What is medical grade honey?
Medical grade honey is honey that has been gamma-irradiated to a documented sterility assurance level (typically 10⁻⁶), characterised for its active markers, and manufactured under an ISO 13485 quality system as the active ingredient of a CE / FDA / TGA-registered wound-care medical device. It is not the same product as the honey sold in supermarkets — that is a food, not a sterile medical device. 'Medical grade' describes the manufacturing and regulatory process, not the botanical source.
Is medical grade honey only Manuka honey?
No. Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is the most widely used source — its activity comes from naturally occurring methylglyoxal (MGO) and is heat- and catalase-stable — but it is not the only medical-grade honey. The Dutch Revamil / Bfactor pasture-blossom honey produced under controlled greenhouse conditions is the active ingredient in the Mesitran and L-Mesitran ranges and is registered as a medical device throughout Europe. Other monofloral and polyfloral honeys have also been processed to medical-device grade in regional markets. The common factor is manufacturing process (sterility, traceability, ISO 13485, COA-controlled activity), not the flower.
What are the main medical grade honey brands?
Three families dominate the registered wound-care market. (1) Manuka-based: Activon and Algivon (Advancis Medical, UK), Medihoney (Comvita / Integra LifeSciences, US/global) and Manuka-fill brands such as ManukaMed and ManukaPli. (2) Revamil / Bfactor-based: Mesitran and L-Mesitran (Triticum / Theo Manufacturing, Netherlands) covering gels, tulles and impregnated dressings. (3) Engineered or blended honey-based devices: e.g. Surgihoney RO (bioengineered honey, UK). All are CE-marked or FDA-cleared medical devices supplied with a COA and a sterility statement — that is the line between 'medical grade' and 'food'.
How is Revamil / Bfactor honey different from medical grade Manuka?
Both end up as sterile CE-marked wound-care devices, but the antibacterial chemistry differs. Manuka's activity is dominated by MGO (non-peroxide activity), which is stable to heat, light, dilution and wound catalase. Revamil (also called Bfactor) is a Dutch pasture-blossom honey produced under controlled greenhouse conditions; its activity is broader — peroxide activity, methylglyoxal at lower levels, bee defensin-1 and a low pH — and is characterised by a defined antibacterial assay rather than an MGO number. Clinically both are used for chronic and acute wounds; many tissue-viability teams pick on dressing format and exudate behaviour rather than on source honey.
Where can I buy medical grade honey in the UK?
In the UK, medical grade honey is supplied as a registered medical device. The most widely stocked Manuka-based options are Activon and Algivon (Advancis Medical), available on NHS prescription via the Drug Tariff and over the counter from LloydsPharmacy, Pharmacy2U, Boots and most NHS-supply wound-care distributors. Revamil / Bfactor-based Mesitran and L-Mesitran dressings are available through wound-care distributors and a number of UK pharmacies. Medihoney is the dominant Manuka brand in the US. Food-grade jars labelled 'manuka honey' from supermarkets or health-food shops are not medical grade and are not sterile.
How can I tell if a honey is medical grade?
Look for three things on the packaging: (1) a CE mark or FDA 510(k) clearance with a four-digit notified-body number — food honey never carries these; (2) a stated sterility assurance level (SAL 10⁻⁶) and a gamma-irradiation step in the manufacturing description; (3) a quantified activity value — MGO (mg/kg) for Manuka, or a defined antibacterial assay for Revamil/Bfactor — backed by a Certificate of Analysis on request. If the jar shows an activity number but no CE mark and no sterility statement, it is a food product — useful for the kitchen, not for an open wound.
Is all manuka honey medical grade?
No. The overwhelming majority of Manuka honey produced — well over 95% by volume — is sold as food. Only a small fraction is diverted into the medical-device supply chain, where it is gamma-sterilised, bioburden-controlled and packed into single-use applicators or impregnated dressings under ISO 13485. A high MGO rating on a supermarket jar tells you about antibacterial potential, but it does not make the honey sterile or device-grade. The same logic applies to other source honeys.
What MGO does medical grade Manuka honey need?
