Australia Produces a World's First
Australia achieved a world-first on November 30, 1999 with the release of a pure honey treatment for wounds and sores - MEDIHONEY®
Developed in association with Capilano Honey Limited and researched by the Agency for Food and Fiber Sciences and the University of Waikato Honey Research Unit in New Zealand, MEDIHONEY® is the first topical honey product in the world to achieve Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) listing in Australia.
Capilano Honey National Operations Manager Anthony Moloney said public feedback from this initial release would provide important information to help further research and development. Further clinical trials are also being proposed by a number of Australian research institutions. "Now that consumers have the assurance of TGA listing, a limited amount of the product is being released for public use," he said. "We want members of the public who try it to tell us how the product works for them."
Scientific literature shows that highly active antimicrobial honey from the nectar of particular Leptospermum trees has been used to successfully heal a wide variety of wounds and infections which have not responded to other treatments.
Research conducted by Associate Professor Dr P.C. Molan at University of Waikato Department of Biological Sciences in New Zealand, has shown that the antimicrobial component of the Leptospermum honey is particularly effective against virulent 'Golden Staph' (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria - even when diluted more than 50 times.
The use of honey as a wound dressing goes back to ancient times and has continued into present-day
folk medicine. It is used as a traditional therapy for infected leg ulcers in Ghana, and as a
traditional therapy in Mali for the topical treatment of measles, and in the eyes of patients to
prevent corneal scarring. It is a common observation in medical journal reports that numerous
benefits result fr
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Contact: Mary Ann Johnson
mjohnson@zfpartners.com
415-268-5421
Zuckerman Fernandes & Partners
29-Nov-1999