The Qur'an tells us about the healing property of honey (16:69). In the light of this verse Muslims attached great importance to the medicinal aspect of honey, and it became an important ingredient in their pharmacology. But the western world remained unaware of its medical value for centuries; they treated it as merely a liquid food, item. It was not before the twentieth century that the European physicians discovered the antiseptic properties of honey.

Here is a summary of modern researches on honey published in an American journal.

Honey is a powerful destroyer of germs which produce human diseases. It was not until the twentieth century, however, that this was demonstrated scientifically. Dr. W.G. Sackett, formerly with the Colorado Agricultural College at Fort Collins, attempted to prove that honey was a carrier of disease much like milk. To his surprise, all the disease germs he introduced into pure honey were quickly destroyed. The germ that causes typhoid fever died in pure honey after 48 hours' exposure. Enteritidis, causing intestinal inflation, lived 48 hours. A hardy germ which causes bronchopneumonia and septicemia held out for four days. Bacillus coli Communis which under certain conditions causes peritonitis, was dead on the fifth day of experiment. According to    Dr. Bodog Beck, there are many other germs equally destructible in honey. The reason for this bactericidal quality in honey, he said, is in its hygroscopic ability. It literally draws every particle of moisture out of germs. Germs, like any other living organism, perish without water. This power to absorb moisture is almost unlimited. Honey will draw moisture from metal, glass, and even stone rocks (Rosicrucian Digest, September 1975, p. 11).