MEDICAL GRADE HONEY
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Case report
Top tips:
Medical grade honey products can be used in varying stages of wound
healing. Do not leave it too late to start using honey on a wound.
If there is no response to treatment after 14 days, an alternative
approach should be considered.
Only honey that has been regulated as being medical grade honey
should be used as a wound care product.
Consider what quality each dressing contains in order to achieve a
desired therapeutic effect.
Choose the appropriate method of delivery for different wound types
(i.e. use the ointments or gels in cavity wounds to ensure that the
honey is able to reach the wound bed).
If used (i.e. not an already combined dressing) ensure that the
secondary dressing will control the exudate volumes produced by
the effects of the honey. However, do not use too high an absorbent
dressing, otherwise you risk absorbing the honey into the secondary
dressing before it has a chance to spread onto the wound bed.
Change the dressings frequently enough to prevent the honey being
washed away or excessively diluted by wound exudate.
When using honey to debride hard eschar, scoring the eschar may
allow better penetration of the honey.
Protect the skin around the wound to avoid maceration. Apply a skin
protectant barrier wipe or barrier ointment. (An initial increase in
exudate may occur as a result of the highly osmotic effect of honey.)
Choose a honey dressing that is appropriate to the exudate volume.
Expect an initial increase in fluid — which should subside after the
initial osmotic action. In the community setting, this may result in a
planned increase in dressing changes for a short period of time, or use
of a secondary dressing.
Excess heat may inactivate the glucose-oxidising enzyme in honey. Use
products as per manufacturers’ instructions and do not heat products to
increase flexibility, as body temperature should be adequate to achieve
this action.
Figure 3.
Two weeks after applying
Actilite.
Figure 4.
Three days after applying
Algivon Plus.
Figure 2.
9 June 2014.
Figure 5.
Further improvement.
Figure 6.
Wound noticeably shrinking.
Figure 8.
Healed wound after eight
weeks’ treatment with honey dressings.
Figure 7.
Wound almost healed.
10 JCN supplement
2014,Vol 28, No 5
