Treat wounds with honey and vinegar

 Because antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, some researchers are studying the antimicrobial properties of historic remedies. One remedy, a mixture of honey and vinegar, seems to work well for treating infected wounds. It’s called oxymel and was prescribed by Hippocrates (460 BCE-375 BCE), among others.

Oxymel could be particularly valuable for treating chronic wound infections, such as those commonly experienced by people with diabetes or burn trauma. Bacterial infections can be difficult to treat, particularly when they’re protected within a biofilm—a complex system of bacteria that can attach tightly to surfaces such as flesh in a wound infection.

Honey stresses bacteria and fights infections with its high sugar content and acidity. Vinegar’s active component, acetic acid, is a natural antiseptic that breaks down bacterial DNA and proteins. In conducting their research, researchers focused on the common wound pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. They found that neither honey nor vinegar by itself was particularly effective. But together, the honey/vinegar combination (oxymel) killed up to 1,000 times more bacteria than vinegar alone and up to 100,000 times more than honey alone.

Unfortunately, the study report, which was published in the journal Microbiology, doesn’t include a recipe. Apparently, they need to do more research to figure out the best dose combinations. The researchers did use a “medical grade” honey, called Manuka honey, which is available on Amazon. They also indicated that pomegranate vinegar is one candidate for further study. (I had no idea there was such a thing.)

I suppose, if you have a wound that’s not healing, you could experiment with Manuka honey and pomegranate vinegar, although it sounds pretty messy.

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