AN Australian Certified Organic (ACO) honey company has launched a medicinal grade honey derived from a native Australian plant.
The honey contains more potent levels of non-peroxide active antibacterial activity than are recorded in any other product on the market worldwide.
Research has highlighted the potential of the honey to act as a medical agent with the capacity to kill harmful bacteria.
It also reportedly strengthens immune systems and aids in the recovery of everything from strep throat to skin wounds and scars.
The ‘wonder honey’ will be marketed under the trade name Berringa Honey.
That's a subsidiary of the Australian Organic Honey Company which has produced high grade Australian Eucalypt honey for food consumption for the past 20 years.
The honey reportedly contains un-matched levels of Methylglyoxal (MG) - a compound naturally formed in honey as a result of chemical reactions by green photosynthesising plants.
MG activity in Berringa honey, made under a certified organic production system from the native genus Leptospermum Polygalifolium (a type of tea tree), has been recorded consistently at levels of + 1,600 mg/kg.
This is claimed to be well ahead of regular honey, which typically has not been found to contain levels in excess of 5 mg/kg (2).
Peter Woodward, founder of the Australian Organic Honey Company, says he was astonished when research conducted over six years revealed unheard of levels of antibacterial activity in his product.
“We realised we had found something in Australia that was incredibly unique – a honey product with higher levels of MG activity than has been verified anywhere else in the world!” he says.
Giles Tilley, CEO of Berringa says the difference comes down to plants.
“Berringa honey is solely derived from bee activity around the Australian native Leptospermum Polygalifolium," he says.
“The (cultivated) plant occupies coastal habitats and only grows in a small area from the north coast of New South Wales and Southern Queensland in Australia”. (Leptospermum Polygalifolium grows uncultivated from the south coast of New South Wales to Cape York in Northern Queensland).
“Our hives are placed only in the vicinity of the flowering genus and harvested honey is not mixed with pollen from any other varieties. And because of our certified organic status, we keep well away from chemically treated trees.”
Berringa now joins Manuka Honey, harvested from a similar plant in New Zealand, in catering to the world’s increasing demand for medicinal honey products.
Mr. Woodward says market interest has already been “phenomenal”.
“We have launched in the UK and Japan and in both countries we received an extremely high level of interest. We predict the bulk of our medi-honey market will be for export.”
Mr. Woodward says Berringa honey is expected to be available in Australia from the end of September 2009 – “initially in health stores followed by chemists”.
The first round of Berringa honey to be made commercially available in Australia will contain MG levels of around 550 mg/kg in a 175g container.
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