So you can work with Manuka honey* get rid of colds, sniffles and the like more quickly. Here you can find out how it works and how best to take it.
Colds are a pain in the neck. The nose runs and itches. The throat hurts and itches and the cough is persistent. Nobody really feels like that.
But you don't have to take medication right away. Honey has always been considered a natural home remedy against all kinds of colds.
The bees decide which active ingredients are contained in the respective honey jar. Or rather their food source. When you work with Manuka honey* If you want to fight colds, this is a good idea.
But is it really worth the money? After all, one kilogram costs around 70 euros. I took a close look at it.
Table of contents
Try this ginger shot recipe as a cold killer!
What is Manuka Honey?
This is honey. And one from New Zealand, which is made by bees. Purely externally, nothing distinguishes it from a flower honey from Germany.
However has Manuka honey* many positive properties. It can only have these because the bees process the nectar of the South Sea myrtle.
The indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori, have been using manuka as a natural remedy for centuries.
If you have bought one glass and later buy a second one, don't be surprised. Because there can be big differences in the color. Also the content of positive active substances can vary greatly. How the honey turns out, that depends on the location and the growing conditions of the plants.
Is Manuka honey good for colds?
Manuka honey* is considered a powerful helper against viruses, bacteria and fungi. This is because it contains a very special active ingredient: methylglyoxal, which was already used by the Maori in New Zealand as a natural remedy for colds, infections and inflammation.
Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a sugar degradation product. It is only formed directly in the beehive. In principle, MGO occurs in every honey - regardless of whether it comes from Germany, Austria or New Zealand.
The high sugar content deprives bacteria of water. This makes it difficult for them to multiply. The hydrogen peroxide contained also has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect.
In Manuka honey* The active ingredient is present in particularly large quantities. There is no other food that contains as much methylglyoxal as manuka honey from New Zealand. It not only has an antibacterial but also an antiviral effect, says a study from England.
Honey also promises faster relief from coughs. Should you suffer from it, then you can also use this Try DIY cough syrup with thyme, sage and honey!
Methylglyoxal as the wonder drug
And that is what makes it so exciting for our immune system. MGO is an internal and external helper.
If you want to get rid of colds with Manuka honey, then you should look closely at the packaging. Make sure that MGOTM 100+ is written on the jar. Then you can be sure that the MGO value is at least 100 milligrams per kilogram.
Manuka is distinguished with the minimum strengths of 30+, 100+, 250+, 400+ and 550+.
MGO is even said to be able to counteract antibiotic-resistant bacteria. More specifically, it is about the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, which settles in our body when the immune system is weakened.
Another value that can be found on the honey jar is the UMF value. While the MGO value indicates the concentration of methylglyoxal in the honey, you will find the UMF value (Unique Manuka Factor) exclusively on honey that comes from New Zealand.
It sounds a bit complicated, but both values indicate how high the effectiveness of the product is.
- UMF 10+ = MGO 263
- UMF 12+ = MGO 356
- UMF 15+ = MGO 514
- UMF 18 + = MGO 696
and so on.
To be prepared for all kinds of colds, I can recommend you this New Zealand Manuka.
Its MGO value is 400+ and it has the most positive reviews on Amazon.
It comes in a 500 gram jar, if that's too much for you, you can go for the smaller 250 gram jar.
Here you can read up on Manuka!
How does Manuka honey taste?
Although you usually have little sense of taste when you have a cold, this question is quite justified. Manuka honey tastes spicy, tart and a little sweeter than conventional honey.
His question varies from light to dark brown.
You can also buy it in the form of candies. They taste even much sweeter than the honey itself. The reason is that most products contain only a little honey. Instead, a lot of sugar is used.
The honey content is just 5 percent. Therefore, its effect is much less than if you take a spoonful of Manuka honey directly.
How long does it take for Manuka Honey to work?
