EDUCATION

10 minute read

Essential Takeaways

Essential Takeaways

Manuka honey can effectively support the healing of mild, superficial, first-degree burns and sunburns at home — but this page is educational only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment.

Manuka honey has a higher level of antibacterial properties compared to other types of honey and has been closely studied for its potential in modern medicine, though much of that evidence comes from laboratory and animal research rather than human burn trials.

Using a high UMF™ grade is generally associated with more of the antibacterial compound methylglyoxal, though — as newer laboratory research shows — a higher number on the label doesn't always guarantee stronger antibacterial performance in every test.

Approximately every minute, someone in the United States gets a burn bad enough to require medical treatment.

Most of these burns occur at home from household appliances, cooking, eating, sun exposure, and serving hot drinks.

If you've sustained a surface-level burn yourself, you'll be happy to know that there's an age-old at-home remedy that modern science has taken a real interest in.

Curious what it is? It's golden and very tasty…

In this guide on using manuka honey for burns:

• Honey on burns: an age-old remedy
• How does honey help your burn?
• Why manuka honey is the best honey for burns?
• Which UMF™ grade is best for burns?
• Which burns you can treat at home with manuka honey?
• How to apply it?
• What about manuka honey for sunburns?
• When to seek help?
• Cautions and important safety notes
• Get some for your first aid kit today

Honey For Burns: An Age-Old Remedy

Using honey in medicine is far from a new idea.

In fact, honey was used by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese, and Romans, as well as in Ayurvedic Indian medicine.

More recently, there's mention of using it in medicine in records from the 1930s.

Following Dr Peter Molan's groundbreaking research in the 1980s into the special qualities of New Zealand's manuka honey, further studies have explored its medical potential.

"After having served an important role in the medical tradition of many peoples for millennia, honey was "rediscovered" by modern medicine as a topical agent for treating wounds and burns."

- Study in the US National Library of Medicine

It's worth being upfront, though, that "rediscovered by modern medicine" doesn't mean every question has been settled. As we'll see below, much of the research into manuka honey and wounds so far comes from laboratory dishes, animal models, and small clinical studies of chronic ulcers — not large trials on human burns specifically. That doesn't make the tradition or the science meaningless; it just means the honest answer is "promising, with caveats," rather than "proven cure."

Let's look at why that might be.

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How Does Honey Help Your Burn?

You can heal a mild burn quickly and naturally with pure, raw honey. With its antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, honey is a versatile healing agent.

Here's how:

• The antibacterial properties in honey help it draw moisture out of the environment and dehydrate the bacteria, speeding up the healing process.

• Honey's high acidity (an average pH of 4.4) can reduce wound colonisation and infection.

• Honey's high sugar content has an osmotic effect which prevents the growth of bacteria.

• Honey contains both aqueous and lipophilic antioxidants which can decrease damage to the cells and also inflammation.

• Its hydrogen peroxide content is continuously produced by enzymes and remains below the level that causes inflammatory effects - which helps to further promote antibacterial activity.

When you smother honey onto a burn (or wound), a few things happen.

First, it seals off the area of the burn to prevent attack from microbes.

Secondly, it keeps the burn hydrated whilst it destroys any bacteria.

These effects working in tandem help to protect and heal the burn fast.

The pH point above is more than a footnote. A small, open-label clinical study of 17 patients with 20 chronic venous, arterial, or pressure ulcers found that manuka honey dressings applied for two weeks were associated with a statistically significant drop in wound surface pH, and that the greater the pH reduction, the greater the reduction in wound size. This is preliminary clinical evidence from chronic ulcers — not burns — and it did not include a control group, so it can't be generalised directly to first-degree burns or sunburn. It's also worth flagging that these were medical-grade wound dressings used under clinical supervision, not a self-care recipe using a jar of food-grade honey from the pantry. Still, it's a useful real-world data point suggesting the pH-lowering mechanism described above isn't purely theoretical.

