A manuka honey gel applied to horse’s leg wounds led to 27 percent faster healing times.
A simple application of honey to horses' leg wounds results in smaller wound sizes and faster healing time, University of Sydney researchers have found. Honey has been used to treat wounds in humans since ancient Egypt, but this study, using manuka honey from New Zealand, is the first time in the world a clinical trial has been conducted in horses. "Wounds in horses, particularly leg wounds, have long healing periods. But we found applying a manuka honey gel throughout healing led to 27 percent faster healing times," said lead researcher Andrea Bischofberger. "Wounds in horses which received no treatment took an average of 64 days to heal, while those treated with manuka honey gel took 47 days to heal," said Bischofberger, who will present her findings this Friday 1 July at a veterinary science conference. "In our pilot study we used pure honey, but in our second study we used a water-based manuka honey gel of 66 percent honey. When applied for 12 days we found these wounds healed just as well as those treated with pure honey." Using a manuka honey gel means expensive bandages can be avoided, Bischofberger explained.
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