Kiva Raw UMF 15+ Manuka Honey
If you are searching for the best manuka honey, you have come to the right place. We have gone over dozens of honey brands to help you hone down on the best of the best. If you don’t know already, manuka honey is produced in New Zealand by bees that pollinate around the manuka bush. Experts say that manuka honey can be used to treat wounds, infection, and other ailments when rubbed on your body. Honey has long been used for medicinal purposes because it has natural antibacterial qualities.
It not only protects against damage caused by bacteria but also helps repair tissue damaged induced by infection and has anti-inflammatory properties. The main component of manuka honey is hydrogen peroxide, which gives it is antibiotic properties. Not all manuka honey works as different brands have different active ingredient compositions, we have narrowed down the list to only what we think work the best in terms of medicinal purpose as well as tastes. Please see below for our list.
Best Manuka Honey
- Kiva Certified UMF 15+ Raw Manuka Honey (Top Pick)
- Manukora Manuka Honey UMF 20+
- Comvita Manuka Honey UMF 10+
Kiva Certified UMF 15+ Raw Manuka Honey
Kiva Raw is the best manuka honey if you are looking for value. What we mean by value is it is it definitely not the strongest commercial grade manuka honey out there ( we give that honor to Manukora), but also it is not the most expensive. IT is good bang for the buck if you are simply not looking for or don’t care about having the strongest medicine out there. For all intents and purposes UMF 15+ is great and the average person won’t be able to tell the difference.
And because it is UMF 15+, it means it is definitely not fake low grade honey. For those of you who don’t know, UMF is an associate that officially certifies manuka honey. 15+ UMF rating is solid and represents somewhere in the upper average of manuka honeys in terms of strength.
With the Kiva, you can either drink it to help cure sore throats and colds or bad digestion. You can also apply it to your wounds to kill off bacteria. And because it is raw, there are no other chemicals added or remove to give it more flavors and make it more marketable. We actually really like the taste of it raw and it definitely does not taste medicinal at all. Of course there are better tasting honey out there but for medicinal purposes, this honey is pretty great already. Kiva does a great job treating all sorts of ailments.
We like the soothing feeling it gives you when you rub it on and it works wonders when you ingest it. It is almost like a revitalizing energy drink. Mix it with some yogurt and it is a great snack or even meal. We are very satisfied with the Kiva Raw and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. The price is perfect for what you are getting.
Manukora Manuka Honey UMF 20+
If you are looking for the best manuka honey with the highest possible potency, definitely go with Maukora. First and foremost, it is UMF 20+, which means it is a real honey company in New Zealand that is certified by an independent lab. In order to even get a UMF grading, Manukora had to show it contains methylglyoxal,dihydroxyacetone, and leptosperin, three compounds to are antimicrobial.
Also the official UMF association independently tests the products in their labs and gives it their stamp of approval. This means a lot as their a tons of off market non certified products out there. If you are going to buy manuka honey, be sure it is UMF certified. Usually a 10+ UMF rating is sufficient, so a 20+ UMF rating is extraordinary. This just means it is close to medical grade manuka honey and is quite powerful as a healing agent. In terms of methylgloxal content there is 825+, which is a strong positive signal that this stuff works.
It is sourced straight from the forests of New Zealand and the company Manukora works with a few of the most trusted beekeepers in the area. There is nothing synthetic in the product. It is simply the best manuka honey your money can buy you commercially. Sure the honey is slightly treated to give it more of a smooth lush texture for easy application, but the basic active compounds are definitely still present. All in all, this stuff works and is the most powerful commercial grade manuka honey we know about. Although it is a bit pricy, we stand behind every dollar of it because the premium is justified by the quality of the ingredients and the certification of UMF.
Comvita Manuka Honey UMF 10+
If you are simply looking for the best manuka honey that is not so potent, Comvita is the perfect brand for you. While they also offer their manuka honey in UMF 15+ and UMF 20+, we think the UMF 10+ is where they really shine. A UMF rating of 10 means that this manuka honey is not too potent and does not contain too many active antimicrobial compounds like methylglyoxal, dihydroxyacetone, and leptosperin. However, just because it is not potent doesn’t mean it is not quality.
