Since the 1980s, health-conscious enthusiasts have been intrigued by the benefits of manuka. However, when comparing manuka honey vs regular honey, is manuka really any different? While there are many similarities between regular honey and manuka honey, regular honey tends to be more versatile and less expensive, while manuka honey seems to provide additional health benefits attributable to presence of methylglyoxal (MGO).
Made trendy by celebrity elites, it's no wonder best manuka honey fetches a hefty price. Let's see just how different genuine manuka honey may be from traditional honey and whether it's really worth the premium price.
Jump to:
- History of Regular Honey
- Brief History of Manuka Honey
- Manuka Honey vs. Traditional Honey to Treat Wounds
- Antibacterial Activity: Manuka Honey vs. Raw Honey
- Anti-inflammatory Properties: Manuka Honey vs. Regular Honey
- Comparing Manuka Honey and Regular Honey as an Anti-Microbial
- Manuka Honey vs Regular Honey as an Antioxidant
- Other Health Benefits of Honey
- What Does Manuka Honey Have That Raw Honey Doesn't?
- Nutritional Value of Manuka Honey vs. Regular Honey
- Manuka Honey vs. Raw Honey as a Sweetener
- Availability of Manuka Honey vs. Normal Honey
- The Bottomline
History of Regular Honey
The first written mention of raw honey dates back to Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiforms, the Hittite Code, and the sacred writings of Egypt, India, and the Vedas. Even Aristotle considered honey a 'good salve for sore eyes and wounds.'
The health benefits and medicinal properties of honey have been known for centuries, and it has long been used for treating wounds, sore throats, and coughs, as well as improving skin health and skin ulcers.
One of the oldest medicinal honeys known to man is produced by the European dark bee (Apis mellifera) and has been used to treat various ailments for hundreds of years.
While almost all regular honey shows medicinal benefits due to its flavonoids and polyphenols with powerful antioxidants, studies do show that darker honey is known to have higher levels of phenols.
This means the darker the honey, the higher the antioxidant properties and antibacterial compounds. Unfortunately, when antibiotics were thrust onto the scene in the 60s, normal honey was dismissed as all but worthless.
Until recently, that is. With the increasing population of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, honey is making quite a comeback.
Brief History of Manuka Honey
That same European dark bee (Apis mellifera) was introduced to New Zealand in 1939 by English beekeeper, Mary Bumby. It just so happens that manuka trees flourish in New Zealand, and thus, the monofloral manuka honey was born.
Related: What is Manuka Honey
However, it was largely ignored until 1991 when a marketing specialist by the name of Bill Floyd began advertising the health benefits of manuka honey to the US media.
Following some promising New Zealand studies performed in the 80s, authentic manuka honey became a mainstay in the States by the 90s following Mr. Floyd's mass media advertising.
Now, it's expected to be a billion-dollar industry by 2028.
In today's honey market, there are some 320 varieties of honey sold with standardized levels of antibacterial activity, but studies continue to show that Leptospermum scoparium (manuka honey) is one of the best for its light- and heat-stable antibacterial properties.
As such, it has a superior inhibitory effect on approximately 60 different species of harmful bacteria, including aerobes, anaerobes, gram-positive, and gram-negative, placing it at the top of the chart.
Manuka Honey vs. Traditional Honey to Treat Wounds
One of the earliest uses of medicinal honey was to treat wounds, particularly ulcers and bed sores, along with severe burns and skin grafts.
Using honey as a topical agent keeps wounds moist, and its thick viscosity provides a protective barrier. Honey's antibacterial activity helps prevent infection and heals wounds.
While all honey demonstrates immunomodulatory properties that are beneficial to wound repair, authentic manuka honey demonstrated the best overall activity.
However, it's worth noting that a variety of non-commercial, local honey produced comparable inhibition for some bacteria, but not all. Thus, manuka honey leads the way covering more ground.
When it comes to using honey for wound healing, topically applying manuka honey demonstrates superiority in deep surgical wounds, skin grafts, and healing wound infections.
In fact, real manuka honey was approved by the FDA in 2007 for treating wounds and skin ulcers, and this has essentially become its claim to fame.
In one study, researchers concluded that not only does it heal wounds, but manuka honey may even enhance tissue regeneration.
Evidence shows manuka honey has sufficient antimicrobial properties to fight against gram-positive, methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus.
Antibacterial Activity: Manuka Honey vs. Raw Honey
Another comparable difference between the health benefits of manuka honey and regular honey is its ability to fight bacterial infections. Raw honey naturally reacts with the body's fluids to create hydrogen peroxide.
Both manuka honey and raw honey produce hydrogen peroxide, but only manuka honey contains methylglyoxal (MGO), giving it another advantage over pure manuka honey Studies show manuka's superior antibacterial effects originate directly from the MGO found in New Zealand manuka honey.
It's believed that the low pH level of manuka, in conjunction with its higher sugar content, is significant enough to hinder the growth of microbes. Studies reveal manuka honey is more effective against several harmful pathogens:
- Escherichia coli (E. coli)
- Enterobacter aerogenes
- Salmonella typhimurium
- ฮฒ-hemolytic streptococci
- vancomycin-resistant Enterococci
Locally produced honey also revealed excellent antibacterial properties when compared to store-bought versions, but without adequate testing, you just never know.
One of the greatest things about manuka honey is that every batch is tested, so you know exactly what you're getting.
