New Zealand's active manuka honey is used as a natural product both internally and topically on the skin. Apitherapy, the name given to treatment with natural honey, has been used by many different cultures throughout history. Such uses are now being reconsidered by a modern world in light of new research into the properties and uses of active manuka honey.
What is known as 'Active' Manuka Honey has enjoyed growing acceptance by the academic and medical world of late, and reporting of the honey's unique properties has proliferated in the world's press and media.
Manuka honey comes from New Zealand where beekeepers set up their hives in wild uncultivted areas in which Manuka bushes grow. The bees gather nectar from the flowers of the Manuka bush, which is indigenous only to New Zealand. The honey making process is enriched by the pollution free environment of New Zealand, and certain harvests of Manuka Honey have attracted the gaze of the medicial and scientific community. Some of the Manuka Honey produced has been found to have some very special properties indeed.
It is only thanks to academic research, predominantly in the last decade, that we are now able to explain many of the incredible observed effects that certain specially selected and tested honeys can have.
Not all Manuka Honey is 'Active'
It is not as yet fully understood why only some Manuka honey has an antimicrobial property not shared by other honeys. This property is called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF®) antibacterial property. The presence of this activity can be detected by laboratory testing, which is conducted by the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Honey that is tested and verified to have a level of 10 or more is given a UMF rating and is referred to as 'Active'.
IMPORTANT - please note that we are very restricted over what we can say about the honey's medical uses here due to strict Trading Standards and Medicines Control Agency regulations. Because Manuka Honey is a purely natural product, rather than a licenced drug, medical claims are prohibited. However, we are permitted to include links in our website to external third party sources of information on the honey's use. This includes links to research papers and articles on the applications of the honey, links to the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato and links to press articles on the honey. These links can be accessed from the menu to the left.
The importance of the UMF rating system
Please take the time to read and understand the importance of the 'UMF' rating system for Manuka Honey. While Manuka Honey has received increasing press coverage, many journalists do not distinguish between ordinary Manuka Honey and Active Manuka Honey.
The UMF rating is your key indicator as to the strength of the antibacterial effect. A rating of 10 or more is considered to be suitable for therapeutic medical use. Such honey is referred to as 'active', although much ordinary Manuka Honey is still marketed as being active despite not having the required minimal rating.
The UMF rating is your guarantee that the honey has been tested and verified for its antibacterial activity by the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Our honey has a minimum UMF rating of 16.
Do you know someone who could benefit from active manuka honey? Click for a printable factsheet in Word or PDF :
