Bees produce honey from the flower of a native Australian and New Zealand plant group of plants called Leptospermum. Australia has over 80 varieties of the genus, with 28 of them being scientifically proven as ‘bioactive’. The honey produced when bees forage the flowers of leptospermum plants contains special properties that have a variety of medicinal uses.

There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to the ratings of Manuka honey. when the properties of Manuka were discovered it was unknown what the additional antibacterial, active compound of the honey was, so it was rated and labelled as NPA (non-peroxide activity) or UMF (unique Manuka factor). Later it was found that the active compound was Methyglyoxal (MGO) and the rating has been modernised for more accurate results for the consumer. The higher the MGO rating of the honey = the more beneficial properties it has.

Use on cereals, in smoothies, or with your fruit, or even on some toast. Avoid heating or cooking to maintain the natural enzymes and bioactive compounds that make Australian Manuka honey a naturally medicinal product.

Manuka honey is made from bees collecting nectar from the Leptospermum species of plants. Leptospermum plants grow in Australia and New Zealand, with Australia having around 84 varieties and New Zealand have two varieties. The nectar in these plants is high in a compound call Dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA is a precursor to MGO and the bees produce an enzyme in their honey tummy which transforms the nectar into honey containing MGO. The different Manuka / Leptospermum species and the different environments in which they grow produce different strengths of MGO honey but also different flavoured honey.

Manuka honey is special because it contains Methylglyoxal. MGO is the abbreviation for Methylglyoxal which is a naturally occurring bioactive compound in Manuka honey. The higher the MGO number of the honey the more concentrated the MGO is in the honey and the stronger the antibacterial, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects.

MGO is the global standard for measuring the antibacterial strength of Manuka honey for both Australian and New Zealand made Manuka honey. The UMF Honey Association in New Zealand use MGO to determine the UMF number assigned.

The more severe your condition the higher the MGO you should use as it is faster acting. However, for some conditions such as stomach, wounds and oral care the higher MGOs are better.

250+ MGO is the minimum scientifically proven strength that should be used for Oral and Wound care. If you are using the honey for general health and wellbeing a lower MGO maybe suitable.

The antibacterial strength in some honey is called Total Activity or TA, this is referring to the Hydrogen Peroxide in the honey. All honey has some level of Hydrogen Peroxide, the TA in some of the Jarrah and Eucalyptus honey is exceptionally high. However, compared to MGO, Hydrogen Peroxide is an unstable compound and can easily be neutralised by light and moisture. The catalyse in our body deactivates the Hydrogen Peroxide enzyme, this means that it cannot penetrate into wounds and into our skin.

Whereas MGO is a very stable compound with long lasting antibacterial power it is not deactivated by catalyse in our body and is able to penetrate wounds and into our skin. Comparing MGO and TA honey is misleading as they perform differently and would be suitable for different uses.

There has been years of research performed on MGO since it was discovered by Professor Peter Molan in the 1980s. TA is still relatively new and there needs to be more research performed on if efficacy. Due to all the research on MGO there is a standardised test that must be completed by laboratories. Presently, TA does not have a standardised testing system. This leaves a bit room for uncertainty in for consumers.

All our Manuka honey is tested at independent laboratories to ensure it accurate levels of MGO as assigned to each batch. We use a number of laboratories for a range of different honey tests. The main ones we use for testing MGO are Sunshine Coast University Lab and Analytica.

We source our honey from our own beehives which are in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW. When you buy from us you are buying direct from the beekeeper – farm to table. We care for our bees to organic principles without the use of sugar feeding or veterinary pharmaceuticals.

We also produce a range of culinary honey flavoured by the flower variety the bees collect the nectar from.

Our Manuka honey contains lower sugar content than average honey. Our honey on average contains 0.72g per 100g while the average content across all honeys is 0.82g per 100g. This means that some of our honey is much lower than the 0.72g, we think this is due to the concentration of other bioactive compounds in the honey which leaves less room for sugars.

Our Skin Repair Tube and Oral Care Tube are TGA Approved Products. This means that they are packed and tested in a TGA Facility. These tubes contain 850+MGO honey. The Skin Repair Tube is Gamma-Irradiate or sterilised without the use of heat. This means it can be used on deep wounds and in hospital settings. 

You can see the uses for these tubes here.