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Healthnotes Newswire (July 10, 2008)—When applied to the skin, honey may help prevent and treat skin diseases caused by bacteria, according to a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. As the number of antibiotic-resistant infections increases, alternative solutions are needed for infections.

Some research has already demonstrated that honey may help with wound healing. In the new study, Revamil, a medical-grade honey, was effective in killing or reducing many types of bacteria on the skin of healthy volunteers, including bacteria that are susceptible to or resistant to antibiotics.

Compared with the control group, bacteria on the forearm were reduced 100-fold after honey was applied for two days, and more than 80% of the honey-treated skin patches showed no evidence of bacteria compared with only 21% of the control patches. Test tube studies also showed that within 24 hours honey killed all antibiotic-resistant and -susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella oxytoca.

The study’s authors commented that since very few new antibiotics are being developed, alternative solutions are needed. Honey, they said, could be helpful in treating wound infections and in preventing infection at skin sites where bacteria are likely to thrive, such as catheter sites in ill patients. Further research is needed to understand the potential role of medical-grade honey in preventing and treating skin infections.

Honey may kill or suppress bacteria growth because of its high sugar content, high acid content, natural production of hydrogen peroxide, or because of other actions related to flower or bee components. Though the authors warn that pulling a jar of honey off of the shelf to treat skin infections may not get the job done (Revamil is produced in a greenhouse under standardized conditions), evidence from other studies suggests that raw, unprocessed honey may be effective.

(Clin Infect Dis 2008;46:1677–82)

Healthnotes Newswire (July 3, 2008)—Reishi, shitake, and maitake are among the mushrooms long known to contain medicinal properties that help with health and healing, but the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture reports that a mushroom doesn’t need to be exotic to pack a healthy punch. It turns out that common white button mushrooms are rich in antioxidants, making them a wise choice for healthy eating.

Whitecoats study white button mushrooms

In the study, extracts from two wild strains and one cultivated strain of button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were tested for their antioxidant activity. The cultivated strain had the highest, quenching more free radicals than either of the wild strains. In all of the mushrooms, the gills had stronger antioxidant effects than the stems and caps.

Some extracts were tested in the lab for their effects on replenishing glutathione, a molecule sometimes referred to as the body’s “master antioxidant.” All of the mushrooms were strong promoters of restoring glutathione to its beneficial active form. Other tests demonstrated their ability to preserve other important antioxidant enzymes.

Eating your favorite fungus may have health benefits

Button mushrooms are the most commonly eaten mushrooms in the United States. Preliminary studies have found that these mushrooms can stimulate the immune system and block cancer growth in test tubes. Several recent studies have linked eating high amounts of button mushrooms with lower risk of breast and stomach cancers.

The degree of antioxidant activity measured in the white button mushroom extracts was similar to that seen in extracts of other Asian mushrooms that have historically been used as food and medicine, such as himematsutake, basket stinkhorn, maitake, lion’s mane, white matsutake, and poplar fieldcap. Studies of these mushrooms and two other well-known medicinal mushrooms, reishi and shitake, suggest that they have immune-enhancing and anticancer properties.

Research shows that dietary antioxidants are important nutrients for preventing chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer. Eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables is the best way to support a healthy immune system and prevent cancer, and adding more white button mushrooms to your meals may be one easy way to do so.

“The results presented here indicate that the premier cultivated mushroom, the white button mushroom, might be an important source of dietary antioxidants that could have protective effects in the body,” said Dr. Jean–Michel Savoie of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Laboratory Mycology and Food Safety in Bordeaux, France. “This common mushroom could be included in the growing group of mushrooms that have demonstrated excellent antioxidant activity.”

(J Sci Food Agric 2008;88:970–5)

Healthnotes Newswire (June 12, 2008)—A cup of ginger tea is often just the thing to settle an upset stomach—but little is known about how it actually works. A new study, published in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found that ginger stimulates digestion by speeding up the movement of food from the stomach into the upper small intestine.

Soothing to the stomach

After having nothing to eat or drink for eight hours, the 24 healthy men in the study were given either 1,200 mg of ginger or placebo, and then ate a bowl of soup. They answered questions about their digestive comfort, and digestive activity was measured by ultrasound. One week later, they repeated the test, but the ginger and placebo groups were reversed.

Muscle contractions in the stomach, which help to move food into the upper small intestine, were more frequent and the stomach emptied more quickly after ginger than placebo. After eating the soup, mild digestive discomfort was reported in those who had placebo but not ginger.

From the kitchen to your medicine cabinet

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is popular as a culinary spice and as a medicinal herb. It is used all over the world to treat indigestion, gas and bloating, nausea, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome. A well-known remedy for nausea during pregnancy and motion sickness, ginger has also has anti-inflammatory effects that make it a good choice for treating arthritis.

“Since low gastric motility has been associated with the digestive symptoms for which ginger is frequently used, if ginger improves the movement of food through the upper digestive tract in people with digestive problems, this could help to explain how it exerts its benefits,” said Dr. Rebecca Chollet, a naturopathic doctor who practices in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Ginger is often taken as tea, prepared by simmering the cut root in a covered pot. It can also be used as tincture (an alcohol-based extract), in capsules (as in this study), or added to common gas-producing foods like beans and lentils to prevent gas. At times when nausea makes eating or drinking difficult, crystallized ginger can be used like a lozenge.

A multifaceted approach may help your digestion

Other methods for preventing indigestion include eating slowly and being careful not to overeat. Like ginger, caraway, cumin, and fennel can be added to foods to reduce the chance of developing gas after eating. Digestive enzyme supplements are sometimes helpful when these measures are not enough.

(Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008;20:436–40)