Some people may not prefer such a strong honey. If you just have a mild burn or cut or want to treat some mild signs of the common cold, this half strength manuka honey is perfect for you. The more important takeaway from the Convita is that it is UMF certified, which means it is actually produced in New Zealand and stringently test by the UMF association.
We wouldn’t dare recommend you any products that are not UMF certified, because who knows what kind of compounds are in those. It ensure you have antimicrobial activity, be sure to purchase UMF certified manuka honey. Most people take Comvita Manuka Honey by ingesting it to relieve coughs and sooth the throat. They also just eat it for fun. You can also spread it on your skin to treat open cuts and wounds. For the same price at the 15+ or 20+ UMF, you get double the amount, which we think is a bargain.
What is in Manuka Honey?
The main active ingredient in manuka honey is hydrogen peroxide, which is a great antibiotic. Hydrogen peroxide destroys bacteria by tearing down their cell walls and in turns converts blood and cells into water and oxygen. Manuka honey also contains methylglyoxal, which is also an antibiotic. Methylglyoxal combined with hydrogen peroxide act together to kill bacteria.
There are other compounds in manuka honey that help prevent microbial growth as well, such as a high osmolarity, bee defensing-1, flavonoids, and a low pH. Since honey is around 75% sugar, this high concentration causes hypertonic conditions that contribute to the potential lysis of microbial walls. Both bee defensin-1 and flavonoids have also been separately identified in experiments to have antimicrobial properties. Additionally, manuka honey also stimulates lymphocrytic and phagocytic activities, which are largely linked to helping your body fight off responses. In a recent study by Syndey University, medical grade manuka honey managed to kill off every type of bacteria including anti-biotic resistant ones.
What can you use Manuka Honey for?
While the main purpose of manuka honey is to treat minor wounds and burns, you can also use it to treat cancer, diabetes, eye & ear infections, stomach problems, reduce cholesterol, and to reduce general inflammation. These later treatments and reductions have not been medically proven to be 100% effective, so please keep that in mind as well. Also, note that this applies for medical grade manuka honey. Please don’t just take a jar of honey in the food section and rub it on yourself. It will not likely do anything and will result you just looking silly. Medical grade honey to treat wound is specially sterilized and prepared.
You can also eat Manuka Honey because it is completely safe. Methylglyoxal is stable in the mouth and throat and when it reaches the stomach and intestines, it gets degraded into lactic acid. Therefore, methylglyoxal is not absorbed into the body and do not pose a risk to consumers. However, you can probably find better tasting stand-alone honey for eating out there. You generally apply manuka honey as a topical solution on your skin to treat skin infections, cuts, and bites, Taking manuka honey orally can also help soothe the throat. Manuka honey is also anti-viral so you can use it to treat illnesses caused by viruses by ingesting it.
In terms of side effects, there are no terrible ones. You may get an allergic reaction on your skin or a rise in blood sugar. Otherwise, it is completely safe and there have been no studies that suggests there are serious side effects when manuka honey is either ingested or applied on your skin.
How to Pick the Best Manuka Honey
There are hundreds of manuka honey brands out there on the market as it became popular and is now mass produced. First and foremost, you sh
ould know that real manuka honey can only be produced in Australia and New Zealand because it is where the manuka tree grows. Usually, raw and unfiltered manuka honey has the best healing properties because they toss away most of the unwanted chemicals.
Producers of Manuka Honey have come up with their own scale as to the potency of the honey. This rating is the Unique Manuka Factor or the UMF. The UMF is meant to be correlated with the concentration of methylglyoxal and other antimicrobial compounds. In general manuka honey needs to have a rating of above 10 UMF to be considered manuka honey or active manuka honey.
The UMF is independently tested in labs and determined by the UMF Honey Association. If you don’t see the UMF trademark, we wouldn’t recommend you using the manuka honey for medicinal purposes because there has been no independent testing or certification. Generally speaking, we want to see UMF ratings in the 15-20 range, which shows that there is a healthy amount of healing properties in the honey.
