Ulcers And Honey by Jane Thurnell-Read

The idea that honey could cure leg ulcers was at one time dismissed, but over the last few years research has shown that honey is one of the most effective ways of healing leg ulcers.

0. A case study reported by J. J. Eddy MD, in the Journal of Family Practice (2005 54: 533-536) recounted how a 79-year old man with diabetic foot ulcers had been treated conventionally and unsuccessfully for 14 months both at home and in hospital and had lost several toes. The ulcers were very large and were infected with two types of antibiotic resistant bacteria (MRSA and VRE). 

The hospital wanted to amputate his foot but he refused. Once home he decided to try using honey - ordinary supermarket honey was smeared on the ulcer and then it was wrapped up. After two weeks improvement was visible, and within a year the ulcers had healed.

Another study in 2004 (CE Dunford and R Hanano, Journal of Wound Care, 2004 13: 1-7) looked at 40 patients who had venous ulcers (caused by problems in the veins of the legs). All of the subjects had failed to respond to 12 weeks of compression bandaging (the normal medical treatment). Medihoney was used over the next 12 weeks, and 20 of the patients reported much less pain, and the average ulcer area decreased by half (from 8 to 4 sq cms).