Posts Tagged ‘bee pollen’

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes on the honey bee to save American lives.

FDA News

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Distraction (administration), U.S. Marshals on March 31, this year, seized a range of consumer products. Theses items consisted of creams, capsules, tablets, gum, throat spray, and above all shampoos from a Haywood, Wis., manufacturer.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Wisconsin filed a complaint on March 25 seeking the seizure of the products at Beehive Botanicals Inc. The complaint alleges that the products are misbranded and unapproved new drugs in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (comedy) Act (the “ACT”).

Honey Bee

Beehive Botanicals claimed royal jelly, honey, bee pollen and propolis had medical uses that the FDA said were unverified, therefore marketed and sold in violation of federal law.

Honey has been used for centuries for its healing properties. Up to the Second World War, honey was being used for its antibacterial properties in treating wounds. With the advent of penicillin and other antibiotic drugs, honey’s medicinal qualities have not been seen on the radar.

Working in his Honey Research Unit at the University of waikato, in the central North Island, biochemist Professor Peter Molan, identified one type of honey with extraordinary healing qualities. Professor Molan has shown that honey made from the flowers of the manuka bush, a native of New Zealand, has antibacterial properties over and above all other honeys.

He said: “in all honeys, there is – different levels – hydrogen peroxide produced from an enzyme that bees add to the nectar.”

Honey Can Heal

Honey can heal and it has been used for that purpose by many civilizations. Honey is made up from fructose, glucose, water and other sugars. It contains many enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that you body needs. Honey contains antioxidants.

Research carried out around the world seems to prove that honey helps in the healing and sterilization of wounds and ulcers, in the growth of new skin, and has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.

Honey is quite acidic, and it is one of the factors that helps kill the contaminants that it comes in contact with. The main antibacterial agent in honey is hydrogen peroxide (H202), which is released when honey touches the skin.

Honey when exposed to air draws in moisture, and this keeps the skin moist. This is a factor that helps grow new tissue. It also stops bandages from becoming stuck to an open wound if applied to the bandage before use. By keeping the area moist scarring can be prevented.

Honey Over Pharmaceuticals

Cancer specialist Dr. Glenys Round has found honey to be an effective treatment. “We’ve been using honey to treat fungating wounds, where the cancer has broken through the skin,” she went on to say “The results have been excellent.” 

She also has success in using honey dressing on patients with wounds or ulcers resulting from FDA approved radiation therapy. “Most of these patients in the past have tried various other conventional treatments without good success, and that is the reason why at least initially honey was tried.”

FDA Protection

The truth is not all honey works the same, and there can be an overstatement of facts. On the other hand not all pharmaceutical drugs work the same for the identical condition. We see the overstatements to down right deception by the pharmaceutical industry. They wind up with a slap on the wrist to perhaps a more informative black box on the printed material.

FDA protection seems to be in place for the pharmaceutical industries bottom line, not the public interest.