Honey may be the best thing to treat mild to moderate burns, researchers say.
A team from the University of Auckland said results of 19 clinical trials showed that the sticky substance can help speed healing.
While honey may help the body remove dead tissue and provide a favorable environment for the growth of new, healthy tissue, current interest in medicinal honey focuses largely on its antibacterial effects, a news release said.
The review collected data on 2,554 patients with a range of different wounds. Honey reduced healing times compared to common gauze dressing.
Researcher Dr. Andrew Jull said, however, that there were no clear benefits with other wounds such as surgical wounds, leg ulcers or cuts.
Creams May Delay Healing
Separately, a researcher from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, said that a cream commonly used on burns may delay healing.
Doctors often use silver sulphadiazine -- known as SSD -- cream with gauze to stop infections.
But a review of 26 small studies found that wounds take longer to heal and need more dressing changes when SSD is used.
"We think that the use of SSD cream on burn wounds needs to be reconsidered," said lead researcher Jason Wasiak.
He said that new dressings such as films and gels are more effective.
Both studies were conducted for the Cochrane Library, which aims to collect high-quality evidence for medical decisions.
