The Antimicrobial Effects of Pennsylvania Honey on Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli

Honey has been an important source of food and medicine since the early times of human society. Cave wall paintings that depict honey hunting have been dated back to 6000 BC (Crane, 1999). The oldest record of honey being used for medicinal purposes is from 2000 BC, and is thought to be a cure for a skin infection (Kramer & Levey, 1954). The Egyptians kept beehives for more than 4000 years, and records that have been transcribed give prescriptions for various mixtures involving honey, used for curing baldness, dressing wounds and burns, healing abscesses and sores, disinfecting surgical wounds, and reducing inflammation. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used honey as both a disinfectant and a pain reliever. Due to the influence of the church, Medieval Times did not see many medical advancements (Jones, 2009). In modern times, the interest in medical honey has rekindled, in part due to the impact of antibiotic resistance