History
The origins of Manuka honey
Bees produce Manuka honey from the flowers of Manuka plants (Leptospermum spp). For a brief history of the origins of Manuka plants and their honey, read more below.
The origins of Manuka honey
With the arrival of colonial settlers from Great Britain, so came the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), introduced to Australia in 1822. Due to their ability to pollinate their crops, bees contribute a considerable amount to our ability to produce food, and the early settlers knew this. What they didn’t know was that when the bees collected nectar from the Manuka plants, the honey produced would have exceptional properties. Interestingly, this is almost 20 years prior to the arrival of bees in New Zealand, which makes Australia the original home of Manuka honey. Due to its dark colour and strong taste, much of the earliest crops of Manuka honey were fed back to the bees as its flavour was stronger than Eucalyptus or Clover honey.
Studies have uncovered that bacteria with resistance to modern antibiotics (becoming superbugs) cannot develop resistance to the activity of Manuka honey (Blair et al. 2009). Manuka effectively inhibits problematic bacterial pathogens, unlike any other known antimicrobial, with attempts to generate honey-resistant bacterial strains in a laboratory unsuccessful.
Exceptionally high levels of MGO have been discovered in Manuka honey samples sourced in Australia (Cokcetin et al. 2016). The levels of DHA and MGO found in some Australian honey is comparable or higher to than those observed in New Zealand Manuka honey.
Continue to our science section to learn more about the benefits of Australian Manuka Honey.
Protecting and promoting the global appeal and awareness of Manuka honey produced in Australia.
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