How to cure hemorrhoids naturally? Is honey good for piles?

Probably the person who invented the famous phrase “like a pain in the but” had hemorrhoids. It is funny for those who never had this problems. But for the others, it’s an embarrassing subject. These people will first wonder how to cure hemorrhoids naturally, before becoming unbearable and going to a doctor.
Because no matter how you put it, the pain in the but is real.

Is honey good for piles? If it is that good in healing almost all skin problems, can’t it cure them either? Folk medicine says it can. And recently science confirmed it. Yet, do not expect any medical doctor to prescribe you honey instead of chemical drugs.

What really are hemorrhoids ?
I’m sure that whoever opened this article already knows what hemorrhoids are, how painful and uncomfortable (to say the least) they are.
As a short reminder, hemorrhoids, also known as piles, are swollen veins in the lowest part of rectum and anus. Sometimes the walls of these blood vessels stretch so thin that the veins bulge and get irritated, especially when you poop. Swollen hemorrhoids are also called piles.

They can come up from everything and nobody should feel ashamed, as these days nobody believes anymore that only gay people or pervert women get them. Yes, I’ve heard these stories before, as unbelievable as it may sound, some people still think this way. (see basic causes here.)

Hemorrhoidal disease and anal fissure are common disorders of the anorectal area. Third- and fourth-degree hemorrhoids may require hemorrhoidectomy, rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy, infrared photocoagulation, cryotherapy, bipolar diathermy, or laser therapy. Surgical complications include hemorrhage, urinary retention, stricture, infection, incontinence, and wound dehiscence.

You understand now why people are searching for a natural therapy! It is known that there are no medications that cure hemorrhoids, the only goal of medication is to relieve burning, discomfort, inflammation, irritation, itching, pain, soreness and swelling. All these can be achieved using natural products, such is the mixture described below.

Does honey cure hemorrhoids?

Knowing how good honey is in treating wounds and other skin problems, due to its ability to fight against bacteria and to speed the recovery of wounded tissue, it is only natural to think that it can also cure hemorrhoids. And it is true, honey can do that, and though no doctor is ever going to tell you that simple honey can heal your piles, online media is full of successful reports.

To make the perfect ointment, many naturopats mix honey with other products. The most common are beeswax (which lacks chemicals and improves lubrication), propolis (which has a powerful antimicrobial action) and herbs, either as powder or as essential oils. In combination with olive oil and beeswax, honey had a very good effect on them, as it was reported in 2006 in a pilot study.

• Al-Waili NS and his team from the Al-Waili’s Foundation for Science and Trading, New York, USA, conducted a pilot study in 2006 to evaluate the effect of a mixture of honey, olive oil, and beeswax on anal fissure or hemorrhoids, starting from the good results obtained in the treatment of diaper dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema and skin fungal infection.

The study was done on 15 patients, median age 45 yo, with anal fissure (5 patients) or first- to third-degree hemorrhoids (4 with first degree, 4 with second degree, and 2 with third degree).
They were treated with a 12-h application of a natural mixture containing honey, olive oil, and beeswax in ratio of
1:1:1(v/v/v).

The scientists measured the bleeding, itching, edema, and erythema in the beginning, weekly and after the treatment (4 weeks).

The treatment:
Patients were provided with a mixture prepared from equal volumes of natural honey, olive oil and beeswax.
The honey used was provided by Dubai Specialized Medical Center, Islamic Establishment for Education, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was a dark yellow multifloral honey, with a composition of (per 100 g of honey): fructose 38 g%, glucose 28 g%, moisture 20%, acidity 13%, vitamin C 2.3 mg%, copper 0.098 mg%, zinc 0.6 mg%, sucrose 0.5 g%, and glutathione reductase 0.52 mg%.
The natural olive oil used was prepared by cold press.

The patients were asked to stop any medication during this trial and apply about a spoon size of the mixture around the skin twice daily. They were also asked to sleep in a supine position for 15 min after application and to apply soft gauze to the anal region to keep the mixture at the site of application.

The results showed that the honey mixture significantly reduced bleeding and relieved itching in patients with hemorrhoids. Patients with anal fissure showed significant reduction in pain, bleeding, and itching after the treatment. No side effect was reported.