There's also preclinical evidence from animal models. In one rat study, daily topical manuka honey applied to surgically created excision wounds achieved faster wound contraction and epithelialisation than acacia honey or standard treatment — including in diabetic rats. This is animal-model evidence using excision (cut) wounds, not burns, and it hasn't been confirmed in human burn patients. If you have diabetes, this finding shouldn't be read as a green light for self-treating wounds or burns with honey — please speak with your treating clinician, since diabetic wound healing has its own considerations (more on this below).

Different types of honey are better at this than others.

Why Manuka Honey Is The Best Honey For Burns

Manuka honey is used by doctors and vets throughout the world for burns thanks to its superior antibacterial properties and the fact that it has a dedicated grading system, ensuring quality and authenticity.

Let's take a closer look at these two important factors.

The effects of manuka honey offer superior antibacterial properties

In the 1980s, pioneering researcher Peter Molan and his associates found that the antibacterial activity in manuka honey was different to other types of honey.

It was found in 1962 that the antibacterial activity in honey is due to the natural presence of antiseptic hydrogen peroxide.

However, Molan discovered that manuka honey samples retained their full antibacterial activity after the present hydrogen peroxide was destroyed.

"Subsequent testing… revealed that manuka honey was the only type of honey to have a significant amount of non-peroxide antibacterial activity."

- Dr Peter Molan

Therefore, Manuka honey is unique in having non-peroxide antibacterial activity.

Why is this important?

The non-peroxide antibacterial activity is stable. It doesn't lose its active properties when it is exposed to heat and light, or over time in storage.

Manuka honey is more likely to retain this antibacterial activity for longer, so you can feel confident that you're getting the best that this special honey has to offer.

Decades after Molan's original observations, laboratory chemical analysis has gone on to identify the specific compound responsible for this non-peroxide activity: methylglyoxal (MGO). MGO has been measured at levels up to 100 times higher in manuka honey than in most other honeys. It's worth being precise about what this tells us — this is a chemical identification finding from in-vitro (test tube) assays, not a burn-healing study in people. It explains why manuka honey behaves differently in the lab; it doesn't, on its own, prove a particular clinical outcome on a burn.

It's also worth being honest that manuka honey's antibacterial reputation, while well-earned, isn't necessarily unique in the world of honey. Laboratory comparisons have found that some other monofloral honeys — for example, Ulmo honey from Chile — can match or even exceed manuka honey's antibacterial activity against MRSA in bacterial-culture testing. This doesn't undermine the case for manuka honey, which remains one of the most extensively studied and best-characterised honeys available, with a robust grading and traceability system behind it (more on that below). But it's a useful reminder that "antibacterial" isn't a property manuka honey invented or monopolises — and that most of this evidence, for manuka and its rivals alike, comes from laboratory bacterial cultures rather than clinical burn outcomes.

But more than that, manuka honey has its own grading system to ensure that the product you buy is legitimate.

Manuka honey can be certified as genuine by the UMFHA

There are over one million metric tons of honey produced every year.

Unfortunately, not all of it is genuine. This is particularly true when it comes to manuka honey.

When you're buying honey to treat a burn at home, you don't want to risk using honey that may have been contaminated.

You want the real deal.

What's more, you need medical-grade manuka honey.

Anything above UMF™ 10+ is considered to be medical-grade honey.

The Unique Mānuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) created the UMF™ grading system to ensure that manuka honey jars in circulation with a UMF™ certificate are genuine and authentic.

This protects both the consumers and beekeepers from a dark market of counterfeit products.

"Confusingly there is now honey being sold as "Active Manuka Honey" where the seller is referring to antibacterial activity that is due to hydrogen peroxide just like in all other types of honey, and not to the non-peroxide type of antibacterial activity that is unique to manuka honey and jelly bush honey."

- Dr Peter Molan****

Buying UMF™ grade manuka honey is the only way to ensure the honey has passed rigorous testing and is held to a very high standard.

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Which UMF™ Grade Manuka Honey Is Best For Burn Wounds?

UMF™ grades are directly related to the amount of methylglyoxal (MGO) in the manuka honey, the compound associated with that valuable non-peroxide antibacterial activity.

