What is so special about Manuka honey?

Well, Manuka Honey is a variety of monofloral honey produced in New Zealand. That's all. Let me readdress the questions - What makes MANUKA UMF® Rated honey so special? This is a better question to answer more in detail.

What makes Manuka UMF® rated honey so special is its antibacterial property found only in Manuka Honey. UMF® stands for Unique Manuka Factor. This is due to its unique factor found ONLY in manuka honey and it is exactly this unique factor that makes is so outstanding among all other honey in terms of antibacterial property.

What is the difference between Active Manuka honey and Manuka UMF® honey?

All honey has certain levels of antibacterial properties. Some honey has higher levels and some has lower levels. The mechanism that honey kills bacteria is classified as follows - low moisture content, low pH (acidic) and hydrogen peroxide. In most if not all cases, the main factor for antibacterial property of honey is hydrogen peroxide. Honey which has undergone laboratory testing to evaluate its antibacterial level is termed as "Active" followed by a number which indicate its strength. Therefore all honey which has undergone lab testing can be rated as a "Active" honey eg. Manuka, Rewarewa and Wild Flora.

Manuka UMF® Rated honey has an additional mechanism to kill bacteria and this Unique Manuka Factor is only found in some Manuka Honey. Professor Peter Molan of University of Waikato’s Honey Research Unit in Hamilton, New Zealand conducted experiments on New Zealand honey to evaluate its antibacterial property and found that certain Manuka Honey is at least 30 times stronger when compared to regular honey. More research has led to the discovery of an additional antibacterial mechanism other than those found in normal honey which kills bacterial via a non-hydrogen peroxide pathway and he termed this non-peroxidase pathway as Unique Manuka Factor (UMF®). The level of antibacterial property is detected by special scientific testing using criteria established by the Honey Research Unit. Gribbles Analytical Laboratories in Hamilton, New Zealand, is the only laboratory approved to carry out UMF® testing.

Due to confusion of the labeling system of Manuka Honey, Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) of New Zealand has standardise the labeling process. The word "Active" and "UMF®" cannot be used together as it has different meaning. "Active" honey has antibacterial property found in all honey while "UMF®" has antibacterial property which is unique in certain Manuka Honey. This change is enforced in 2008. All new batches of Manuka honey has to be labeled with accordance to AMHA.

Checklist for Genuine UMF® Manuka Honey

UMF® is the registered trademark of the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) and can only be used by licensed users registered with AMHA. In order to be a licensed user, they have to meet stringent criteria listed by AMHA which include regular monitoring and auditing of the quality of their honey.

Genuine UMF® Manuka Honey complies with all five of the following criteria:

1. It has the name UMF® clearly stated on the front label.
2. It is packed into jars and labelled in New Zealand.
3. It is from a New Zealand company licensed to use the name UMF®.
4. It has the UMF® licensee’s name on the front label.
5. It has a rating of UMF10 or more.

Health benefit of Manuka UMF® Honey

In laboratory testings and clinical studies, Manuka UMF® rated honey has been found to be effective against a wide range of bacteria and the very resistant strains of helicobacter pylori (causes stomach ulcers), antibiotic resistant staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (wound infecting), and streptococcus pyogenes (causes sore throats). These studies indicate and proven the effectiveness of Manuka UMF® rated honey in intestinal and throat health. In terms of application onto skin, studies has shown that it effective in assisting the natural healing of skin ulcers, wounds, burns, boils and cracked skins.

Please follows the checklist when buying Manuka UMF® honey to ensure that you are getting what you are paying for! Ignorance is not bliss when purchasing Manuka Honey.