Honey, a prospective antibiotic: extraction, formulation, and stability

Old and recent reports show that honey has beneficial effects on the skin a s antiseptic for wounds, bums and ulcers and as a healing promoter. Many in vestigators confirmed the usefulness of honey in the treatment of skin infe ctions as well as internal diseases. The factors behind these effects are n ot completely explained. The aim of this study is: a) to investigate the an timicrobial activity of crude honey, b) to separate the fractions responsib le for its activity, c) to formulate the honey extract as semisolid dosage forms, d) to study its release, and e) to determine its stability. The resu lts showed that the ethylacetate honey extract showed antibacterial, antica ndida and antifungal effects at low concentration. The release of honey ext ract from different ointment bases was depending on the constituents of the base, and its stability was found to be temperature and base dependent.