The higher the UMF™ grade, the more MGO in the honey and the greater its potential benefits will be.

For this reason, it's best to use the higher grades topically for medical treatments.

We recommend one of the following:

• Manuka Honey UMF™ 20+ | MGO 829+

• Manuka Honey UMF™ 24+ | MGO 1122+

• Manuka Honey UMF™ 26+ | MGO 1282+

• Manuka Honey UMF™ 28+ | MGO 1450+

While the lower grades are good for eating, using in recipes, and applying in beauty routines, the higher grades are the most suitable for medical applications.

That said, a higher number on the jar isn't a guarantee of stronger real-world antibacterial punch in every single case. In one laboratory study, researchers tested UMF 5+, 10+, and 15+ manuka honey from a single manufacturer against 128 bacterial isolates taken from wounds. Surprisingly, the lower-UMF honey was sometimes just as effective — or more effective — at inhibiting bacterial growth as the higher-UMF honey. The authors concluded that UMF grade alone may not reliably predict antibacterial performance, and suggested the result may partly reflect natural changes in methylglyoxal content over storage time. This was in-vitro testing on bacterial isolates in a lab, not a study of burns or wound healing in people, so it shouldn't be read as advice to buy a lower grade instead. But it's a good reminder that UMF™ grading is best understood as a floor of quality assurance and a useful proxy for MGO content, rather than a precise dial that guarantees proportionally faster healing at every increment.

A related, small materials-science study offers a similar note of caution: when manuka honey of varying UMF grades was incorporated into experimental tissue-engineering scaffolds (a kind of research wound dressing), no significant difference in bacterial clearance was observed between the grades tested. Again, this was a small in-vitro study using specialised research dressings — not food-grade honey applied to human skin — so it should be treated as preliminary and not extrapolated to your kitchen jar of manuka honey.

Putting this together: choosing a certified, high-UMF™, medical-grade manuka honey remains a sensible, evidence-informed choice for topical use, because certification guarantees authenticity and a known MGO floor. Just hold the assumption that "UMF 28+ will always outperform UMF 10+ on your skin" loosely — the laboratory evidence on that specific point is mixed.

Read more: How much UMF™ is enough?

Which Burns Can You Treat At Home Using Manuka Honey

You can consider applying manuka honey as a supportive measure for mild, superficial burns yourself, alongside sensible first-aid practices — but this is general information, not a treatment protocol, and it doesn't replace advice from a clinician.

Typical burns from accidents at home can often be managed without going to the doctor.

These are commonly known as first-degree burns.

You can manage small and mild burns with manuka honey and may see an improved condition within a few days, though healing speed varies from person to person.

For medium or severe burns that are blistering, you must not delay getting professional medical care.

Is Manuka Honey Good For Sun Damaged Skin?

Manuka honey is also considered by many as a supportive remedy for helping sunburns feel more comfortable while they heal, with potentially less irritation and scarring — though, as with burns generally, most of the underlying research is laboratory- or animal-based rather than large human sunburn trials.

Here's why:

• Its moisturising, humectant effects help prevent the skin from drying out, creating a suitable environment for healing. This can reduce the level of peeling and itchiness as your sunburn heals.
• Its soothing effects reduce the feeling of discomfort.
• Its anti-inflammatory properties reduce swelling.
• Its antibiotic properties prevent infections from entering and causing nasty complications.
• The low pH and high sugar content, combined with the antibacterial benefits of methylglyoxal (MGO), create a protective barrier on the skin.
• Manuka honey can help reduce or remove scarring that can appear from burns by helping your sunburn heal fully and completely.

But how do you apply manuka honey to your sunburn, and how long does it need to stay on the skin to get the best healing effects? Let's take a look...

How To Apply Manuka Honey To Your Burn

It's generally considered safe by many to apply manuka honey directly to a mild burn or wound, and doing so allows it to get to work straight away. As always, this is general information rather than personalised medical instruction, so check with a healthcare provider if you're unsure, especially for anything beyond a very minor burn.

