Manuka Honey Organic

Mānuka Honey and Fungal Infections: A Research Review

By Bart Magera
Is Manuka Honey Antifungal?

In-vitro research has shown Mānuka honey is active against several common fungal pathogens. As with the antibacterial evidence, the laboratory finding is robust; the clinical translation to human treatments is less established.

What the laboratory evidence shows

Theunissen, Grobler and Gedalia (2001, Apidologie) demonstrated that several South African honeys, including a high-activity sample comparable to Mānuka, were active against Candida albicans in vitro.

Carnwath, Graham, Reynolds and Pollock (2014, The Veterinary Journal) showed Mānuka honey was active in vitro against equine wound bacterial isolates that included opportunistic fungal contaminants. Effectiveness varied by isolate.

The mechanism is consistent with Mānuka's broader profile: MGO content drives non-peroxide antimicrobial activity that extends, in vitro, to fungi as well as bacteria.

The clinical translation gap

In-vitro activity does not automatically translate to clinical efficacy on a human fungal infection. Existing antifungal medications (clotrimazole, miconazole, terbinafine, fluconazole and similar) have established clinical evidence and known dose-response relationships. Mānuka honey does not.

For superficial fungal skin infections, established topical antifungals work in days at low cost. There is no clinical trial evidence that Mānuka is faster, safer, or as effective.

What this means for buyers

  • If you have a confirmed fungal infection, established antifungal treatments have stronger evidence than honey.
  • The laboratory antifungal activity of Mānuka is real but does not currently support specific in-home anti-fungal-treatment protocols.
  • Higher-MGO Mānuka has more of the studied active compound (see MGO explained).

Sources

  • Theunissen F, Grobler S, Gedalia I. The antifungal action of three South African honeys on Candida albicans. Apidologie. 2001;32(4):371-379.
  • Carnwath R, Graham EM, Reynolds K, Pollock PJ. The antimicrobial activity of honey against common equine wound bacterial isolates. The Veterinary Journal. 2014;199(1):110-114.
  • Carter DA, Blair SE, Cokcetin NN, et al. Therapeutic Mānuka Honey: No Longer So Alternative. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2016;7:569.