Manuka honey with the "Unique Manuka Factor" (UMF®) honey has been proven in clinical studies to assist the healing of burns, leg ulcers, boils, ulcers and infected wounds, even where conventional antibiotic treatment has failed.

There is now an overwhelming body of medical evidence supporting the use of Manuka tea tree UMF® honey in the treatment of serious infections which have failed to respond to conventional treatment.

Rather than attempt to select examples from the very large number described in papers presented by Dr. Peter Molan, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the Honey Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, New Zealand, we provide the following link: http://bio.waikato.ac.nz/honey/contents.shtml

We have the utmost admiration for the research undertaken by Dr. Molan and others, who have established without doubt that Manuka UMF® honey is a highly effective treatment for severe flesh infections.

We strongly recommend that people study these reports in detail.

What you will read regarding the healing properties of Manuka UMF® honey in treating severe and long standing infections will astound readers unfamiliar with this natural product.

It is safe to say that if such a material were the invention of a drug or pharmaceutical company today, it would be hailed by many as a wonder drug.

‘Unique Manuka Factor’, (UMF®) explained

Nectar collected from New Zealand Manuka tea tree flowers and processed into honey has unique anti-bacterial properties which are not present in honey from other plants.

Honey from some plants are no more antibacterial than sugar, while Active Manuka honey with a high UMF® rating can be diluted more than 100-fold and still halt the growth of bacteria.

Honey collected from the flowers of many different plants (including Manuka tea tree) contains the enzyme glucose oxidase which in the presence of oxygen produces Hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is antibacterial in contact with body tissue or serum.

UMF® Manuka honey contains antibacterial properties additional to the presence of the enzyme glucose oxidase. This second factor is called the “Unique Manuka Factor”.

UMF® is the Trade Mark of the Active Manuka Honey Industry in New Zealand and this mark is only available to licensed users.

The labeling of UMF® Manuka tea tree honey will also show the strength of the Unique Manuka Factor.

The level of “Unique Manuka Factor” contained in the honey can vary between locations, between seasons and even vary throughout a season depending on the time of flowering and collection.

A minimum of UMF 10+ is required to carry the UMF®, trade mark, and to be considered suitable for medicinal purposes, although other “Active” Manuka honey may have some Unique Manuka Factor present at lower levels.

All Manuka honey carrying the UMF® label has been tested and certified in a licensed laboratory.

There is also evidence that UMF® and glucose oxidase provide synergistic antibacterial action.

The UMF® numbers (UMF 20+, UMF15+, UMF 10+, etc.) come from a standard laboratory test of anti-bacterial activity, with the honey being compared with a standard antiseptic phenol, (also known as carbolic) for potency.

For example, a honey with a UMF® rating of 10+ would be equivalent to the antiseptic potency of 10% solution of phenol, as used as carbolic disinfectant; a honey with a rating of 15+ would have a potency equivalent to a 15% solution of phenol.

UMF® is stable, so there is no concern about Manuka honey losing its activity in storage.

The UMF® anti-bacterial activity has been shown in scientific studies to diffuse deeper into skin tissues than does the hydrogen peroxide from other types of honey.

Honey with UMF® is more effective than that with hydrogen peroxide against some types of bacteria. For example, Active Manuka tea tree honey with UMF® is about twice as effective as other honey against Eschericihia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, the most common causes of infected wounds.

Although the nectar that is collected from the Manuka tea tree flowers is from the same wild locations as the Manuka tea tree oil, the resulting honey can not be termed organic in the strictest sense because honey bees range over a wide area from their hives and will always collect the nectar that is most desirable and accessible to them.