Medical Bees

Treating Wounds With Honey and Other Bee Remedies

Honey may be the best remedy for cuts and scrapes, while common practices—from applying Neosporin and other OTC ointments to keeping wounds dry—are not advised, according to Consumer Reports in The Washington Post.

Venom from bees, used in apitherapy, has reduced inflammation to ease the joint pain of arthritis—as well as symptoms of autoimmune diseases, such as MS. In addition, bee venom has reportedly protected beekeepers and others from Covid infection, according to a symposium organized by entomologist Norman Gary at the University of California at Davis.

For smoothing wrinkles, New York City hospitalist Sunitha Posina told Good Housekeeping, “Bee venom is believed to trick the skin into a stinging effect, resulting in increased blood flow to the skin and stimulating collagen synthesis.” And honey used as a facial cleanser—with warm water for washing it off—can open pores, keep skin hydrated, and fight acne.

Spa bee beds—popping up around the U.S.—provide stress-reduction and relaxation, which can aid healing. In the recent Ukrainian novel Grey Bees, one bee bed “with hundreds of thousands of bees beneath it” that belongs to a beekeeper living in the “grey zone” between Ukraine and Russia attracted a former Governor and boss of Donbas: “While people were now advertising bee-beds in every district centre, the first bee-bed remained the most popular, because no one else had ‘the governor’s bees.’”

“I call it Bed-and-Bees or B&B,” writes Leo Sharashkin, creator of build-your-own directions for bee beds. “It is a long horizontal hive where you are separated from the bees by thin planks and can bathe in their warmth and vibration and smells without any danger of being stung… you experience how relaxing and soothing and healing it is.”

For wound treatment, manuka honey helps spur new skin growth—while bioengineered honey, such as Surgihoney, may provide the strongest antibiotic effect. Medical grade honeys, including Medihoney, fight bacteria while keeping the injured area moist. Researchers in Germany and New Zealand explain that medical grade honey “is hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture out of the environment and thus dehydrates bacteria.” (While some manuka honeys can protect against bacteria, Medihoney is a standardized mix of honeys with standardized antibiotic activity that makes it a useful formulation for research.)

The biggest mistake people make is thinking wounds should be allowed to dry out, reports Jule Crider, past executive director of an association of wound care specialists. In fact, “desiccation”—when a scar or crust forms—can impede healing as much as swelling and infection. Worrisome wounds may start off as small blisters or benign injuries—though a surprisingly frequent cause is tripping over the dishwasher door, said Crider, linked to diminished balance and vision that can occur with aging.

Petroleum jelly is an alternative for keeping wounds moist—while moisture-retentive dressings help wounds stay hydrated and enhance migration of healthy cells to the site; and prescription ointments, like mupirocin, can improve ongoing antimicrobial protection. Before using such remedies, the best cleanser for cuts and scrapes is running water—or saline solution if no water is available, according to the Mayo Clinic. Keeping irritants—including disinfectants, such as hydrogen peroxide and even soap—out of a wound allows for clot formation as the body’s first step in its own healing response.

Timing is crucial at two points in wound treatment.

At the beginning, stitches can speed healing for cuts that are large, deep, or won’t stop bleeding—but only during the first eight hours after an injury, before bacteria has a chance to enter and before self-healing begins. Later, if the body’s over-reaction to infection causes sepsis, which can lead quickly to organ dysfunction or failure, treatment works best within the first “golden hour” after diagnosis, according to the British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence—with every hour afterwards bringing greater risk of death.

“Sepsis is the public health crisis that no one is talking about,” said Thomas Heymann, President and Executive Director of the Sepsis Alliance. Underreporting of sepsis in high income countries—due to incorrect coding for as many as half of clinically-suspected cases—allows for the common belief that sepsis happens only to poorer or older people who are frail or hospitalized. Women in the news who have died from sepsis include Mother Theresa, Anna Nicole Smith, Patty Duke and Natalie Cole.

Warning signs that bacteria or viruses have entered the bloodstream include red skin around the injury; swelling or pain that gets worse over time; sores that look like blisters; pus or liquid in the wound; and having a fever, according to the Post. Also worrisome is a wound that looks the same or doesn’t close after 10 days. In these cases, careful trimming of dead or unhealthy skin, called debridement, can keep the wound in an active stage—reminding the body to do more healing or jumpstart the process.

Even among people who are younger, healthy, active, non-smokers with no vascular disease, and not obese, 2-3% end up with wounds that fail to heal in 30 days and become chronic, said Crider. But chronic wounds are more likely in adults ages 65+ and in those with tissue-thin skin that tears easily and heals slowly, usually due to inadequate nutrition, poor hydration, and decreased immunity.

After an informal poll of my friends revealed that each knew more than one person who had died from sepsis, I became more cautious about wounds. And when a summer blister on the difficult-to-see underside of one toe failed to heal, I skipped the beach one morning to see a local doctor—who took it seriously enough to prescribe mupirocin.

Not only did the antibiotic work quickly, but several years later when I scraped my arm one winter night, I was grateful to have that ointment on hand—as well as Medihoney, which my brother had given me. Without that gift, I might never have tried honey, might never have discovered its many other healing powers, and might have struggled to heal that wound.