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ocba - Re: [ocba] "Honey A Better Option For Childhood Cough Than Over The Counter Medications"

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Watson Bowes" <wbowes AT gmail.com>
  • To: twright AT vicksburg.com, "Orange County, NC Beekeepers" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] "Honey A Better Option For Childhood Cough Than Over The Counter Medications"
  • Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 23:33:54 -0500

There is actually quite an extensive medical literature on honey associated with infant botulism.  The attached review article is an example.
 
Watson Bowes, M.D.

On Dec 4, 2007 5:54 PM, Tom Wright <twright AT vicksburg.com> wrote:
Buck Horton wrote:
Just wanted to remind folks that children under 1 year of age shouldn't 
eat honey, because it can carry spores that cause infant botulism.
- Buck

Jeff Bollinger wrote:
  
Interesting article that shows some USDA National Honey Board funded
studies have proven that honey is often better than cough syrup:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203164750.htm


  
    
The study found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications
    
      
This would be a good article to print out and keep with you when selling
your honey!   :)

Jeff
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This seems to have been around for ages but I have never been able to document botulism from honey, in babies or otherwise.

I think it is an urban legend and anecdotal. Botilinum spores are everywhere...in the air, soil, and food that you eat. You ingest or inhale some daily without harm. You don't need or have antibodies as the acid in the stomach destroys them.

The problem occurs primarily with home-canned low- acid food, such as meat, beans, greens, etc. High-acid such as tomatoes and pickles are OK. In the old days a lot of canning was done in hot water baths or the oven. This won't do it because it takes pressure cooking to get the temperature high enough to kill the spores. With a low or neutral pH under anaerobic conditions the spores germinate and produce botulinum toxin. The toxin is destroyed by heat which is why  it is prudent to cook canned meat or veggies rather than eating directly from the can (even commercially canned things). That is why your grandmother told you not to open cans with bulging tops and/or bottoms.

Tes, honey and just about everything else contains the spores.

IMHO, I suspect that once upon a time someone decided that to be safe, FDA required the warning on honey labels and it has been there ever since..

Harry, any thoughts on this?

Tom

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--
Watson A. Bowes Jr., M.D.
Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
211 Huntington Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-929-3323

Attachment: Honey and infant botulism.doc
Description: MS-Word document




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