Manuka honey is becoming ever more fashionable, and supply and demand means that it’s becoming ever more pricy, too. That means that you want and deserve  assurances of purity and quality when you buy manuka honey. The New Zealand Unique Manuka Factor Association (UMFHA) is the only certifying agency for manuka honey. As shown on the UMFHA website, the Association has developed stringent procedures for the certification of UMF® manuka honeys. Unfortunately, there are shady companies that try to get around certification procedures, adulterating manuka honey. You’ve seen it in the headlines, and it might have made you uncertain. Certification is essential for your peace of mind as a consumer, and it is essential that certification of manuka honey continues to be completely trustworthy. Because of this, it is crucial to support the development of new scientifically reliable markers of purity.

The Manuka ID Project is a global research effort that seeks to identify reliable markers of manuka purity. As part of this project, the group headed by Professor Yoji Kato of Hyogo University in Japan has identified Leptosperin, a compound that appears to be unique to New Zealand Manuka flowers. Leptosperin is now a top candidate for an authenticity marker for several good reasons:

1. It is abundant in manuka honey, and therefore easy to test.
2. It is stable over time.
3. It is difficult to synthesize, so nobody can just make it and add it to honey.

Professor Kato’s group has published an article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry detailing the potential value of Leptosperin for authenticating manuka honey.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, samples of certified manuka honeys showed an excellent correlation between grades and Leptosperin values. A brand of non-certified honey tested in the study showed significant variability among samples. Dr. Kato concluded that “certification is clearly required to protect consumers from disguised and/or low-quality honey.”

At Koru Naturals, we are committed to your protection. You can always be confident when you order from us.

Photo by Sage Ross, shared under Creative Commons licensing via Wikimedia

Emu oil is a natural oil which has been used for generations for a variety of purposes. Like many traditional remedies, it has a long list of conditions traditionally associated with it. And like any substance that has been used in traditional medicine, the claims made for it have not all been proven by modern scientific testing.

Sometimes customers try emu oil and tell us that it is a miraculous cure for all kinds of things, and sometimes customers say that they are disappointed because emu oil turned out not to be miraculous. We don’t say that emu oil does miracles and will cure all that ails you or change your life. We say that we supply high quality pure emu oil that includes vitamins, minerals, and the essential fatty acids Omega 3 and 6.

We recommend emu oil for skin and hair care, and we know that you’ll be impressed by its efficacy as a moisturizer and hair treatment.

But there has been controlled research on the use of emu oil. Here are some studies you might find interesting:

• A double-blind study reported in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology found that both penetration of the skin and improvements in skin texture were better for emu oil than for the other oils tested.
• A study from a Queensland hospital found that emu oil was as effective in treatment of arthritis as ibuprofen.
• Reports in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery: The Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons suggest that emu oil lotion is superior to other options in promoting wound healing.
• Dr. Robert Nicolosi, Director of the Center for Health and Disease Research at the University of  Massachusetts-Lowell, has found that emu oil is an effective transdermal carrier — that is, it absorbs into the skin so well that it can carry other substances along. That opens up opportunities for using emu oil in medications to be applied directly to the skin.
• Nicolosi also found that using emu oil as a dietary supplement had good results on cholesterol, and recent research in Australia suggests that oral use may help with bowel inflammation and even reduce the risk of colon cancer. Our emu oil is intended for external use, not for oral use.
• A number of clinical studies in the U.S. and in China have found that emu oil is excellent for treatment of burns.

If you intend to use our emu oil for any of these applications please consult with your doctor first.

Emu oil is safe, won’t make your skin break out, and is a very effective moisturizer for skin and hair. Research into its other properties is exciting, but we don’t need proof of miraculous powers to know that you’ll love our emu oil.

Try our Emu Oil Shampoo and Conditioner!

You’re seeing the phrase “manuka honey” everywhere, from eye shadows to ice cream. So just what does it mean?

Manuka is a flowering plant native to New Zealand. Leptospermum scoparium is the official name of the plant. The plant is a shrub or small tree, and its flowers are very appealing to bees.

So “manuka honey” means honey made by bees from the nectar they gather from the manuka plant, just as “clover honey” means honey made from bees who get their nectar from clover.

There is a big difference, though. In the United States, it is impossible to say just where bees are getting the nectar they bring to the hive. There are no locations on the U.S. mainland from which a bee can’t go outside the farm where it’s raised and access other flowers. This is why the USDA doesn’t certify honey as organic. American honey labeled “organic” may mean that the beekeepers don’t use pesticides on their farm or put chemicals in the bees’ hives. But bees are wild animals, and it is simply impossible to say that a given bee has not found some other flowers on its travels in the United States.

New Zealand is an island country, with two main islands and a number of small ones. Bees may be able to fly, but they can’t fly across the ocean. It can be determined with confidence that a New Zealand bee has in fact been restricted to native flowers.

Manuka honey is certified by the Unique Manuka Factor Association (UMF), and tested by companies such as New Zealand Laboratory Services Ltd, a NZ Government accredited facility. Certification includes

• Independent Facility Audits
• Independent Label Claim Audit
• Independent Commissioner
• Independent Product Traceability
• Internationally Recognized Testing and Verification
• Internationally Recognized Natural & Unadulterated Testing

Koru Naturals certified Manuka honeys offer the full benefits of UMF New Zealand Manuka Honey. Our Manuka Honey Skin Care and Manuka Oil are equally reliable.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

“We have an old dog who’s prone to hotspots,” a customer told us. “We use emu oil on those hotspots, and it really works.”

But that’s not the whole story. Seems the dog, after a week of emu oil treatment, goes over to the shelf where the oil is kept and barks. The owner picks up the bottle and the dog sits back so it’s easy to apply a drop or two of oil to that uncomfortable spot.

“I thought I was imagining it at first,” the customer says, “but he definitely barks for his emu oil.”

And why not? Emu oil soothes painful dry skin for humans, so why not for our furry friends?

Emu oil contains essential fatty acids that are good for skin and hair — including your four footed friends’ skin and hair. Dog groomers often add a drop of emu oil to shampoo, and you can do that at home as well.

You can also rub a few drops on your hands and rub your hands through your pup’s fur. It’s good for the dog’s fur, good for your hands, and you know your dog will love that!

Emu oil has been shown in clinical trials to be good for burns and many dog owners find that it soothes other kinds of wounds as well. One of the great things about emu oil compared to other treatments is that it is nontoxic. If your dog licks sores, you don’t have to worry about using emu oil.

As for the dog that barks for his emu oil, it makes sense. When the dog gets a drop or two of emu oil on his irritated skin, he feels better. He associates the bottle with feeling better. You remember Pavlov, right?

• Pure emu oil