Healing honey

[Trog]

Beekeepers have known this for a while, but the media seem to be catching up now. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-26296986
Does anyone have a suitable method for making up a honey poultice or dressing at home so that the honey doesn't get everywhere once it's applied?

[Little_John]

Many years ago I worked in the NHS, and we often had patients presenting with chronic leg ulcers. We used Honey Tulle dressings on these, very successfully. Each dressing consisted of an open weave fabric about 4" square, which had been saturated in honey. Something like 25 of these to a square aluminium tin. The 'honey' may well have been processed in some way, as it had the consistency of Vaseline.
Clean the wound, apply the Tulle with forceps, and cover with a perforated papery plastic sort of stuff, followed by a simple cotton bandage - Bingo - new tissue started granulating immediately. Nothing else was as good. There was no mess at all with this product, mainly due to the high viscosity of the honey.

But - dunno if that helps any ...

LJ

[Trog]

I think the mistake I used when I tried it years ago was to use too much honey! This method seems easier, so thanks! I wonder if freezer layering tissue would work as it's the nearest to your description of the perforated papery plastic.

[gavin]

Interesting stuff, thanks.


I wonder if freezer layering tissue would work as it's the nearest to your description of the perforated papery plastic.

If you mean these pads you get under meat in polystyrene trays they may not absorb and release something viscous like honey. Sounds like you'd need some sterile gauze with some honey soaked into it, and something semi-permeable to held it in place? See here for the professional stuff:

http://www.advancis.co.uk/our_products/manuka_honey/activon_tulle/

Papery plastic? Something waterproof but breatheable? Sounds like Tyvek (http://www2.dupont.com/Tyvek/en_US/)- you can get it on Amazon and elsewhere in small amounts.

[Trog]

No, not the meat pads; it's a thin plastic sold by Lakeland for putting between things like home-made burgers when freezing them in stacks. I use it for mackerel so they don't stick together in bags (rather than using one bag per mackerel) but mainly for freezing bacon in packs of 6 slices, having bought in bulk for the B & B. Saves space and plastic bags as the bacon can be closely packed but each set of 6 comes apart easily with a gentle twist from an oyster knife!

[Little_John]

'Twas a l o n g time ago - late 60's IIRC - Johnson & Johnson had not long invented the J-Cloth, and we were given hundreds of boxes of 'em, so that they could then say "as used in hospitals ...". Crafty buggers. Mind you, they were, and still are a damned good product.

The plasticky stuff I referred to might have been a freebie too - can't remember now - it wasn't really essential - just kept the honey 'grease' from leaching out into the bandage.

The nearest 'modern day' product I can compare it with, is the backing layer of some brands of disposable nappies ...

LJ

[Trog]

J-cloths? Great idea - would certainly do the trick. Will try it out next time I get a cut or scrape!