How Honey Can Fight Deadly Bacteria

Believe it or not, that cute bear bottle has serious bacteria fighting power—but how does it work? Join Hank Green for a new episode of SciShow all about the amazing properties of honey! Let's go!

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Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters -- we couldn't make SciShow without them! Shout out to Justin Ove, Coda Buchanan, Lucy McGlasson, Accalia Elementia, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Saul, Kathy & Tim Philip, Kevin Bealer, Christopher Collins, Thomas J., charles george, Andreas Heydeck, Patrick D. Ashmore, Justin Lentz, Will and Sonja Marple, Ed Shelley, Chris Peters, Tim Curwick, Philippe von Bergen, Fatima Iqbal.
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[hanieldarrison]

i feel like a bee would be shocked to learn this information

[butcher]

Honey is the only food on earth that never goes bad. Those bees are amazing

[Itspronouncednuclear]

My wife is a nurse, and they have an ointment called “medihoney” that they use for wounds, which has honey in it. It works very well!

[jameswillmore]

PSA- only use medical grade honey!

When I was a second year podiatry student in a Large hospital I was in line to work up the first patient of the day. As I was walking from the office to his room I could smell the patient before I saw him. When I got there I asked him what he was dressing the wound with. "I was using medihoney but I couldn't make my appointment last week so I used some Manuka honey from my shelf."

Well it caused him to have gas gangrene with, you guessed it a clostridium infection. He ended up loosing his entire lower leg because of that infection.:{

Morale of the story always use medical grade honey on wounds.

[danalloway]

how abt a video on Aloe vera, more in depth view of this plant.

[bernardvreulink]

His presentation is in a class of his own. No time wasting waffling only FACTS. A lesson of efficiency for all future YouTube makers.

[jestemqiqi]

Man, bees are really some of the coolest creatures on earth. We must protect them at all costs!

[Waxwell]

Go out and support your local beekeepers! Bees are SO, SO, SO important to the world's agricultural market that without bees, we wouldn't have a majority of fruits, nuts, or legumes that we have today. The steps to save the bees are so simple, yet nobody cares even when they should. Save our bees!

[CoLiCoVis]

I'm also a beekeeper (family has been beekeeping for 3 generations), and on the side I do pest control. And this comment section...

I really love how theirs a more focus on bees and entomology, don't get me wrong. Yes we are in the stages of a massive colony breakdown (I lost 150 hives last year to CCD caused by harmful and aggressive pesticides, and another 75 to the extreme cold in the pacific NW which can be attributed to climate change.) and we're all grateful to the awareness that it being spread.

But I have seen so many people In one breath say "save the bees! Support your local beekeeper! You need to be more environmentally conscious!" And then turn around with a can of raid and destroy a native hive or ground nest because it's not neatly packed in a box, and their all self righteous. Wasps and Hornets are part of this eco system too, and they have their place. I relocate the hives I capture if I can. Those areas you just riddled with the insect equivalent of a biochemical bomb are places where my bees go too, just, be mindful of what your putting into the ecosystem. It has consequences you cannot even imagine.

If your having problems with a hive try hiring a pest control professional who (if it's an option, some hives you just cannot relocate because their in the walls or something) is able to not use pesticides, and if theirs a honeybee swarm, call your local beekeeper or beekeeping Guild, they'll be more than happy to handle it.

[valuedhumanoid]

My coworker is a bee keeper as a hobby. Occasionally he will bring some in and the last time he just cut a square of the actual wax that was saturated with honey. There’s nothing better than tearing off a piece and just chewing on it. My new favorite thing I didn’t even know about

[devganesh]

Bee stings me*
Bee dies*
I use honey to cure it*
Bees: This has been the worst trade deal since the history of trade deals

[jankuschef]

As a Chemistry major in college, I love this channel, and I truly appreciate the visual/verbal break down of compounds and their functions. This is the best of what chemistry has to offer, in a lot of ways.

[johntonge]

Whenever I come across a beekeeper at a farmers market, I thank them for their efforts.

[smokeydoke]

I had a leg ulcer that the doctors healed using a form of honey (Medihoney Algenate- basically gauze saturated with honey.) It worked like a charm.

[rufiorufioo]

Those incredible little insects are so damn interesting. So much to learn about them and what they do.

[pnkflyd]

What did the bees do after they got married?

They went on a honeymoon.

[captainnapalm]

The name of my band in college was Bee Defensin-1

[kaystephan]

Fun Fact: Archeologists found scriptures from the time of Ancient Egyptian Pharao Djoser and his Architect Imhotep that show how back then already (4700 years ago) doctors/healers preferably treated open wounds with a layer of honey to prevent it from getting infected.

[rogerdudra]

I've had gallons of honey since I was 19, back in 1970, for my coffee and tea. At 72, now, I am starting to understand the life giving properties of this food group.

[konooleh]

Watched this episode, went to the kitchen, ate a spoon of honey.