Cure Sore Throat, Strep Throat and Tonsillitis

Cure Sore Throat: How can Manuka Honey help?

Since ancient times honey has been used to cure sore throat infections in many cultures. The antibacterial properties of honey however have only been discovered a century ago.

Honey to cure sore throat in New Zealand

Today Manuka Honey is applied by doctors and nurses in New Zealand as sore throat cure  and as natural tonsillitis treatment.  

Honey in fact inhibits a broad spectrum of bacteria. Some honeys will work better than others though. The Honey Research Unit at the Waikato University in New Zealand is constantly researching honey as a therapeutic agent.

They found that Manuka Honey from New Zealand has medicinal qualities not found in other honeys. Manuka Honey seems to have the ability to naturally destroy staph aureus, streptococcus and streptococcus pyogenes bacteria.

Staph and strep bacteria are typically associated to strep throats. Streptococcus pyogenes is related to sore throats and tonsillitis.

List of Bacterial Pathogens where Manuka Honey can be helpful

Infections caused by bacterial pathogens that are sensitive to the antibacterial activity of Manuka Honey are listed in the following table. It can be concluded that honey, in particular Manuka Honey may be helpful when fighting these bacteria.

The trend, search and research for natural remedies is clearly on the rise, since antibiotics keep making negative headlines in the news. Antibiotics have become increasingly un-effective in treating bacteria already resistant to them.

Read about The Need for Natural Health Alternatives

How does the antibacterial activity work in Manuka Honey?

The antibacterial activity in Manuka Honey is due to four major processes or qualities: the osmotic effect, the acidity of honey, the production of hydrogen peroxide in honey and the phytochemical factor.

Click here to read more about natural Manuka Honey

A Save and Easy Sore Throat Treatment

Bacterial infections often follow the flu or cold. Many colds cause secondary bacterial infections such as sinusitis, tonsillitis, strep throats or bronchitis. Usually, if a flu or cold lasts over two weeks without getting better, this can be a sign of a bacterial infection. In this case see your doctor to discuss the possible need of antibiotics to fight the bacteria.

You might wonder: why not take an antibiotic right away, so the viral infection does not even turn into a bacterial infection?

That wouldn’t be such a bad idea, if antibiotics were not that dangerous. Antibiotics bring unwanted side effects and thereby weaken the body instead of strengthening it. Also, when taking antibiotics, the bacteria in your body can develop an antibiotic resistance.

Manuka Honey can be the solution to this problem. Manuka Honey is 100% natural and has no known side effects. Manuka Honey won’t weaken your body as antibiotics do. At the same time it is working as a “natural antibiotic” due to its hydrogen peroxide and unique phytochemical factor. That means, in order to prevent a possible bacterial infection in your throat, you can take Manuka Honey at the first sign of a cold.

If you already suffer from a sore throat, Manuka Honey might be the sore throat treatment you need, as it acts against streptococcus pyogenes, the bacteria associated with sore throats as they occur during a cold or tonsillitis and against streptococcus bacteria of strep throats. 

Does Manuka Honey replace Antibiotics?

Maybe. With all the above listed health benefits of using pure, raw, natural, un-pasteurized Manuka Honey, this natural sore throat remedy may be more effective than antibiotics to help relieve sore throats or strep throats naturally.

And here is how Manuka Honey works

With most colds the bacteria develop in the nose and mouth and then spread to the sinuses and bronchial tubes. That is why Manuka Honey is taken three times a day and slowly dissolved before you let it sip down.

The antibacterial strength of Manuka Honey can take care of possible bacteria and stop their development. The longer you can keep the honey in your mouth, the better. Since Manuka Honey is save and easy to use, you can also adjust the amount and frequency of taking it.