Honey has a good therapeutic effect on infectious wounds and burns. Because honey contains acidic substances and high-concentration sugars, the acidity of honey after removing the sugar is equivalent to vinegar, which prevents bacteria from surviving at the wound site. Even without bacteria, the swelling and pain at the wound will be greatly reduced. Also due to the presence of biotin in honey, which promotes the body's metabolism, it allows granulation tissue to grow rapidly at the wound site, eliminates dead muscle, and accelerates wound healing.
For skin trauma, a 10%-15% honey solution can be used to wash the wound, and then honey can be applied and the wound bandaged to control infection. Similarly, applying honey to burn wounds can reduce exudate, alleviate pain, and shorten the treatment period by 3-7 days. For general small to medium-sized wounds, after cleaning the wound surface, use a sterile cotton ball dipped in honey to apply evenly to the affected area. In the early stage, apply 4-5 times a day. After a scab forms, apply honey 1-2 times a day, using an open method. If there is pus in the wound, first remove the pus, clean the wound surface, then apply a honey gauze to the wound, and then bandage with sterile cotton padding.[美食中国]
When treating skin burns, use a mixture of 2 parts honey and 1 part 2% procaine solution in a 2:1 ratio to reduce the pain caused by applying the medication to the wound surface at the beginning. According to case observations, for first and second-degree burns, the wound surface usually forms a transparent scab after applying honey for 2-3 days, and the scab falls off naturally after 6-10 days, with the new epithelium fully grown. For late-presenting cases with obvious infection, the wound surface can also form a scab in 2-3 days, and epithelial cell growth can be seen under the scab.
For those treated with honey gauze bandaging, granulation tissue usually grows well after 6-9 days, and the wound can heal in 2-3 weeks. During the treatment process, no infections were found. If the wound was already infected, the purulent secretion also gradually decreased after applying honey, but it is necessary to observe and handle any infection under the scab in a timely manner.
Of course, for wounds that are large and severe, patients should still seek timely medical attention at a regular hospital to prevent wound infection. Honey can play an auxiliary therapeutic role, but it cannot replace medication.