Manuka Honey - is it value for money?

[Marmora Man]

I was shopping for honey today and realised that the manuka+ honey that occassionally appears in Marmora Land is up to 6 times as expensive as "ordinary" organic honey. (?10.99 v ?1.79).

Why?

Is it:

6 x tastier?

6 x better for me?

6 x more packed with nutrition?

[Brendan]

Doubt it. And it probably comes all the way from 'stralia.

[Brendan]

Just think about how far those poor bees have to fly.

[david_carnell]

According to their website:

UMF Manuka Honey can help...

Stomach ulcers

Sore throats & colds

Skin ulcers, wounds, boils

Burns & pressure sores

Infections & MRSA

Hmmmm....

[Brendan]

Apparently it contains enzymes which produce hydrogen peroxide which is antibacterial. All honey is antibacterial to some degree (helps protect the baby bees) but according to them this stuff is more so.

So if you are using it to dress infected wounds or cure botulism perhaps it is worth it.

[snorky]

its sugar

there is no bad or good sugar, there are just slighty different chemical variations of sugar.

whether is scraped off Lewisham street fighting and stabbing bees with a crack habit & TB or from pampered Overseas bees that live in 24 carat Gilded hives, there is no difference apart from taste.

The sugar in this honey is not more a cure all than a can of panda cola at the end of the day.

Go to the Wildlife garden in SE15. Buy Honey produced from their bees. sit back. enjoy.

dont believe the shopkeeper hype.

[Mikecg]

So do you actually ingest it or rub it on the affected area, Imagine trying that in the middle of summer you could get attacked by a swarm of killer bees.

[Huguenot]

Sounds like one for Ben Goldacre

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Sounds like Mrs Mamora is in for a lecture tonight!

[snorky]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Apparently it contains enzymes which produce

> hydrogen peroxide which is antibacterial. All

> honey is antibacterial to some degree (helps

> protect the baby bees) but according to them this

> stuff is more so.

>

> So if you are using it to dress infected wounds or

> cure botulism perhaps it is worth it.

Or you could use a common or garden antibacterla topical cream.for about 1/1000 of the price, perish the thought.

If you dont believe in the healing properties of crude yet proven pharmacologiocal compounds, you could of course use magic heated stones, empowering crystals or any range of new age homeopathic toss to treat your wond

[Brendan]

Honey can be used to dress wounds and it does stop them from getting infected to a degree because part of its natural function is to be slightly antibiotic.

Good tip if you are out in the wilderness, badly injured and still have the energy to smoke out a hive and harvest some wild honey.

Not some miracle cure thought that will be any more beneficial than some savlon or soap and water.

In general though I think most people stick to eating it rather than rubbing it on themselves to save on Elastoplasts.

[mockney piers]

Could you catch a honey monster with it?

I bet its pelt fetches a pretty penny on the black market!!

[jumpinjackflash]

me mum buys that crap..I slathered it on my face with some granulated sugar to use as a facial scrub and she wasn't best pleased.

[*Bob*]

Mrs *Bob* has a tub of this bloody stuff in the fridge.

I have to hold my tongue, lest she bring-up overpriced vintage lamps, motorcycles that hardly get used and excessive consumption of pinot noir.

[dukesdenver]

I was given some as a gift - it's tasty and there's a definite whiff of TCP about it which I rather like but I wouldn't spend my own money on it.

Maybe I'd think differently if I was afflicted with boils :).

[????]

I've a similar problem *Bob* but more in that Mrs Quids' credir crunch reaction to any blatantly expensive food product is to consider growing our own, so I'll keep the myth of the wonder of this stuff alive for fear of my last patch of ipod listening, stella drinking, sunbathing, garden being taken up by some Hives

[Mikecg]

Question, why would you want to keep a Bee Hive

Answer, because you get a buzz out of it.

Sorry wrong thread.

[standswithfist]

Mamora Man - its actually from New Zealand and we are off there on Wednesday! We can bring you some back for free if you like ;-)

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Sounds like a rip-off.

Don't get stung M8...

[woofmarkthedog]

Try the Mediterranean shop on LSL see if they stock Pure mountain honey from Crete it's produced in a careful and natural way and tastes delicious. It is also some times known as Greek Tymne honey. Essentially the cheaper honey has been made by assisting bees with their feeding by way of sugar solution so lacks any real flavor. Makuna is nice but pricey

[BigPhil]

try Aratika honey , made from bees off my dads farmlet back in NZ

you can buy it at NZ shop in royal arcade, off haymarket about ?3 per pot

[alice]

reminds me...years ago i was sleeping out in Mexico, got bored, thought my skin could do with an impromtu beauty treatment, so slathered it with this honey. next morning I woke to see my cheeks from my eye and a hord of minute spiders tucking in.

[*Bob*]

I'm told that the reason Manuka honey is so expensive is because in order to get the finest flavour, every bee has to be individually milked by the light of a full moon. By a virgin.

[spark67]

a Japanese virgin at that who's bloodline can be traced right back through the imperial line

[ruffers]

There's different grades of it, the prices vary drastically between them. UMF factor or something they call it, I bought some when I was in NZ for a fraction of the price here.

Nice honey. All that UMF stuff is a load of old pony though I reckon.