This question only applies to Manuka-based devices — Revamil / Bfactor is rated on a different assay. For Manuka, the working clinical floor is MGO ≥ 400 mg/kg. Most branded wound-care products sit at MGO 514–829 mg/kg, the band shown in published wound-healing and biofilm-disruption studies. Premium chronic-wound and burn protocols specify MGO ≥ 829 mg/kg. Below MGO 250 mg/kg the non-peroxide activity is too low to be classed as therapeutic — that is the table-grade band used in food.
How is medical grade honey made?
Production has four stages and is essentially the same whether the source is Manuka, Revamil/Bfactor or another single-origin honey. (1) Raw honey is sourced and tested for botanical identity (leptosperin / DNA / pollen analysis), the relevant activity markers (MGO/DHA for Manuka, antibacterial assay for Revamil), and residues / tutin / C4 sugars. (2) Pre-sterilisation bioburden is measured under ISO 11737-1. (3) The honey is gamma-irradiated, typically at 25 kGy, with the dose validated under ISO 11137 (VDmax₂₅ to SAL 10⁻⁶). (4) The sterilised honey is filled into single-use applicators or impregnated into a dressing matrix in an ISO 13485-controlled cleanroom, then released against a stability dossier covering activity retention, water activity and HMF over the full shelf life.
Can you eat medical grade honey?
Yes — it is the same nectar-derived honey as the food product, simply gamma-sterilised. There is no toxicological reason a sealed medical-grade applicator cannot be eaten. But it is a poor use of money: a 25 g medical applicator costs the same as several hundred grams of high-activity food-grade honey, the sterilisation step is irrelevant in the gut, and the product is licensed and dose-priced for topical wound use. For oral or systemic use, buy a food-grade Manuka jar (or another characterised raw honey) instead.
Does medical grade honey help eczema?
There is published evidence — small randomised trials and case series — that topical medical-grade honey (both Manuka and Revamil/Bfactor-based products such as L-Mesitran) can reduce SCORAD scores, lesion area and Staphylococcus aureus colonisation in atopic dermatitis, with the strongest signal for short courses on broken or weeping plaques. It is not a first-line eczema treatment and does not replace emollients or topical corticosteroids, but it is a reasonable adjunct for infected or exudative flares under clinical supervision. Patch-test first; honey allergy is rare but exists.
Can you use medical grade honey on gums?
Yes — there is a growing oral-care literature on medical-grade honey for gingivitis, peri-implantitis and post-extraction sockets. Most published studies use Manuka with MGO 400–550 mg/kg, though Revamil-based oral gels are also marketed in some EU territories. A single-use medical-grade applicator is preferable to dipping a finger into a jar because it is sterile and dose-controlled. It is not a substitute for periodontal treatment or antimicrobials when there is established infection; treat it as an adjunct under dental supervision.
Can medical grade honey and Vaseline be used together?
Yes, in sequence rather than mixed. The standard dressing protocol is honey first, in direct contact with the wound bed, then a non-adherent or absorbent secondary dressing on top. Petrolatum (Vaseline) is sometimes applied to the surrounding peri-wound skin as a barrier against maceration from honey's strong osmotic pull, but it should not be smeared into the wound itself — it occludes the honey and blunts the moisture gradient that drives debridement. This applies equally to Manuka and Revamil-based dressings.
Can you use medical grade honey on dogs?
Yes — medical-grade honey is widely used in veterinary wound care for dogs, cats, horses and exotics. Manuka-based products (Activon, Medihoney) are the most commonly specified in the UK and US at MGO ≥ 400 mg/kg, but Revamil-based dressings are also used by European veterinary surgeons for chronic wounds, hot spots, post-surgical dehiscence and burns. Two cautions: keep the dressing covered so the animal cannot lick it off (ingestion is not toxic but wastes the product), and never use food-grade honey on an open wound because it is not sterile and can carry Clostridium spores.
Is medical grade honey available on the NHS?
Yes. Activon Tube, Activon Tulle, Algivon and Algivon Plus (Manuka-based) are listed in the NHS Drug Tariff (Part IXA, Wound Management) and can be prescribed by GPs, tissue-viability nurses and community wound-care teams. L-Mesitran (Revamil / Bfactor-based) products are available through NHS supply routes in some trusts and via wound-care distributors. The Manuka-based products are also stocked by NHS-supply distributors for hospital formulary use and can be bought over the counter without prescription from major UK pharmacies.