The Effect of Honey with ORS and a Honey Solution in ORS on Reducing the Frequency of Diarrhea and Length of Stay for Toddlers

Geographical Origin Authentication-A Mandatory Step in the Efficient Involvement of Honey in Medical Treatment

Nowadays, in people's perceptions, the return to roots in all aspects of life is an increasing temptation. This tendency has also been observed in the medical field, despite the availability of high-level medical services with many years of research, expertise, and trials. Equilibrium is found in the combination of the two tendencies through the inclusion of the scientific experience with the advantages and benefits provided by nature. It is well accepted that the nutritional and medicinal properties of honey are closely related to the botanical origin of the plants at the base of honey production. Despite this, people perceive honey as a natural and subsequently a simple product from a chemical point of view. In reality, honey is a very complex matrix containing more than 200 compounds having a high degree of compositional variability as function of its origin. Therefore, when discussing the nutritional and medicinal properties of honey, the importance of the geographical origin and its link to the honey's composition, due to potential emerging contaminants such as Rare Earth Elements (REEs), should also be considered. This work offers a critical view on the use of honey as a natural superfood, in a direct relationship with its botanical and geographical origin.

The roles of health literacy in parents' honey use and the use of complementary alternative medicine in a Turkish population

BACKGROUND

As a biologically based therapy, honey is used by parents in many parts of the world as a home remedy for their children. While information exists regarding the traditional use of honey for health issues in children, data regarding its relationship with health literacy is lacking. The aims of this study were to determine the use of honey to address children's health issues among parents of children aged 0-72 months and to explore the relationship between the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and health literacy.

METHODS

The data for this descriptive, cross-sectional study were collected between October and November 2022 via an online survey of 907 parents of children aged 0-72 months. A sociodemographic data collection form, the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ), and the Turkey Health Literacy Scale-32 (THLS-32) were used to collect the data. A t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The majority (86.5%) of the parents used honey for their children's health problems. Among the parents, 83.1% utilized honey as a remedy for alleviating cough symptoms, 10.4% employed it as a treatment for diarrhea, and 14% administered it for the management of oral mucositis. The mean THLS-32 and HCAMQ scores of the parents were 29.39 and 21.31, respectively, and there was a moderate correlation between the parents' THLS-32 and HCAMQ mean scores (r = 0.662, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that a significant proportion of parents who used honey to alleviate their children's health issues displayed positive attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) while concurrently exhibiting insufficient or limited health literacy levels. Therefore, it is advisable to enhance health literacy regarding the proper and safe utilization of honey, which functions as a biologically based CAM therapy.

Honey and children: only a grandma's panacea or a real useful tool?

Honey is a natural product that has been used as medication since the ancient times for its nutritive and therapeutic value. Despite these properties, honey use has been limited in evidence-based medicine due to the lack of evidence in clinical settings, particularly in paediatric population. An increasing interest has grown towards honey during the last years. The aim of this article is to examine the possible role of honey as a therapeutic tool in paediatrics. We performed a literature search to summarise the highest quality evidences, analysed articles regarding honey's nutritional properties and therapeutic value. The state of the art is represented by evidences related to beneficiary effects of honey on respiratory, gastroenterological and oncohaematologic diseases. Many other uses could promisingly come from in vitro studies or clinical trial based on adult samples. Honey shows an excellent risk-benefit profile and can be safely administrated in children older than 12 months. In conclusion, honey does not only represent a grandma's remedy, but is a real useful tool in different clinical settings, including paediatrics practice. However, there is a need for high-quality, large randomised controlled trials confirming effectiveness and practical application of honey in paediatric population.