> You could wonder what kind of response honey would trigger in people that have
> a history of allergic reactions, honey might then not be so harmless perhaps?

I have never heard of honey being a topical allergen. Truth is, ingested 
honey is not even close to being an allergen, even with all the pollen 
and other things floating around in it. Here is a typical study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8607570&dopt=Abstract

I have many people with pollen allergies ask specifically for honey that 
may have that pollen since they feel it helps desensitize them. Maybe 
so. The certainly have no problem with the honey but do have problems 
with airborne pollen.

A quick google search would have confirmed what I just noted, so a 
little prudence is in order when indicting honey for something it is not.

As far as wound treatment, I use honey from my bees and it works just 
fine. In the archives are many posts about the trials that I ran with my 
  Doctor who operated on both of my hands. He was impressed with the use 
of honey as a topical wound treatment, especially since the results of 
my healing was impressive (quick and early use of my hands).

The key ingredient in honey used for wounds is glucose oxidase which, 
with enzymes, creates gluconic acid and also hydrogen peroxide when 
water is present. So the level of glucose oxidase and enzymes is the key 
to the healing activity level of the specific honey. I know that the 
Aussies are promoting their honey as superior, but wonder if we are 
looking at a matter of degree, when enough does the job but "we can make 
even more" than enough. I flooded my wound site with honey, so even if 
it may not have been as "active" as other honey, there was more than 
enough to do the job and do it well.

China uses honey for burn treatments which works better than most other 
treatments. So the source of the honey does not seem to be a major issue.

One other thing, which is essential. It must be "raw" honey, never 
heated since you need the enzymes to do the job. Also, the level of 
glucose is important, but that is usually achieved by the bees when they 
"age" the gathered nectar/honey.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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