish. However due to the
cooler temperature, it will re-crystallize and get much firmer. Honey
lasts for thousands of years so do not worry about expiration dates.
Where can I buy Active Manuka Honey and other related Manuka
Products?
To purchase
Active Manuka Honey, click on the following link:
www.manukahoneyusa.com/SecureShopping.htm
or
call toll free 1-800 395 2196
We accept 5 Major Credit Cards
(Visa, Master, Diners, Discover and American Express).
Has Active Manuka Honey been researched?
The UMF Activity in
Manuka Honey has been described by Molan and Russell (1998)
and Allen (1991). The substance has so far not been identified.
Westen (1999) found that the activity was not caused by the phenolics
(including flavonoids) found in Manuka Honey.
Honey has been shown in
laboratory studies to have antibacterial activity against the 7 most
common species of bacteria found in wounds. Minimum dilutions varied
depending on the species of bacteria and the type of activity, but
complete inhibition was shown for all species at below 10% honey
concentration. Manuka Honey that showed UMF activity was effective in
killing Staphylococcus aureus, the most common wound-infection
species, at 1,8% honey concentration (Willix 1992). Methicillin-resistant
S. aureus (MRSA) strains have also been tested against both types of
activity, with complete inhibition shown at 10% honey
concentration (Molan 1996).
Research has shown a
link between gastritis and duodenal ulcers and the bacteria Helicobacter
Pylori. Manuka Honey with UMF10+ activity, and other honey with peroxide
activity, were both tested in laboratory cultures again helicobacter
pylori. Only Manuka Honey showed inhibition against the bacteria,
with complete inhibition shown at 5% honey concentration (Al Somal
1994). It appears likely that Active Manuka Honey may offer
healing properties for millions of stomach ulcer (peptic ulcer)
sufferers worldwide.
Honey has shown in the
laboratory to have antibacterial activity against a range of bacterial
species causing gastroenteritis and diarrhea. Average concentration for
UMF Manuka Honey was 5-11% for complete inhibition and 8-15% for
bacterial death (Brady and Molan, as reported in Molan 1996).
Research has shown that
when comparing two groups of burn victims where one group was
treated with Active Manuka Honey, also called Active Manuka
Honey, and the other group with regular wound treatment for burns,
that the patients treated with Manuka Honey could be released
1 week earlier from the hospital and not one patient of the honey
treated group needed skin grafting.
Active UMF Manuka Honey
also inhibits the growth of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE)
at about half the concentration of clover honey with hydrogen peroxide
activity (Allen 2000). Honey, including Manuka Honey, has shown the
prevent the growth of Pseudomonas spp. found on the surface of a
wound even if the honey was diluted 10 fold by exudation from the
tissue (Cooper and Molan 1996).
In addition to the
antimicrobial activity present in Active Manuka Honey, the honey also
enhances wound healing by a variety of other means. (Molan
1998/1999, Subrahmanyam 1991). These include
a) providing a moist, but sterile environment for
tissue re-growth which enhances tissue formation and
reduces tissue deformity, b) eliminating tissue damage caused by the use of standard
antibiotics, c) the osmotic effect pulling up serum from the body into the
wound, d) the osmotic effect absorbing pus in the wound, e) providing glucose used by white blood cells to create
the 'respiratory burst' needed to destroy bacteria, f) providing a pliable barrier between wound and dressing,
which protects new re-growth tissue from being torn away when the
dressing is changed g) providing acidification of the wound, which has been
shown to stimulate healing, by creating an anti-inflammatory
effect through the reduction in the number of inflammatory
cells in wound tissue (honey has antioxidant properties) providing
wound bacteriawithnutrients instead of amino acids,
thus encouraging the bacteria to produce lactic acid instead of
ammonia (the chemical associated with odor in skin ulcers).
Molan (1998) has
carried out comprehensive review of case studies, animal studies and
randomized clinical trials, where honey was used to treat wounds, burns
and skin ulcers. Dunford (2000) has presented case studies describing
the use of UMF Manuka Honey in the treatment of wound and chronically
infected lesions, including a case where massive skin lesions and
necrosis resulting from meningococcal septicemia not responding to
conventional treatment, healed completely within 10 weeks of the start
of Manuka Honey treatment (Dunford, 2000).
Since
ancient times honey has been used as a natural medicine in many
cultures. The antibacterial properties of honey however have
only been discovered a century ago.
Honey in fact inhibits a broad spectrum of bacteria. Some reports
even show an antifungal activity in honey. Some honeys will
work better than others though. The Honey Research Unit at
theWaikato University
inNew Zealand
is constantly investigating honey as a therapeutic agent.
But how exactly can you explain the antibacterial activity found
in (regular) honey?
Basically, the antibacterial effect of (regular) honey is due to four
major processes or qualities: The osmotic effect, the acidity of
honey, the production of hydrogen peroxide in honey and the
phytochemical factors.
1. The Osmotic Effect: Honey consists of 84% fructose and glucose
(sugar) and 15-21% water. The sugar molecules and the water molecules
interact strongly so that bacteria have not enough water available for
growth.
2. Acidity: Honey has a pH between 3.2 and 4.5 and is
considered quite acidic. This acidity therefore inhibits the
growth of bacteria. The optimum pH for bacterial growth lies between
7.2 and 7.4. However, if honey is diluted, the pH could
become higher, and therefore the antibacterial quality of honey
would be destroyed. Paradoxically, dilution is what is
needed in order to support the production of the next
important antibacterial component in honey: hydrogen peroxide.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide: This antibacterial component is
encymically produced in honey through dilution. Hydrogen peroxide is
considered to be the most important antibacterial component of
honey. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide in honey is low enough not
to inflammate a wound or damage the tissue.
4. Phytochemical Factors: Besides the honey's strongest
anti-bacterial component (hydrogen peroxide), honey also contains some
minor chemical factors of that quality. Exactly here lies the
difference between the antibacterial qualities of Active Manuka Honey
and Regular Honey!
Manuka Honey from New Zealand has shown to have a unique
phytochemical factor. What exactly the factor is, has however
not been identified yet. The factor was discovered 20 years
ago by Prof. Dr. PeterMolan from the Waikato University
in New Zealand.
He removed the hydrogen peroxide from Manuka Honey and could still
observe a high antibacterial activity. Dr. Molan named the
factor 'Unique Manuka Factor', or short, UMF. Dr. Molan
has researched Manuka Honey for over 20 years. In fact,
hydrogenperoxideand the UMF in Manuka Honey
enhance each other's power through a synergetic effect. That
makes Manuka Honey so powerful and precious. The UMF is also very
stable: hydrogen peroxide, which most honeys contain, is easily
destroyed by heat, light, water or the catalase effect of the body
serum. UMF however stays in the honey and does not lose
any of its antibacterial strength.
The name UMF is always followed by a number, indicating
the anti-bacterial strength of Manuka Honey. The Manuka
Honey is tested in licensed independent laboratories in
New Zealand
for its potency. The testing process underlies strict guidelines
of the Honey Research Unit at Waikato University in New Zealand. Once
the Manuka Honey has reached a UMF Rating of more than 10, it
is a highly active honey, and it is labeled as Active Manuka
Honey. is the official Trade Name given by Dr.
Molan. The separateLab Certificate with the Actual
and Current UMF Rating is posted on our Web site.
The UMF rating of the Active Manuka Honey varies every year.
This year's rating is the highest rating ever in 10 years,
with a UMF rating of 19.8!
