Honey and Placentas

Honey and Placentas

I was reading a recent article about how a type of honey called Manuka honey from New Zealand has been found to have antibacterial properties. It is not necessarily effective as an antibiotic when eaten, but more so when applied locally over wounds. As a dressing it was found to be more effective at healing wounds than some of the more expensive dressing materials.


This took me back to my medical school days in the town of Zaria in Northern Nigeria. It was thirty years ago, and I was doing a General Surgery rotation. Our Senior Registrar was Dr. Vincent Odigie. A handsome young man, he was bold and assertive and always supremely confident. He was also very smart and often did things in an unconventional way.


One day we were seeing an elderly man with an infected diabetic foot ulcer. Conventional treatment with antibiotics and traditional dressings had not helped for several months. Dr. Odigie said we need honey. We students were incredulous. Honey? Yes, honey he said. He told us that traditional honey had natural antibacterial properties and bacteria could not utilize honey for food. I still remember him telling us that only bees, humans and bears could use honey for nutrition.


He asked the patient’s son to go and get some traditional honey from the local market. The store bought honey is not as effective he told us as it has additives. The patient’s son soon came back with a jar of local honey. It did not look too clean and we students were not very optimistic. Dr. Odigie laughed and assured us this will be sterile.


He unwrapped the wound and covered it with honey and wrapped it up. He then told the students that the wound will not be inspected for seven days. We were incredulous. However seven days later when we inspected the wound. All the infection was gone and it was just healthy granulation tissue ready for a skin graft. All of us students were thoroughly impressed.


On another day, we had a young lady who had sustained significant burns. The burns were not deep but she was in considerable pain. Dr. Odigie looked at her and said we need some placental lining. Even though we students were used to his unconventional approach, we were very confused. The lining of a human placenta he explained is very effective in treating these kinds of relatively superficial burns. He taught us that a dressing made of the placental lining of a human embryo helps ease pain and promotes healing of the skin.


Where are we going to get this placental lining one student asked? The labor and delivery ward he said. It was late in the evening, but Dr. Odigie was a very dedicated physician. He marched the students to the labor and delivery ward and asked the rather surprised charge nurse there if she had a discarded placenta we could have. The nurse was used to Dr. Odigie and did not bat an eyelid. She said the Gynecologists were just doing a C-section and she would get us that placenta instead of discarding it. Dr. Odigie beamed a smile.


She soon brought out a placenta for us. Dr. Odigie then proceeded to cut out the placental linings. He then rigorously washed the tissue and then put it in a disinfectant and proceeded to the burn patient. The sun had set and we students were tired, but we had to see this.


The young lady was in considerable pain. Dr. Odigie carefully undressed her wounds and then proceeded to place the placental lining tissue over the wounds. He then wrapped the wounds with a regular dressing. Once he was done, our patient did look more comfortable.


Our patient did quite well and within a week her wounds had healed enough for her to be discharged. I saw a recent study done that showed placental dressings reduce pain and allow for faster healing.


We students learnt a lot from Dr. Odigie. He may not remember me or these lessons he taught us, but I will never forget them. Today he is Professor Vincent Odigie of Surgery at my old teaching hospital.

Sometimes unconventional approaches can be very effective and just imagine my delight to see all this talk of using honey for wounds today in the more developed countries. I can say confidently that this approach is effective as I have seen this myself thirty years ago!

Manuka Honey