Boost for honey treatment
Wednesday October 8th, 2008
There is good evidence that honey can improve healing times after burn wounds, researchers report today.
Dr Andrew Jull of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and colleagues analysed the available evidence for a Cochrane Review. They found that honey can significantly benefit mild to moderate burn wounds.
The researchers explain that honey has been widely used on wounds for many centuries, but it is not clear how it helps. It may be that honey speeds the removal of dead tissue, encourages the growth of new, healthy tissue, or is an effective antibiotic.
The team reviewed 19 clinical trials with a total of 2,554 patients who had experienced a range of different wounds. They found that honey reduced the healing time of moderate burns more effectively than commonly-used gauze and film dressings. But it did not seem to benefit grazes, lacerations, surgical wounds or leg ulcers.
Dr Jull said: "We're treating these results with caution, but it looks like honey can help speed up healing in some burns. Health services should invest in treatments that have been shown to work, but we will keep monitoring new research to try and establish the effect of honey."
Another new Cochrane Review warns that a popular burn treatment may actually delay healing.
Dr Jason Wasiak the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues examined 26 trials on silver sulphadiazine (SSD) cream. Although it has been used to prevent burns becoming infected since the 1960s, SSD cream was found to increase healing times and the number of dressings needed.
"We think that the use of SSD cream on burn wounds needs to be reconsidered," Dr Wasiak stated.
Jull, A. B., Rodgers, A. and Walker, N. Honey as a topical treatment for wounds. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD005083.
Wasiak, J., Cleland, H. and Campbell, F. Dressings for superficial and partial thickness burns. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD002106.
Tags: A&E | Australia | Dermatology
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