Because the medicinal properties of manuka honey have been widely researched for its wound-healing abilities, the unique benefits of its antibacterial and antimicrobial activity are becoming world-renowned.
Anti-inflammatory Properties: Manuka Honey vs. Regular Honey
Both raw honey and manuka honey contain phenolic compounds known for their anti-inflammatory properties. However, studies show manuka honey can more effectively reduce inflammation in the throat and lungs, and even the brain.
It diminishes airway inflammation, reduces inflammation of nervous tissue, and minimizes cellular oxidations.
Comparing Manuka Honey and Regular Honey as an Anti-Microbial
Another health benefit of manuka honey is its anti-microbial properties that reduce the burden of infectious diseases much better than regular honey.
When compared to raw honey, manuka honey's high sugar content and low pH levels hinder the growth of microbes better.
Since there is no evidence of any microbial resistance to manuka honey, it's very promising for its antibacterial and antimicrobial abilities to stave off harmful microorganisms.
With its unique manuka factor, manuka honey not only fights antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but it also shows antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori providing beneficial treatment for stomach ulcers.
Manuka Honey vs Regular Honey as an Antioxidant
Honey is shown to contain several antioxidant enzymes known to protect from oxidative stress, which leads to an array of ischemic conditions, including immune deficiency disorders, heart disease, and cancer.
Studies show manuka honey may help minimize heart disease and prevent blood clots.
Given manuka honey's antioxidants, anti-bacterial nature, antimicrobial properties, and anti-inflammatory abilities, manuka honey has all the key components to being one of the most potent medicinal foods available.
Other Health Benefits of Honey
There are a variety of other common everyday ailments that honey is good for. Given its high price tag, local honey is likely the better option for these minor ailments, so don't be afraid to visit your local beekeeper.
However, for a price, manuka honey can provide a more potent remedy.
- Sore throat and demulcent
- Natural moisturizer
- Minor skin conditions
- Treat acne
- Oral health benefits
- Seasonal allergies
- Reduce blood pressure
- Improve LDL cholesterol
- Natural energy booster
- Restore liver glycogen
- Improves digestive system
- Sleep aid
- Weight loss
- Hangover relief
Related: Why is Manuka Honey So Expensive?
What Does Manuka Honey Have That Raw Honey Doesn't?
Methylglyoxal is the essential constituent that makes Manuka honeys better than all the rest. Manuka honey differs from regular honey in that once honey's hydrogen peroxide activity is blocked, Manuka honey's non-peroxide action continues to hinder the growth of microbes.
For this reason, manuka honey wears an MGO rating that displays the level of methylglyoxal for any batch of honey.
Similarly, manuka honey is also ranked by a unique manuka factor that measures the concentration of DHA, HMF, leptosperin, and methylglyoxal.
Subsequently, the higher the ranking, the more concentrated the methylglyoxal and the more therapeutic the manuka honey. All the benefits of manuka honey increase as the MGO rating increases.
Nutritional Value of Manuka Honey vs. Regular Honey
Nutritionally speaking, there's very little difference between manuka honey and regular raw honey. When using honey as a natural sweetener, the comparison is minute:
One tablespoon of manuka honey contains:
- 70 calories
- 16g carbohydrates
- 16g sugar
One tablespoon of raw honey contains:
- 64 calories
- 17g carbohydrates
- 16g sugar
Everything else is identical.
Related: What Is the Best Substitute for Honey in Baking?
Manuka Honey vs. Raw Honey as a Sweetener
But that's not stopping the exploration of manuka honey in the culinary arts. Mike Bagale, for example, is known to have freeze-dried manuka honey into a sweet treat, highlighting the slightly earthy taste of manuka.
For culinary purposes, stick with a UMF of less than 10. A UMF of 0-5 is considered a simple natural sweetener and is comparable to your normal honey produced in other parts of the world.
Whereas a UMF of 5-10 is considered a maintenance-grade honey and typically thought of as a dietary supplement. Anything over ten is considered therapeutic and more suitable for healing wounds.
Manuka honey has a much more robust flavor than honey you find in grocery stores. It's darker, stronger, and deeper than traditional honey and has a viscosity similar to molasses.
To sweeten drinks or baked goods, it should be used sparingly due to its rich, robust flavor. As with all sugar substances, monitor your sugar intake to avoid overconsumption.
Even with all the manuka honey benefits, more is not necessarily better.
Availability of Manuka Honey vs. Normal Honey
Obviously, since the manuka tree is predominantly found in New Zealand, this means all manuka honey must be imported. Unless, of course, you live there.
Imported goods are always harder to come by when compared to those found locally. The easiest way to buy manuka honey is online. Some manuka honey products can be found in specialty stores, but this is not very common.
You should also be wary of fake manukas. Authentic manuka honey only comes from New Zealand and should wear the following authenticity identification on its label:
- MGO number
- Monofloral
- Packed in New Zealand
- "Tested Certified Manuka" symbol
- Hive to Home
Store-bought or local honey not only has more abundant availability but also has a much more affordable price.
The Bottomline
While manuka honey and raw honey possess many similar features and both are all around generally good for you, the research concludes that manuka honey far outweighs regular honey in its therapeutic benefits.
If you enjoy the benefits of honey, try some manuka in these spectacular recipes and check out some of my other articles on Manuka Honey
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