Manuka Honey: A Natural Remedy for Vaginal Infections

Manuka honey is the honey made by bees when they gather nectar from the manuka bush, also known as tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium). This plant is native to New Zealand and some parts of Australia, with abundant growth in the New Zealand bush.

Manuka honey is known to have unique properties, especially antimicrobial. Manuka honey has been used historically in New Zealand for wound healing and other ailments, with honey used across the globe by many populations.

Honey is used as a treatment for:

Coughs
Wounds
Stomach ailments
Sore throats, strep throat
Burns
Injuries
Immune boosting
Infection preventative
Vulvovaginal infections
Indigestion
Stomach ulcers
Abscesses
Conjunctivitis

Not all honey has healing qualities, with the plants the bees collect nectar from being of primary importance in the properties the honey holds.

Manuka honey is extremely stable, able to tolerate exposure to light, air, and heat, and able to be stored for long periods of time without losing its potency.

How does manuka honey work on microbes?

Honey is able to exert part of its healing effect via the action of glucose oxidase, an enzyme produced by bees as they collect the nectar.

As the honey is exposed to oxygen and put onto a damp surface (like a cut or wound), a chemical reaction occurs that releases hydrogen peroxide. This hydrogen peroxide acts as a disinfectant.

Honey is acidic, but has a low water content, which inhibits microorganisms – any microbes entering the honey become dehydrated and die. Most microbes can’t grow or reproduce in honey because of this dehydration.

The active antimicrobial qualities vary depending on the honey. Manuka honey from New Zealand is considered the most potent and bioactive honey in the world. German researchers identified a natural compound, methylglyoxal (MGO), which is thought to be responsible for manuka honey’s unique properties.

Manuka honey has up to 100 times more MGO than any other type of honey tested, including on diluted manuka honey (diluted up to 30 per cent). Manuka honey must contain at least 100mg/kg of MGO to inhibit harmful pathogens.

Manuka honey is also effective against pathogenic biofilms.

Using manuka honey vaginally

Manuka honey can be used to treat vulvovaginal infections, however the highest quality preparations must be used (high UMF).

Honey can be messy to use, since it is a sticky, thick liquid, so if using in the vagina or on the vulva, dress accordingly.

Manuka honey may be useful for treating:

Manuka honey is best applied at night, inserted deep vaginally using coconut pessaries (suppositories), a small syringe canister or vegetable capsules.

The syringe method can be difficult as the honey is so thick. If using vegetable capsules, ensure you do a quick finger check each day to remove any undissolved fragments of capsule. The pessaries require some preparation.

Making a mixture with coconut oil means you can put the pessaries into the fridge safely to harden, and then use as necessary. This trick makes the solution harden, but not freeze.

Use a pad or panty liner to protect your underwear if this is a concern. Honey is water-soluble, so will wash out of clothing in a normal laundry cycle. A vaginal pessary can be made and frozen, but the jury is not out yet on whether you can safely freeze manuka honey without losing some of its potency.

Feel free to make your own inventions here, but remember the honey should be the main ingredient.

Because of the cost of manuka honey, use judiciously with 5-10ml at a time. Increase or decrease the dose as you see fit – you want the honey to cover your vaginal walls and/or vulva, so base your dose on your symptoms. Start off low and increase if your symptoms persist.

Insert manuka honey before bed to avoid gravity causing it to leak out too soon.

For vulvar complaints, a pad or panty liner can be worn during the day with an application. Remember that heat will cause the honey to become runnier, so do a test run before going out in the world with underwear full of honey!

Using manuka honey as digestive support

Take manuka honey a spoon at a time on an empty stomach, or on a small piece of bread about 20 minutes before a meal to help boost your immunity while treating your vaginal infections. This food-as-medicine treatment can also be used to treat digestive upset, throat infections, and other internal problems like ulcers.

Honey is a FODMAP, but small amounts for therapeutic use may be tolerable if sensitive.

