Leatherwood Honey
A remarkable honey by any measure. Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey’s flavour is magnificent, quite unlike any other kind of honey. It possesses extraordinary floral aromas, and tastes quite spicy and piquant. The Leatherwood tree is a true distillate of Tasmania’s magnificent ancient landscapes.
Consider for a moment the ensuing image of this place. An ancient rainforest on latitude 42 degrees south, sharing this latitude with only the south island of New Zealand and southernmost South America. In this harsh environment, the circumpolar winds whip up constant westerlies, aptly named The Roaring Forties. This brings heavy, moisture-laden air which is drawn from The Great Southern Ocean, only to deposit most of this rain on the western coast of Tasmania, watering the rainforest where the Leatherwood trees grow. By virtue of this location, Tasmanian Leatherwood honey is naturally organic.
Summer graces this wild place with its presence for a brief 6-8 week period each year. With this comes the blooming of the Leatherwood flower, Eucryphia Lucida. Leatherwood trees bear an abundance of extremely delicate white flowers with a piquant scent. Bees visit these flowers from January to mid March to collect the distinctive aromatic nectar. During this time, our Tasmanian Honey beekeepers camp in the remote wilderness, extracting surplus honey from the hives. This enables us to provide this highly sought after honey to connoisseurs around the world.
What makes Leatherwood honey unique?
All types of pure wild honey are recognized for their various health benefits, which can be measured by their peroxide activity (TA – Total Activity). Research and laboratory tests reveal that Leatherwood honey contains a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide compared to other honey varieties.
What is hydrogen peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound that functions as an oxidizing agent, allowing it to penetrate the cell walls of microorganisms and destroy bacteria. The concerntration of hydrogen peroxide in honey differs depending on its floral source, even though it is not naturally generated by trees or flowers. When bees collect nectar, they release an enzyme known as glucose oxidase (or bee enzyme) into it, which facilitates the ripening process of the nectar.
This enzyme remains mostly inactive in pure, concentrated honey due to its low water content and high acidity. When honey comes into contact with moisture, such as saliva or a moist wound, and the pH level increases and glucose oxidase becomes active. It then transforms glucose into gluconic acid, generating hydrogen peroxide. This reaction serves as a natural, ongoing defense mechanism against bacteria, drawing moisture from the wound and promoting faster healing with reduced scarring.
Overall Leatherwood honey is effective in killing or inhibiting the growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, particularly when applied directly to wounds.
You can find out more information regarding our ‘Active’ Leatherwood honey here.
