I love bypassing the chemical middlemen of this world and making a bee-line to mother nature whenever possible. I already told you about one of my favourite kitchen cupboard beauty secrets — oil (and it’s dozen and one functions), but there’s another ingredient in your kitchen pantry that’s got amazing healing properties — honey! It’s been used on wounds for thousands and years and today’s docs are realizing that it’s also kick-butt at healing antibiotic-resistant burns and wounds.

All honey is naturally antibacterial but the darker the honey the better for you it’s proving to be, so buckwheat and manuka honey have more antibacterial properties than a light coloured honey. Buckwheat honey has been found to be more effective than over the counter cough suppressants though manuka honey is probably the most research backed for tackling burns, wounds, even reversing antibiotic resistance and tackling chronic sinusitis. Things that make you go hmm: researchers have found the vast majority of honey’s antibacterial powers actually come from a protein added by bees called defensin-1.

Honey’s also a great humectant, which means it attracts moisture, so mix it with olive oil as a hair treatment or whisk it with an egg yolk and a little yogurt as an amazing anti-aging mask!

P.S. Try honey on cold sores too!

For more on the plight of honeybees and whether buying organic honey helps, check out a column of mine on the topic (ignoring the photo gaff of the hover fly!).

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