Chinese Herbal Medicine Database

Epigastric pain alleviated after meals or by pressing; dry cough due to lung dryness; constipation due to intestinal dryness; external use for sores, scalds and burns

Research Findings

• Honey may be better than 'no treatment', diphenhydramine and placebo for the symptomatic relief of cough, but it is not better than dextromethorphan. [1]
• Oral administration of honey after radiotherapy could prevent moderate to severe mucositis and associated weight loss. [2]
• Honey is highly cytotoxic against tumor or cancer cells while it is non-cytotoxic to normal cells.[3]
• Medical honey is a safe and natural substance that induces wound healing in the field of paediatrics.[4]
• Clinical studies have demonstrated that application of honey to severely infected cutaneous wounds rapidly clears infection from the wound and improves tissue healing.[5]
• Honey is particularly suitable as a dressing for wounds and burns and has also been included in treatments against pityriasis, tinea, seborrhea, dandruff, diaper dermatitis, psoriasis, hemorrhoids, and anal fissure.[6]
• Oral mucositis can be successfully treated by a combination of honey and coffee as an alternative medicine in a short time[7]
• Low dose of honey can be a valuable sugar substitute for patients with diabetes.[8]
• Milk and honey mixture seems to be at least as effective as dextromethorphan or levodropropizine in non-specific acute cough in children.[9]
• Honey administration after tonsillectomy has valuable effect in pain relief and it can be used as an adjunctive regimen after surgery for better pain control.[10]
• Honey was most effective in symptomatic relief of symptoms associated with the common cold whilst salbutamol or placebo offered no benefit.[11]
• Manuka honey-impregnated dressings represent an effective treatment for neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers leading to a significant reduction in the time of healing and rapid disinfection of ulcers.[12]
• Postoperative administration of honey after tonsillectomy significantly reduces pain and promotes wound healing.[13]
• Honey dressing is safer for treatment of diabetic foot ulcer. [14]
• Honey speeds up the healing of dehiscence wounds of resected mandible when used as dressing more than the control.[15]
• Medical honey gel is a safe alternative treatment option for patients with a chronically discharging open mastoid cavity and beneficial in reducing discomfort, otorrhea, and inflammation with a bactericidal effect.[16]
• A combination of honey and coffee can be used as an alternative medicine in the treatment of persistent post-infectious cough.[17]
• Adjuvant supplementation of honey based formulation of Nigella sativa L. can cause significant symptomatic improvement of patients with functional dyspepsia whom received the standard anti-secretory therapy. [18]
• Honey is an effective dressing agent instead of conventional dressings, in treating patients of diabetic foot ulcer.[19]

Reference

1. Oduwole O, Meremikwu MM, Oyo-Ita A, Udoh EE. ( 2014). Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. , (12):CD007094. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007094.pub4.
2. Cho HK, Jeong YM, Lee HS, Lee YJ, Hwang SH. (2015). Effects of honey on oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer: A meta-analysis. Laryngoscope. , 125(9):2085-92. doi: 10.1002/lary.25233. Epub 2015 Mar 16.
3. Erejuwa OO, Sulaiman SA, Wahab MS. (2014). Effects of honey and its mechanisms of action on the development and progression of cancer. Molecules. , 19(2):2497-522. doi: 10.3390/molecules19022497.
4. Weissenstein A, Luchter E, Bittmann S. (2014). Medical honey and its role in paediatric patients. Br J Nurs. , 23(6):S30, S32-4.
5. Israili ZH. (2014). Antimicrobial properties of honey. Am J Ther. , 21(4):304-23. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0b013e318293b09b.
6. Burlando B, Cornara L. ( 2013). Honey in dermatology and skin care: a review. J Cosmet Dermatol. , 12(4):306-13. doi: 10.1111/jocd.12058.
7. Raeessi MA, Raeessi N, Panahi Y, Gharaie H, Davoudi SM, Saadat A, Karimi Zarchi AA, Raeessi F, Ahmadi SM, Jalalian H. (2014). "Coffee plus honey" versus "topical steroid" in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. , 14:293. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-293.
8. Nazir L, Samad F, Haroon W, Kidwai SS, Siddiqi S, Zehravi M. (2014). Comparison of glycaemic response to honey and glucose in type 2 diabetes. J Pak Med Assoc. , 64(1):69-71.
9. Miceli Sopo S, Greco M, Monaco S, Varrasi G, Di Lorenzo G, Simeone G; Milk Honey Study (M&HS) Group. (n.d.). Effect of multiple honey doses on non-specific acute cough in children. An open randomised study and literature review.
10. Mohebbi S, Nia FH, Kelantari F, Nejad SE, Hamedi Y, Abd R. (2014). Efficacy of honey in reduction of post tonsillectomy pain, randomized clinical trial. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. , 78(11):1886-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2014.08.018. Epub 2014 Aug 21.
11. Waris A, Macharia M, Njeru EK, Essajee F. (2014). RANDOMISED DOUBLE BLIND STUDY TO COMPARE EFFECTIVENESS OF HONEY, SALBUTAMOL AND PLACEBO IN TREATMENT OF COUGH IN CHILDREN WITH COMMON COLD. East Afr Med J. , 91(2):50-6.
12. Kamaratos AV, Tzirogiannis KN, Iraklianou SA, Panoutsopoulos GI, Kanellos IE, Melidonis AI. (2014). Manuka honey-impregnated dressings in the treatment of neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers. Int Wound J. , 11(3):259-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-481X.2012.01082.x. Epub 2012 Sep 18.
13. Hwang SH, Song JN, Jeong YM, Lee YJ, Kang JM. (2016). The efficacy of honey for ameliorating pain after tonsillectomy: a meta-analysis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. , 273(4):811-8. doi: 10.1007/s00405-014-3433-4. Epub 2014 Dec 19.
14. Kateel R, Adhikari P, Augustine AJ, Ullal S. (2016). Topical honey for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer: A systematic review. Complement Ther Clin Pract. , 24:130-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.06.003. Epub 2016 Jun 15.
15. Anyanechi CE, Saheeb BD. (2015). Honey and wound dehiscence: a study of surgical wounds in the mandibular bed. Niger J Clin Pract. , 18(2):251-5. doi: 10.4103/1119-3077.151054.
16. Henatsch D, Wesseling F, Briedé JJ, Stokroos RJ. (2015). Treatment of chronically infected open mastoid cavities with medical honey: a randomized controlled trial. Otol Neurotol. , 36(5):782-7. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000000728.
17. Raeessi MA, Aslani J, Raeessi N, Gharaie H, Karimi Zarchi AA, Raeessi F. (2013). Honey plus coffee versus systemic steroid in the treatment of persistent post-infectious cough: a randomised controlled trial. Prim Care Respir J. , 22(3):325-30. doi: 10.4104/pcrj.2013.00072.
18. Mohtashami R, Huseini HF, Heydari M, Amini M, Sadeqhi Z, Ghaznavi H, Mehrzadi S. (2015). Efficacy and safety of honey based formulation of Nigella sativa seed oil in functional dyspepsia: A double blind randomized controlled clinical trial. J Ethnopharmacol , 175:147-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.09.022. Epub 2015 Sep 18.
19. Imran M, Hussain MB, Baig M. (2015). A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Honey-Impregnated Dressing for Treating Diabetic Foot Ulcer. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. , 25(10):721-5. doi: 10.2015/JCPSP.721725.