Derma Sciences MEDIHONEY Calcium Alginate Dressings

Description

Not all honeys are created equal.  Only Leptospermum honeys (Manuka from New Zealand and Jellybush from Australia) have the unique characteristics making these honeys ideal for use as dressings on acute & chronic wounds and burns.  However, even within this species of honey there is considerable variability.  That is why global thought leaders have cautioned that, when using honey, clinicians should:

1. Not use honey straight from the supermarket.  Honey is known to contain Clostridium Botulinum spores.  When used as a dressing on wounds & burns, only sterilized honey products should be used.
2. Select only those products that have been standardized to a certain specification with regard to the special characteristics making honey beneficial for wounds & burns.  This standardization process is achieved, in part, by observing the honey's activity level in the presence of catalase.  Catalase is an enzyme found in wound fluid, and breaks down the active components in most honeys.  Only the Leptospermum species has been shown to retain its activity even in the presence of catalase.

All MEDIHONEY^TM dressings are sterilized. 

With regard to standardization, all Leptospermum honeys are tested and rated for their level of special characteristics making them beneficial for the management of wounds & burns.  Some batches show no activity, and are rated at 0.  Others show varying rates of activity and are rated from 1+ to 12+ to 25+.  Leptospermum honeys with a rating of 12+ or higher are recommended for use as wound & burn dressings.  The Leptospermum honey used in MEDIHONEY dressings is rated at least 15+.