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HONEY REGIMEN IN GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS
Dr. S.N. Salem
Egypt.

INTRODUCTION
The first documented case report about honey treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders came in Bukhari and Moslem Hadith Books of our gracious prophet Mohammed ( PBUH ) as follows:

"A MAN CAME TO HIM ASKING HIS ADVICE TO TREAT HIS BROTHER WHO WAS SUFFERING FROM DIARRHEA. THE PROPHET (PBUH) TOLD THAT MAN TO GIVE HIS BROTHER HONEY TO DRINK. THE MAN WENT BACK AND GAVE THIS SICK BROTHER HONEY BUT WITHOUT RESPONSE. HE ASKED THE PROPHET  (PBUH) AGAIN, WHO ADVISED HIM TO TRY HONEY AGAIN. FOR THE ISECOND TIME, THE MAN DID NOT RESPOND AND HIS BROTHER RETURNED TO THE PROPHET (PBUH) FOR A THIRD TIME. THE PROPHET (PBUH) PRONOUNCED THAT GOD SAID THE TRUTH ABOUT HONEY, BUT YOUR ILL BROTHER'S ABDOMEN LIED. GO BACK AND LET HIM DRINK HONEY. THIS TIME THE ILL MAN RECOVERED".

Ever since Moslems and Arabs used honey to treat different types of illnesses. However, many scientific approaches to document the efficiency of honey in diarrhea, abdominal colic, chest affection, skin diseases... etc. have been attempted. (2, 3.)

This paper is an attempt to verify the value of honey in the management of upper gastrointestinal dyspepsia including peptic ulceration.

RESULTS
    Age and sex distribution of 45 patients included in this study, "26 males and 19 females", the majority of whom belonged to (20-40 yrs.) age groups. Upper abdominal pain, and dyspeptic symptoms flatulence, indigestion, heartburn, eructation, nausea and vomiting" were dominating, whe eas haematemesis occured in 12 patients (27 %) only. (Table 2). More than half of the patients were anaemic and occult blood in stools was found in 82% .  Evidence of peptic ulcers duodenitis and gastritis in 75% and so were the endoscopic findings. Finally,  diffrent criteria of improvement. Clinically two-thirds of the patients recovered and another 7 were relieved. Barium meal and upper endoscopic evaluation showed marked improvement and 5 out of 7 man tested complete ulcer healing. Anaemia was corrected in more than half of the patients. Further, no one showed hoemoglobin percentage below 50%. Occult blood persisted in 4 out of 37 patients.

COMMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS
    The data, obtained from the present therapeutic trial, provided substantial evidence that honey has a plac in the management of upper gastrointestinal disorders. Furthermore, we have tried honey enemata in cases of ulcerative proctitis with encouraging results, which will be described in a separate communication. It was observed that honey regimen is effective in organic lesions as ulcers and gastritis or Iduo enitis where the response is dramatic. But patients with functional disorders as cardiac or pyloric spasm responded poorly to honey regimen. Other successful therapeutic trials were employed in the management of heavy metal poisoning and in kidney and liver diseases.   Abdel Gaffar and colleagues ,found that honey regimen modified gastric juice constituents to the benefit of the individual by suppres ing hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid and by so doing enhanced healing of peptic ulcerss.

However, honey may produce favourable effects through the anti-bacterial property. Zawawy has Isho n the high efficiency of local application of honey in septic wounds and in long standing pyogenic Iskin ulcers. Such effect might have been achieved because of the high content of dextrose in honey (25 0%) more than any other natural food. However, further work is needed for a better understanding of th mode of action of honey in health and disease.

We may conclude that honey regimen is a useful tool in physicians' hands for the treatment of gasitroin estinal diseases. Honey regimen should be the first choice in such problems as it is of natural ,source, does not have the side effects of drugs, of high nutrient value and is cheapter than any other form of therapy.