Honey produced by the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) is valued nutritionally and medicinally by Indigenous peoples. In a new study, scientists at the University of Sydney found honeypot ant honey to have strong total activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not against other bacteria, and strong activity against two species of fungi: Cryptococcus and Aspergillus. When compared with therapeutic-grade jarrah and manuka honey produced by honeybees, they found honeypot ant honey to have a markedly different antimicrobial activity and chemical properties, suggesting honeypot ant honey has a unique mode of antimicrobial action.
Honey has been utilised since ancient times as a traditional remedy against various ailments.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the use of natural products such as honey as antimicrobials, in large part due to the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
While the vast majority of honey in the world is produced by the European honeybee (Apis mellifera), many other insects collect, process, and store nectar in the form of honey.
This includes stingless bees, bumblebees, the Mexican honey wasp (Brachygastra mellifica), and various honeypot ant species. One such example is the Australian honeypot ant.
“As a rare source of natural sugar in an arid environment, honeypot ants are highly prized as a bush food by Indigenous Australians and have a long history of nutritional and cultural significance,” said University of Sydney researcher Andrew Dong and colleagues.
“The Honey Ant Dreaming site is located in Central Australia and is shared by all Indigenous groups in the area.”
“For these groups, the honeypot ant represents their Dreaming or Tjukurpa, the Aboriginal philosophy based on the spiritual interrelation of people and things.”
“In addition to their use as a food source, there are records of honeypot ant honey being used to treat sore throats and colds.”
In their study, the…
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