UNAIR NEWS – Black honey has the potential to accelerate the healing of wounds infected with Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria. According to Dr. Willy Sandhika dr., M.Si., Sp.PA(K), a lecturer of the Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), black honey with a bitter taste has more benefits than ordinary honey.
The source of the bitter taste of black honey comes from the alkaloid compounds commonly found in mahogany trees. In addition to alkaloids, black honey also contains several other substances that are good for health, such as saponins and flavonoids.
“The benefits of black honey are suspected of having health benefits, such as maintaining the body’s immune system and accelerating the wound healing process,” he said.
To prove the effectiveness of black honey in wound healing, Dr. Willy Sandhika with his colleagues conducted research on the benefits of administering honey to healing wounds infected with bacteria. There were 24 white Wistar rats used as experimental models cut on the back skin and divided into 4 groups.
“The experiment was carried out for five days, and on the 5th day, microscopic examination of the wound tissue was carried out to determine the inflammatory and healing processes that occurred in the white rats’ skin wounds,” he explained.
Administering black honey topically, according to Dr. Willy, in infected wounds for five days has proven to reduce the degree of inflammation in the wound area caused by infection with Staphylococcus bacteria. Black honey, which is rich in flavonoids and phenolic compounds, showed to have anti-inflammatory effects. On microscopic examination, it showed that the number of capillaries and the number of macrophages inflammatory cells in the group of white rats smeared with black honey was significantly less than the number of capillaries and macrophage inflammatory cells in the white rats without black honey.
“The bacterial infection will increase inflammation so that it slows down the wound healing process. On the other hand, giving black honey to wounds can reduce inflammation, thereby accelerating the healing of wounds infected with Staphylococcus bacteria,” he concluded.
Author: Khefti Al Mawalia
Source:
Fanny Gunawan, Willy Sandhika, Nurul Wiqoyah. 2021. Effectiveness of Black Honey As An Antiinflammatory Substance in Rat’s Wound Infected by Staphylococcus Aureus. Jurnal Berkala Ilmu Kesehatan Kulit dan Kelamin, Vol 33, No 1.
Link: https://e-journal.unair.ac.id/BIKK/article/view/20867
