Egyptian Medicine: the Use of Honey as an Anti-Bacterial

There are many home remedies that work just as well as any one of the medicines on the pharmacy shelf in the local drug store, but one in particular stands out among the rest. This substance is honey. As everyone knows, honey is made by bees, but it's the process of manufacture that makes it so special, and the ancient Egyptians quickly learned of its amazing abilities.

When bees collect nectar, they carry it back to the hive and regurgitate it into the cells of the honeycomb. Then, with they beat their wings and air dry the water content from the nectar. Enzymes in their saliva change the nectar's sucrose into fructose and glucose, which then binds the remaining water, leaving a percentage between 17 or 18 percent. This process creates an inhospitable substrate where bacteria can't survive. This mixture also is composed of hydrogen peroxide that's made from the enzyme glucose oxidase. Hydrogen peroxide kills bacteria such as e.coli, the ulcer causing bacteria, heliobacter pylori and even staphyloccus. Not many antiseptics can make that same claim.

With all of these amazing traits, honey is an excellent wound treatment. The ancient Egyptians knew this and applied it directly to cuts and scrapes. They also took it orally to maintain internal health and prevent stomach upset. In addition to killing bacteria and preventing bacterial growth, honey is able to aid the body in healing by helping to digest dead tissue and stimulating cells to re-grow new tissue. Honey has been tested on burns, open wounds and stomach ulcers, all with very successful results. With the somewhat recent news of the bacteria killing ability of honey, many people are starting to use it as a homeopathic remedy. However, honey should not be given orally to young children under the age of one, due to the possibility of passing along the dangerous organism chlostridium botulinum, or the bug that causes botulism.

In ancient Egypt, there are many references to the application of honey for wound care and many of the tombs discovered have had jars of crystallized honey carefully placed for use in the after life. Scientists have done research on the quality of honey and have discovered that even thousands of years later, honey, even in its crystallized form, is still an effective anti-bacterial ointment.

The healing ability of honey can vary, depending on which flowers the nectar is from, but all honey kills bacteria. Several papyrus scrolls have been translated that specifically mention honey's healing ability. The Berlin Papyrus from somewhere around 1300 BC, documents the Egyptian's medical knowledge, as well as their mathematical knowledge and the Ebers Papyrus, written about 1500 BC, also mentions using honey and grease to heal wounds.

In ancient Egypt, just as today, the ancient Egyptians received their medical training from more senior physicians and were treated with respect. They were trained in a temple setting, since not only were medicines used, but magical spells as well. It took many years for novice physicians to learn the many treatments and spells for healing, and although they didn't have many of the luxuries and modern medical equipment we do today, they were able to effectively treat and heal the ill by using what nature provided. Sometimes, the simplest and most natural solution is the best.