Cautions when using manuka honey

Manuka honey is raw honey sterilised by gamma irradiation to eliminate the risk of botulism transmission – a rare, but deadly infection. The irradiation does not reduce manuka honey’s antimicrobial activity.

Some minor stinging may occur initially due to the honey’s acidic nature, however, this should pass.

Grades of manuka honey

Manuka honey has a grading system, developed by Professor Peter Molan, a New Zealand biochemist.

Professor Molan set up the unique manuka factor, or UMF, which works with the glucose oxidase to increase its antibiotic action. The main microbe tested for the UMF is Staphylococcus aureus.

The best manuka honey for vulvovaginal treatments are the strongest – UMF15+, UMF18+ or UMF20+.

UMF RATING	MINIMUM MGO* METHYLGLYOXAL	MINIMUM NPA** NON-PEROXIDE ACTIVITY
UMF 20+	829	20.0
UMF 18+	692	18.0
UMF 15+	550	15.6
UMF 15+	514	15.0
UMF 12+	400	12.9
UMF 12+	354	12.0
UMF 10+	263	10.0
UMF 5+	100	5.6
UMF 5+	83	5.0
–	30	2.7

* MGO is measured as mg/kg (ppm) ** NPA is measured as % solution (%w/v) of phenol/water

Research into manuka honey

Manuka honey can degrade pathogenic biofilms
Daily applications of manuka honey to three hospice patients suffering ulcers infected with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) reported success (2006, Palliative Medicine)
Manuka honey has been demonstrated as effective against streptococci bacteria in strep throat, athlete’s foot (tinea), ringworm, fungi, protozoa, and other infectious pathogens
Manuka honey is twice as effective as other honey against Escherichia coli and S. aureus
When taken internally, manuka honey boosts immunity and in that way can help fight infections, also encouraging rehydration and reducing the duration of diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach upset
Manuka honey is effective against Helicobacter pylori, a cause of stomach ulcers
Evidence shows that treating acne, cracked skin, sore gums, and eye infections respond well to manuka honey
Acid-producing bacteria in the mouth that degrade teeth enamel were found to have their acid-producing abilities thwarted by manuka honey in the lab, providing treatment options for gingivitis and gum disease

Why manuka honey is great for wounds

Provides an effective barrier to the outside world
Keeps wounds moist
Provides controlled delivery of hydrogen peroxide to wound
Has a rapid effect
Dressings saturated in honey do not stick to wounds
Helps reduce scarring
Stops wounds from smelling bad
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
Anti-biofilm properties

References

The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

Johnston M, McBride M, Dahiya D, Owusu-Apenten R, Nigam PS. Antibacterial activity of Manuka honey and its components: An overview. AIMS Microbiol. 2018;4(4):655-664. Published 2018 Nov 27. doi:10.3934/microbiol.2018.4.655

Merckoll P, Jonassen TØ, Vad ME, Jeansson SL, Melby KK. Bacteria, biofilm and honey: a study of the effects of honey on ‘planktonic’ and biofilm-embedded chronic wound bacteria. Scand J Infect Dis. 2009;41(5):341-347. doi:10.1080/00365540902849383

Lu, J., Cokcetin, N.N., Burke, C.M. et al. Honey can inhibit and eliminate biofilms produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Sci Rep 9, 18160 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54576-2

Lu J, Turnbull L, Burke CM, et al. Manuka-type honeys can eradicate biofilms produced by Staphylococcus aureus strains with different biofilm-forming abilities. PeerJ. 2014;2:e326. Published 2014 Mar 25. doi:10.7717/peerj.326

Liu Michael Y., Cokcetin Nural N., Lu Jing, Turnbull Lynne, Carter Dee A., Whitchurch Cynthia B., Harry Elizabeth J. Rifampicin-Manuka Honey Combinations Are Superior to Other Antibiotic-Manuka Honey Combinations in Eradicating Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms. Frontiers in Microbiology Volume 8 2018 Pages 2653. DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.02653