WHY MANUKA
MANUKA VS. REGULAR HONEY COMPARISON
As kids, we might have only been introduced to the honey “squeezie” you drizzle on your breakfast but, as a matter of fact, there are many types of honey that vary in quality and benefit. One of the most famous types is Manuka honey and it is always referred to as superior to regular honey. In order for you to be able to make this judgment, let’s learn about the main differences between Manuka and regular honey:
Source
Manuka honey is called so mainly because it is derived from the bees that feed off of Manuka plants in Australia and New Zealand. On the other hand, a regular tree can be extracted from all sorts of different flowers
Color and Texture
Regular honey is usually sticky and colored brown, while Manuka honey tends to be stickier and a darker brown
Processing
Regular honey usually undergoes a variety of processing, reducing its levels of antioxidants and removing most of the beneficial nutrients that it naturally contains like pollen. Manuka honey isn’t raw honey, per se, but it is only minimally processed to remove particles of wax and pollen. Otherwise, Manuka honey is very pure and rich.
Properties
All honey has an antibiotic effect, to an extent, because they all include hydrogen peroxide. However, what makes manuka honey special is the other ingredients with antibacterial qualities. For example, Methylglyoxal (MG), a major antibacterial component, is generally present in honey but only in small amounts. It is known that the higher the concentration of MG in honey, the stronger the antibiotic properties it possesses. In manuka honey, MG comes from the conversion of another compound that is found in the nectar of manuka flowers. Unlike antibiotics, the manuka honey does not lead to any antibacterial resistance, meaning that you can take it worry-free from resistance complications.