The patients with hemorrhoids achieved significant pain relief within 1 week and all patients were free of pain within 3 weeks of treatment.
– Significant reduction of bleeding was obtained in all the patients; except for two with hemorrhoids (pretreatment bleeding score was 2 and 3) who showed mild bleeding, all the patients had no rectal bleeding after 4 weeks.
– Itching was completely relieved within the first 2 weeks of the treatment.
– Erythema and edema seen in three patients with hemorrhoids completely disappeared within 2 weeks.
The patients did not show relapse of piles during or after defecation after 3 weeks of treatment.

The two patients with third-degree hemorrhoids scheduled for surgical intervention showed marked improvement within 4 weeks without the need for surgery.

The patients with anal fissure showed significant reduction in pain, bleeding, and itching after the treatment. Signs of healing such as regression of posterior ulcer and epithelization were evident in all the patients within the 4 weeks of treatment. Erythema and edema seen in two patients with anal fissure completely disappeared within 2 weeks.

Side effects were not noticed with use of the mixture in any patient recruited and no complications were experienced either.

The good results were assumed to be due to antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and healing properties of the ingredients.

Olive oil, beeswax, and honey are natural materials that contain flavonoids, antioxidants, antibacterial and fungal ingredients, that affect cytokines production by skin cells when applied topically. According to the team of researchers that conducted the study, here is why the mixture works on hemorrhoids and anal fissures:

DIY project:
Try and do your own mixture at home, it really is not difficult. Warm the beeswax in a pan and mix, in equal parts, honey (in liquid state), beeswax and olive oil.
• Beeswax can be find on Amazon, here is a recommended one:
Beeswax Pellets 1 lb, Yellow, Pure, Natural, Cosmetic Grade, Bees Wax Pastilles, Triple Filtered, Great For DIY Projects, Lip Balms, Lotions, Candles By White Naturals;
• Honey should be raw honey, not the pure type we find in supermarkets, but in healthy stores, or also bought from Amazon or trustful healthy stores. Multifloral or monofloral, darker if possible, here is one example: Buckwheat honey. Manuka honey is also good.
• Olive oil can be found everywhere, only make sure it is cold pressed. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Sky Organics.

Homeopatic oil for hemorrhoids and anal fissures available on Amazon

○ Other remedies for hemorrhoids include:
A mixture of herbs, a vegetable-based hemorrhoid ointment, phenol oil, Ginko biloba-Troxerutin-Heptaminol, bioflavonoids, and dietary supplementation with micronized Aesculus hippocastanum, Ruscus aculeatus, Centella asiatica, and Hamamelis virginiana. The are all used as alternative treatment for patients with hemorrhoids.

○ Other remedies for anal fissures include:
stool softeners, warm sitz baths, local anesthetic agents, corticosteroid-containing ointments, and proteolytic enzyme preparations, used in various combinations. Complete pain relief occurred with use of nitroglycerine ointment. The use of botulinum toxin is the first therapeutic approach for patients with chronic anal fissure and risk factors for incontinence.

Homeopatic oils have also been used successfully and some people mixed it with honey for a faster and longer relief. Here is a good one, available on Amazon.

Honey is particularly suitable as a dressing for wounds and burns and has also been included in treatments against pityriasis, tinea, seborrhea, dandruff, diaper dermatitis, psoriasis. In cosmetic formulations it has emollient, humectant, soothing and hair conditioning effects, keeps the skin juvenile and retards wrinkle formation, regulates pH and prevents pathogen infections. Honey-based cosmetic products include lip ointments, cleansing milks, hydrating creams, after sun, tonic lotions, shampoos and conditioners.

What honey is the best for piles?
The honey widely recognized as the best in treating infected and hard to heal wounds is manuka honey. It is also recommended in hemorrhoids.
Any other type of honey is good. A good multifloral raw honey (like this one found on Amazon from
Y.S. Eco Bee Farms, Raw Honey, U.S. Grade A, 22.0 oz 4Pack (623 g)). In the above study, the research team used a multifloral dark yellow honey. The fact that it was dark suggests a high amount of antioxidants, therefore it is better to to use a darker honey, like buckwheat honey (Bee Harmony American Raw Buckwheat– on Amazon).

Scientists say that the mechanisms of action on skin cells are deeply conditioned by the botanical sources and include antioxidant activity, the induction of cytokines and matrix metalloproteinase expression, as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition in wounded epidermis. (Burlando B, 2013).