To test how long it takes for honey to take effect, two U.S. researchers dared to conduct an experiment. They grew two different germs in a Petri dish - namely, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis, which are considered to be the main triggers of bladder infections. They started two experiments.
- In the first plastic dish they put the bacteria with diluted Manuka honey. At 37 degrees, they created the optimal conditions for the bacteria to multiply. They tested how strongly the honey prevents the bacteria from growing.
- In the second experiment, the researchers allowed the bacteria to grow for 24 hours and only then treated them with the diluted honey. These dishes were also placed in the incubator. Now it was to be seen how strongly the honey influenced the newly formed bacterial film.
The results were astonishing. In both cases, the honey kept the bacteria in check. Even a solution containing just 3.3 percent prevented the bacteria from adhering to the plastic tray. After just two days, 35 percent fewer bacteria adhered to the plastic than in a dish without honey treatment.
According to three days there were even 70 percent fewer germs. The results held the scientists around Somadina Emineke of the University of Portsmouth in the Journal of Cinical Pathology where you can read everything in detail.
Something has also happened in the second Petri dish. Here, the bacterial film had already grown before it was treated with honey. When the bacteria were treated with a honey concentration of 16.7 percent for one day, growth was reduced by 46 percent.
How do I take Manuka Honey correctly?
Manuka is effective in many diseases and infections of the respiratory tract (sinusitis, bronchitis, common colds, mild pneumonia). Externally, it can be applied as a wound healing agent for gingivitis.
New Zealand Manuka is also said to have positive properties in gastrointestinal diseases.
Beware of a mistake that most people make! Do not stir honey into hot tea. The heat destroys many of the good components of honey. MGO itself is quite heat stable, but other enzymes become ineffective at temperatures above 40°.
You can take Manuka directly. So just take a teaspoon several times a day.
Do not swallow it immediately, but let it melt slowly on your tongue.
Or you can stir Manuka into a tea that is just the right temperature to drink.
Take preventively
If you are not sick at the moment, but want to keep fit, you can also take it preventively. Then it makes a wonderful addition to muesli, buttered bread or pancakes.
The worse your ailments are, the higher the MGO value should be.
Manuka with MGO 100+ can help with skin problems such as sunburn, herpes, insect bites or itching. If you want to use Manuka honey to prevent colds, sniffles and the like from arising in the first place, MGO 100+ is sufficient. It is significantly cheaper than highly concentrated variants.
If you have a sore throat, cough and a real cold, then reach for at least MGO 250+.
The variant with MGO 500+ is often called a real alternative to antibiotics. It is used for fever, chills, sore throat, sinusitis and the like.
Mild cold? Here's how you can ward off a cold!
Manuka honey for mild cold
Very many colds are viral infections that you can not treat with antibiotics. Because it is an infection, Manuka can be effective for viruses and bacteria due to the anti-inflammatory MGO.
You will also find vitamins, minerals and amino acids that strengthen the immune system and prevent new infections.
If you want to play it safe, take Manuka for four weeks to destroy all bacteria and viruses.
If you don't have a mild cold, but a real cold, you can take Manuka several times a day.
In addition, you should do a nasal irrigation to get the pathogens out of the sinuses.
Strengthen your immune system sustainably with these tricks!
Manuka for sore throat and pharyngitis
If you've got the full works, you can use Manuka Honey for colds with sore throats.
Especially in case of infections in the mouth, it is important that you do not swallow the honey immediately, but let it melt very slowly on your tongue. Move it back and forth in your mouth so that it really catches all pathogens.
After that, you should not eat or drink anything for half an hour, because it can reduce the effectiveness of honey.
When you have a sore throat, it is very important that you drink a lot. Preferably lukewarm teas, which you sweeten with Manuka. For on the road, I can recommend sweets with Manuka honey. But again, do not drink immediately, but wait.
Our conclusion
If you want to get rid of colds with Manuka honey, then this is a good idea. The natural ingredients in honey will make you feel better faster and keep bacteria and viruses at bay.
Get well soon!
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