As Jewish families around the world prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, apples dipped in honey will once again take centre stage on holiday tables. The ancient tradition symbolises hope for a sweet and prosperous year ahead.
But the golden substance at the heart of this familiar ritual has another, less familiar role. In modern medicine, specially prepared medical-grade honey is being used as part of wound care, particularly for patients with wounds that are difficult to heal.
A clinical use rooted in tradition
At Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest health organisation, wound care specialists use advanced approaches to treat patients with complex wounds, including those associated with diabetes, pressure injuries, and chronic medical conditions.
Honey has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, including wound treatment. Today, its therapeutic properties are being studied and incorporated into modern wound care practices.
According to Alona Benjamin, a clinical specialist nurse at Clalit Health Services’ Sharon Shomron District, the renewed interest in honey reflects an intriguing intersection between traditional knowledge and modern clinical care.
“Honey has been known for centuries as a substance with therapeutic properties, but modern medicine has given us the ability to use these properties in a controlled and clinically appropriate way,” Benjamin explains.
Sterilised for clinical safety
Research confirms that medical-grade honey is typically sterilised using gamma irradiation to eliminate bacterial spores while preserving its biological activity. It is processed to strict safety standards to ensure it is free of toxic contaminants. Products containing medical-grade honey, often including Manuka honey with its methylglyoxal content, have received regulatory clearances, including FDA approval for use in gels, ointments, and dressings.
This distinguishes medical-grade honey from the honey found in a kitchen cupboard. Food-grade honey is not manufactured or sterilised for application to open wounds and may contain microorganisms or other contaminants. Medical-grade products undergo specific processing and quality controls and are designed for clinical use.
Guidelines emphasise that only sterilised, laboratory-tested honey should be used on wounds to reduce the risk of infection. Medical-grade honey can be incorporated into specialised dressings and applied under the supervision of healthcare professionals.
Benjamin stresses that patients should never attempt to treat a serious or chronic wound with ordinary honey without professional medical guidance. “There is a very important difference between honey that we eat and medical grade honey used in wound care,” she says. “When we treat a wound, we need to consider infection, blood supply, tissue condition and the patient’s overall health. Honey, when appropriate, is one component of that medical treatment.”
How honey supports healing
Complex wounds can present significant challenges for healthcare teams. Patients with diabetes, impaired circulation, pressure injuries, and other chronic conditions may develop wounds that heal slowly or are particularly vulnerable to infection.
Clinical evidence supports the use of medical-grade honey for diabetic foot ulcers, pressure injuries, venous leg ulcers, and certain post-operative wounds. Studies indicate that it can reduce bacterial load, support faster healing, and promote the formation of granulation tissue through its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.
Medical-grade honey’s high sugar concentration creates conditions that are unfavourable to the growth of certain microorganisms. Its low pH and osmotic effect draw moisture from bacteria, inhibiting their growth, while hydrogen peroxide or non-peroxide activity in specific honeys provides additional antibacterial effects.
Honey can also help maintain a moist wound environment, which is important for healing. Certain products may support the removal of damaged tissue, helping create conditions in which healthy tissue can develop.
Systematic reviews and clinical trials have shown improved complete healing rates and shorter times to wound closure in diabetic ulcers compared with some conventional dressings, although results vary according to wound type and product. With antimicrobial resistance on the rise, medical-grade honey offers an alternative approach that does not contribute to the development of bacterial resistance.
“The goal is not simply to put honey on a wound,” Benjamin says. “It is about using a medical product as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, according to the patient’s condition and the characteristics of the wound.”
Where tradition and medicine meet
For Jewish communities around the world, honey carries a meaning that extends far beyond medicine. On Rosh Hashanah, it represents the wish for a sweet new year, rooted in medieval Ashkenazi customs and biblical associations with abundance. In clinical care, a carefully prepared medical version of the same natural substance can become part of an effort to help difficult wounds heal.
That connection between ancient tradition and modern healthcare offers a particularly fitting message as the Jewish New Year begins.
“There is something beautiful about seeing a substance that has such a deep place in Jewish tradition also having a place in modern healthcare,” Benjamin says. “It reminds us that sometimes, nature gives us tools that we continue to discover new ways to understand and use.”