I recently had an opportunity to review a selection of Medihoney products from their Natural Eczema Care Range.¹ All of these products are formulated with medical grade Manuka honey which is said to assist in the control of skin colonising bacteria that is normally associated with eczema.

According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, eczema is a skin condition ?causing redness, itching, oozing and over time rough hard thickened skin?It is a disease that gets better or worse over the space of days, weeks and/or months.When eczema worsens this is called an eczema flare. Usually there is no single factor responsible for an eczema flare.?

Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand and Australia from the nectar of the manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium) and contains a component (methylglyoxal) said to be antibacterial with strong healing properties, especially for the skin. However, the antibacterial effect of honey depend on factors that include geographical, seasonal, botanical source as well as harvesting, production and storage.

According to a recent study²??medical-grade honey [such as]? medihoney? has the potential to be a topical antibacterial prophylaxis because of its broad-spectrum bactericidal activity, or to be a treatment for topical infections caused by antibiotic-resistant as well as antibiotic-sensitive bacteria, [and] should be considered for therapeutic use.?? The study also found that standardised manuka honey can be effective against MRSA, E. coli and other bacterial strains.

Natural Eczema Cream

While I do not suffer from eczema, my brother-in-law does, due to a long term battle with Crohn's disease and the swathe of medications he takes to control it, which is no friend to his skin. After just two weeks of daily application of the Natural Eczema Cream, he reported that the itchiness and flakiness which had been a constant symptom of the eczema had disappeared, and some of the redness had reduced considerably. He was very happy with the results and plans to purchase more product when the sample runs out. RRP:$19.95

Natural Skintensive Cream

I used the Natural Skintensive Cream on the dry skin on my arms and legs that I always get as a result of the winter chill. I found it to be pleasantly light, non greasy, easy to apply and nourishing without being too heavy. I easily absorbed and, in addition to the manuka honey, includes plant oils and butters such as coconut, olive, cupua?u seed butter and shea butter to protect and nourish. I was surprised because it was so light and absorbed really easily, even with the included oils. RRP $16.95

Antibacterial Wound Gel

I wasn?t sure how I would go with the Wound Gel and luckily I had the opportunity to try it out. I had a skin lesion on my shoulder that I was treating and had covered with a bandaid. Unfortunately the bandaid had caused a lot of redness to the skin surrounding the lesion – I guess it was a reaction to the latex. I treated the redness with the Wound Gel for just 2 days and found that the redness completely disappeared, and it even helped the lesion to heal over. The wound gel is very viscous and so I suggest you include a light dressing if you plan to use it over a wound, otherwise it will end up on your clothes and furniture! RRP$17.95 (25g) or $29.95 (50g)

I requested information from Comvita regarding the sustainable sourcing of their products and their stance on animal testing, to which they responded with the following statement:?

Because our Medihoney products are NPA certified by an independent body we have a strict set of rules we must follow to obtain this certification. This includes only using ingredients from a sustainable source and no animal testing.

Overall, I would recommend you check out this range of products from Comvita, particularly if you suffer from the effects of eczema, but also if you suffer from dry skin conditions in general. The prices are reasonable too for the benefits they deliver.

TIP: You may be able to find the product at online pharmacies for less than RRP.