In 2002 the first CE-marked honey-based products for wound care were introduced to the European market.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of commercially available honey-based products for the treatment of lower extremity wounds in a home care nursing setting. Methods: Twenty-two patients with lower extremity wounds (six male and 16 female, with an average age of 64 years), were retrospectively selected. Six patients had venous insufficiency, five had diabetes and the remaining patients had hypertension or rheumatoid arthritis as a major underlying aetiology. All the patients had non-healing wounds of at least four weeks’ duration, in which they had been treated primarily with povidone iodine or fusidic acid. Fifty percent of the wounds were infected. All the wounds were treated with honey-based products, and only covered with a secondary dressing for protection or absorption of exudate. Results: Infected wounds were controlled within a few days. All the wounds progressed to healing without any adverse effects. Blood glucose levels remained unaffected and dressing changes were pain-free, with dressings being easy to apply. Conclusions: The results indicate that honey-based products are antibacterial, help to debride the wound and promote wound healing, and are safe and easy to use as well as being cost-effective. Conflict of interest: None.