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The use of honey as a healing agent is nothing new. It was an ingredient in medicinal compounds and cures made by Egyptian physicians 5,000 years ago, and its medical use has been found in other ancient practices from traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda to Mayan shamanism. In the past ten years there has been an explosion in scientific research on honey as medicine at universities, research centers, and medical clinics around the world.

Presenting the very latest scientific and medical evidence of the healing properties of honey-including that from the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand-Nathaniel Altman explores the broad spectrum of medicinal uses of honey and how these remedies can be used safely at home as well as by licensed health care practitioners. He includes an extensive selection of honey-based recipes that can be used to treat common health problems-from burns, conjunctivitis, and ulcers to tooth decay, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis. He explains the physiological reasons why honey is so effective in treating antibiotic-resistant diseases with no side effects and honey's ability to kill E. coli and "super-bugs" like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Drawing on centuries of material from historical and folk medicine sources, he also examines the sacred role of bees from ancient Egypt onward and the modern problem of Colony Collapse Disorder, including methods for protecting our precious hives.