Here's how some people take care of a mild burn at home:

1. Clean the wound with a saline solution.

2. Spread manuka honey onto your wound, making sure it covers the entire affected area. The amount you should use depends on the size of the burn.

3. Cover it with a dry sterile gauze dressing.

4. Change the dressing at least daily for a few days.

5. Reevaluate how it's going.

This last step is very important as you need to monitor your healing progress — and to seek medical attention promptly if things aren't improving or appear to be getting worse.

Is Manuka Honey Good For Sun Damaged Skin?

Manuka honey is also an effective remedy for helping sunburns heal faster with less irritation, complications and scarring.

Here's why:

• Its moisturising, humectant effects help prevent the skin from drying out, creating a suitable environment for healing. This can reduce the level of peeling and itchiness as your sunburn heals.
• Its soothing effects reduce the feeling of discomfort.
• Its anti-inflammatory properties reduce swelling.
• Its antibiotic properties prevent infections from entering and causing nasty complications.
• The low pH and high sugar content, combined with the antibacterial benefits of methylglyoxal (MGO), create a protective barrier on the skin.
• Manuka honey can help reduce or remove scarring that can appear from burns by helping your sunburn heal fully and completely.

But how do you apply manuka honey to your sunburn, and how long does it need to stay on the skin to get the best healing effects? Let's take a look...

How long to leave manuka honey on a sunburn

If you are using pure, raw manuka honey on your sunburn, apply a thin layer and leave it on the affected area for 20-30 minutes. This allows the manuka honey to soak in and the healing effects to begin taking place.

After waiting for 20-30 minutes, wipe off the manuka honey with a warm, moist cloth. Depending on the severity of your sunburn, you can repeat this process a few times daily for faster healing.

Some people also report great results from mixing manuka honey into aloe vera gel or other moisturisers that are suitable for their skin. This helps to boost the effects of your existing skincare products.

When To Seek Help For Your Burn

If this approach doesn't appear to be helping at home, or you think your burn is getting worse, you'll need to see a doctor promptly.

While manuka honey has been studied for its potential to reduce healing time in wounds and ulcers, and is used by some hospitals and vets around the world, each case is different, and burns specifically have not been the subject of large human clinical trials.

Your doctor or medical professional will be able to give you the best advice for your specific situation.

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Cautions And Important Safety Notes

Before using manuka honey on any burn, sunburn, or wound, please keep the following in mind:

• This page is for general health information only and is not medical advice, a treatment recommendation, or a substitute for professional care. It does not provide dosing, application instructions, or a self-treatment protocol for burns.

• Never give honey of any kind to infants under 12 months old, due to the risk of infant botulism. This applies to all honey types, including manuka, whether taken orally or used on skin near the mouth.

• All evidence summarised here comes from laboratory (in-vitro), animal, or small non-randomised studies on wounds or ulcers — not from clinical trials on human burns specifically. None of it should be read as proof that manuka honey treats or cures burns.

• Burns that are severe, deep, large, blistering, infected, associated with high fever, or slow to heal require prompt assessment by a clinician or emergency medical care — this page is not a substitute for that assessment.

• People with diabetes should be aware that methylglyoxal, manuka honey's key active compound, has been flagged in the scientific literature as a theoretical — not proven — concern for wound healing, because it is a glycating agent linked to advanced glycation end-products that are implicated in impaired diabetic wound repair. The commentary raising this concern explicitly calls for randomised controlled trials to test whether it's a real clinical risk, and no such trial results are available yet. This is not evidence that manuka honey harms diabetic wound healing in practice, but people with diabetes should discuss any wound or burn care, including the use of honey, with their treating clinician rather than self-managing.

• A distinction should be maintained between food-grade manuka honey sold for consumption and medical-grade manuka honey wound dressings, which are manufactured, sterilised, and regulated differently; findings about one should not be assumed to apply to the other.

• If you are pregnant or caring for a young child, discuss any topical or wound-care product, including manuka honey, with a clinician before use.

Get Medical-Grade Manuka Honey from New Zealand Honey Co.

