The use of honey can be traced back to the Stone Age. Evidence can be found for its nutritional and medicinal use beginning with prehistoric and ancient civilizations. Currently, there is a resurgence of scientific interest in natural medicinal products, such as honey, by researchers, the medical community, and even the general public. Honey in Traditional and Modern Medicine provides a detailed compendium on the medical uses of honey, presenting its enormous potential and its limitations.

The book covers honey's ethnomedicinal uses, chemical composition, and physical properties. It discusses the healing properties of honey, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. It also examines the botanical origin of honey, a critical factor in relation to its medicinal use, along with the complex subject of the varying composition of honey. Honey's antibacterial qualities and other attributes are described in a chapter dedicated to Leptospermum, or Manuka honey, a unique honey with potential for novel therapeutic applications.

Chapters explore a variety of medicinal uses for honey, including its healing properties and use in burn and wound management. They review honey's beneficial effects on medical conditions, such as gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetic ulcers, and cancers as well as in pediatrics and animal health and wellness. The book also examines honey-based formulations, modern methods for chemical analysis of honey, and the history and reality of "mad honey." The final chapters cover honey in the food industry, as a nutrient, and for culinary use.

About the Author

Laid Boukraa, DVM, MSc, PhD, associate professor, is a veterinary surgeon who did his postgraduate studies in microbiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Montreal University in Quebec, Canada. He obtained a postdoctoral position at the Department of Pharmacology at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Besides teaching, he also chairs the Laboratory of Research on Local Animal Products at Ibn-Khaldoun University of Tiaret, Algeria. He is leading a national research project on the use of medicinal plants and api-products in dairy herds. He is also a researcher at Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi Chair for Diabetic Foot Research at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has published many papers and book chapters related to the bioactive properties of api-products and attended many international conferences.

Reviews

"College-level health collections strong in pharmaceutical science and alternative medicine will find Honey in Traditional and Modern Medicine a specific, clear discussion of the medical uses of honey, and will want to include this in any health holding. From honey's chemical composition and healing properties to its botanical origins, description, and other qualities, chapters survey medicine uses and review its many beneficial effects, and provide an excellent overview filled with technical studies and references. A 'must' for any health holding."-James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

"The volume nicely bridges the gap between modern applications of honey and its ancient and traditional uses... The editor deserves special credit for maintaining a balance of information throughout the volume that prevents the content from becoming overwhelming and hence provides an enjoyable reading experience and resource."-Saikat Kumar Basu, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, in Plant Science Bulletin"... a very interesting book that covers a wide variety of material associated with the medicinal use of honey in Asia, Africa, and Europe. ... an informative and unique edition to the literature and should be of interest to a range of readers including professionals, e.g. pharmacognosists, physicians, and pharmacists, as well as others with an interest in the use of natural products. This reviewer recommends that book is embraced in the spirit in which it was written."-Cedric J. Pearce, Mycosynthetix, Inc., Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA

Book Information
ISBN 9781138199279
Author Laid Boukraa
Format Paperback
Page Count 474
Imprint CRC Press
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 725g