Indigenous peoples have used ant honey as a natural antibiotic for thousands of years. Western science would have none of it. But now Australian scientists have shown that the remedy does work.
But it must come from a specific kind of ant: the Camponotus inflatus, or the honey (pot) ant. The insect can be found in inhospitable desert areas in Western Australia, among others. The animals live together in a colony, where each one performs a specific task. A special group consists of heavily overfed worker ants, which are completely stuffed with nectar and other sugary substances by other worker ants. All the honey makes these obese critters’ bellies inflate like a balloon and they take on a translucent, amber-colored appearance. The walking honey drops hardly move from their place after that. They have become living snack machines for their peers. At times when there is little food available for the colony, they can cough up the honey and distribute it to the entire group.
Food and social binder
It is not so easy to find the honey ants. Danny Ulrich of the Tjupan tribe, who conducts honey ant tours deep in the Australian outback, helped the researchers with this. “For our people, the honey ants are much more than just a source of food. Searching and digging up the animals from the sand is a wonderful pastime. We go out with the whole family and make it an outing. You could say that the honey ant strengthens our family ties,” explains Ulrich. “Our ancestors have been snacking on the sweet honey produced by these ants for thousands of years. We grab them from the sand and suck them out.”
Natural medicine
But that’s not the only way they take advantage of the honey-blown insects. “We also use the stuff as a medicine, if someone has a throat infection, for example. And the special honey can also serve as a healing ointment. It works wonders for skin infections,” says the desert guide. According to the researchers, this is the first time that honey has been studied for its medicinal uses.
“I have long been fascinated by the honey ant and its amazing way of producing and storing honey,” said researcher Andrew Dong. “The substance has been used as a medicine by the indigenous people since time immemorial. That made me curious, so I decided to look for possible antimicrobial properties in the honey.”
New branch of antibiotics
The researchers discovered that the ant honey works in a very different way than Manuka honey, which has long been known to act as a healing ointment against wounds and skin infections. “Our study shows that honey ant honey has a very specific effect. This cannot be compared to other types of honey,” says researcher Kenya Fernandes. “This Australian ant honey contains powerful antimicrobial ingredients. We would like to know what kind of substances these are exactly. We may well be at the beginning of the development of a whole new branch of antibiotics.”
The natives of Australia have used ant honey for thousands of years to treat colds and sore throats. But Western science is only now recognizing the beneficial power of the natural product. “This study proves that ant honey has unique antimicrobial properties. It makes a lot of sense that the indigenous people have had this in their medicine cabinet for years,” says lead researcher Dee Carter.
Against fungi and abscesses
The drug appears to be very effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that can be found on the skin and around the nose in many people without doing any harm. However, the microbe can cause serious problems when it enters the body through a small wound. Severe skin infections such as abscesses and erysipelas can develop. In extreme cases, the bacteria can lead to sepsis and death.
Also two fungi species, Aspergillus in Cryptococcus, are not resistant to the ant honey. Both fungi live in the soil. It is therefore likely that the honey ant developed this antifungal property to protect the nest against the fungi species. Like Staphylococcus, these fungi can cause serious infections in people with a weakened immune system.
2023-07-29 12:02:22
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