If you're thinking about using manuka honey to support the care of a mild burn, it's important that what you buy is top quality, pure and is certified to be genuine.

Our independently tested monofloral manuka honey is UMF™-graded, glyphosate-free, and produced and packaged exclusively in New Zealand.

We work with the most responsible beekeepers throughout the country to ensure that you get the best quality, most ethical product for your burns.

Learn more about our accreditations and certifications here.

Heal your burns the way nature intended — and always in consultation with a healthcare professional when in doubt.

We only deal with real.

Shop for your manuka honey here.****

Manuka Honey for Burns FAQs

Get quick answers to your burning (ouch) manuka honey burn questions:

Can you put medical-grade honey directly on a wound?

Many people apply medical-grade manuka honey directly to a wound, and it's generally considered safe for most people to do so. It's always best to get proper medical advice when using anything for medical purposes. Manuka honey may help lock moisture into a wound and limit bacterial growth, though claims about tissue regeneration go beyond what's been firmly established in human burn studies specifically.

Do hospitals use honey to treat burns?

Yes, some doctors and vets use manuka honey as part of the care of certain burns and wounds. Reported advantages include a low side-effect profile compared with many medications, and no recorded antibacterial resistance so far — unlike some traditional antibiotic treatments. That said, clinical decisions are made case-by-case, and hospital use doesn't equate to a universal recommendation for home self-treatment.

Does heat destroy the benefits of manuka honey?

Yes, heat can destroy the beneficial compounds found in manuka honey. Temperatures above 37℃/98.6℉ (the typical temperature of the beehive) are likely to compromise its antibacterial activity. When consuming manuka honey, make sure food or drinks have cooled below this level first.

How fast does manuka honey heal wounds?

The effect of honey varies based on the type of wound, the reaction of the patient, and the grade of manuka honey. Partial thickness burns will typically heal faster than full-thickness burns. Higher UMF™ grades contain greater concentrations of methylglyoxal, which is associated with antibacterial activity, so theoretically these higher grades might support faster healing than lower grades. However, at least one laboratory study comparing UMF 5+, 10+, and 15+ honey from the same manufacturer found that a higher UMF number didn't always translate into stronger antibacterial performance against wound bacteria — so grade is one factor among many, not a guarantee.

How do you apply manuka honey to an open wound?

It's a good idea to clean the wound thoroughly before using manuka honey in a dressing. You can simply lather the honey on, but you'll need to sit still and prevent it from coming into contact with clothing or anything else that might rub it off. By covering it with a dressing, you can help keep the honey in contact with the skin for long enough to get to work. If the wound is deep, large, or not improving, seek medical care rather than continuing self-treatment.

What type of manuka honey is best for wound healing?

High UMF™ medical-grade manuka honey is generally recommended for wound and burn care. Technically, anything above UMF™ 10+ is considered medical grade, but it's possible to get grades up to UMF™ 28+ - so, in general, higher is a reasonable choice, though (as covered above) laboratory testing suggests grade alone isn't a perfect predictor of antibacterial strength in every sample.

Does manuka honey affect wound pH, and does that matter?

A small clinical study of people with chronic leg and pressure ulcers found that manuka honey dressings significantly lowered the pH of the wound surface over two weeks, and that greater pH reduction was linked to greater reduction in wound size. Lower wound pH is thought to be associated with a more favourable healing environment. This was a small, non-randomised study without a control group, conducted on chronic ulcers rather than burns, using medical-grade dressings under clinical supervision — so it's a useful signal rather than definitive proof for burn care specifically.

Is manuka honey safe for people with diabetes to use on wounds or burns?

This is genuinely an open question. Animal research has shown promising wound-healing effects of manuka honey in diabetic rats, but separately, a published commentary has raised a theoretical concern that methylglyoxal — manuka honey's main active compound — could in principle interfere with wound healing in people with diabetes, due to its role in forming advanced glycation end-products. No randomised controlled trial has tested this in humans yet. Given the uncertainty, anyone with diabetes should talk to their treating clinician before using manuka honey on any wound or burn.

Read more: when to use manuka honey on wounds.

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