Honey has been known for centuries for many of its healing qualities, used by warriors for wound treatment and grandmothers to soothe sore throats. Honey naturally can absorb and retain moisture when added to skin care products.

While regular honey has natural antioxidant and antibacterial properties, Manuka honey has additional properties when it comes to health and healing. And those properties are not lost with heat – it can be added to hot tea or taken on toast. Manuka Honey comes from New Zealand where the bees utilize the flowers of the Manuka Tree. Manuka Honey has been researched for almost 3 decades by Dr. Peter Molan MBE, Associate Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Waikato.

Why is Manuka Honey different? It is the Unique Manuka Factor, referred to as UMF is a measure of its antibacterial strength and has a rating system. A UMF of up to 10 has levels for those wishing to use the honey for maintenance purposes. A UMF rating of 10-15 is useful and above 15 is considered superior.

Manuka Honey is used in the medical communities and has been found to be effective against notoriously resistant bacteria; even the MRSA bacterium has not developed resistance to Manuka Honey. It is resistant to heat and more stable than hydrogen peroxide when interacting with the effects of natural body fluids. In addition to its antibacterial properties it nourishes and promotes tissue regrowth.

Some skin conditions that Manuka Honey can help; skin ulcers, abscesses, dry cracked skin, wounds, burns, acne and eczema. Manuka Honey can be applied directly to wounds with a gauze dressing or can be found added to skin care in high concentrations and used as soaps, moisturizers and lotions. In addition to the UMF properties, honey has a variety of nutrients and vitamins that contribute to its effectiveness in skin care. Kiri® has developed a line of skin care utilizing the medicinal and other values of Manuka Honey. Manuka Honey and Manuka Honey skin care products can now be found here in the United States.