Honey has been used for thousands of years to heal wounds, but scientists are now researching it for alternatives to antimicrobials.

“We have to do something innovative, otherwise we will face a scenario of a return to the pre-antibiotic stage,” said an expert from Cardiff University, noting that antibiotic resistance is described as a serious threat to global human health.

More than 1.2 million people died worldwide from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in 2019, according to the largest study to date, published in the medical journal The Lancet.

“We’re seeing bacteria evolve that are resistant to almost all antibiotics, and we’re getting closer to the point where the shelf is empty,” said Prof Le Bailey of the university’s School of Pharmacy.

“Before antibiotics, we used herbal and traditional solutions to treat diseases. We have returned to these traditional therapies to see if we can learn something from our ancestors,” he added.

The Key to the “Journey of the Bee”

Researchers are currently studying various honey samples to find out which plants the bees have visited during their lives.

Using this technology, they can see if the bees have landed on a plant that had an antibiotic on it. So scientists try to locate a particular plant and then analyze its compounds.

However, experts believe that the “journey of the bee” will help them discover new antibiotics.

However, research in Cardiff did not come as a surprise to a beekeeper named Griffith.

“I have been raising bees for over 12 years and am fully aware of the health benefits of honey,” he said.

“I hear stories of people buying products from me to put on wounds and heal them. I also hear people talking about how it helps them with allergic rhinitis,” she adds.

Source: BBC