When people search for the world's most powerful raw honey, Manuka is usually the first name that comes up. New Zealand's marketing has done its job. But there's a quieter contender from the temperate rainforests of Chilean Patagonia that, by several measures, outperforms it in head-to-head laboratory testing — with hard numbers from over three decades of peer-reviewed research to back it up.
Here's what the science actually says.
Antibacterial Activity: The Head-to-Head Numbers
The foundational comparison comes from a 2010 study in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Sherlock and colleagues. Researchers tested both honeys against three of the most clinically problematic bacteria in modern medicine: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The results were striking. Against five clinical strains of MRSA, Ulmo honey's minimum inhibitory concentration was just 3.1–6.3% v/v. UMF 25+ Manuka — the highest commercially available potency grade — required 12.5%. In other words, Ulmo honey inhibited MRSA growth at roughly half the concentration Manuka needed. Against E. coli and P. aeruginosa, the two honeys performed comparably.
A 2023 review in Antioxidants by Poulsen-Silva and colleagues confirmed the pattern, and noted something important: some Ulmo honeys retained antibacterial activity even after hydrogen peroxide was removed, indicating multiple, independent mechanisms of action — not just one.
Phenolic Content: Double the Antioxidant Concentration
Antibacterial activity in honey isn't magic — it's chemistry. The primary drivers are hydrogen peroxide, methylglyoxal (MGO, the compound Manuka is famous for), and phenolic compounds — plant-derived antioxidants that double as antimicrobials.
This is where Ulmo honey distinguishes itself. Velásquez et al. (2020) measured Ulmo honey's total phenolic content at 176–208 mg GAE per 100g, with total flavonoids of 43–90 mg QE per 100g — substantially higher than other monofloral honeys including sesame, rosemary, orange, chestnut, and Manuka. The active compounds include gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, pinocembrin, chrysin, quercetin, and rutin — transferred directly from the Ulmo flower's nectar to the honey itself.
Manuka's MGO is potent and well-marketed, but it's one mechanism. Ulmo's antibacterial profile is multi-mechanism — peroxide, phenolics, and flavonoids working together — which may explain why it holds up against drug-resistant bacteria in head-to-head testing.
Clinical Evidence: 100% Healing in Chronic Venous Ulcers
Most "medicinal honey" marketing relies on lab studies. Ulmo honey has actual human clinical trial data.
Del Sol et al. (2015), publishing in Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, treated 18 patients with chronic venous leg ulcers using daily topical Ulmo honey dressings combined with oral vitamin C (500 mg/day). The result: all 18 ulcers healed completely, with a mean healing time of 37 days. No infections. No allergic reactions. No complications. The control group, treated with a standard hydrogel dressing, showed no complete healings.
Animal studies by Schencke et al. (2016) using guinea-pig burn wounds replicated the synergy: Ulmo honey plus vitamin C produced significantly greater wound contraction and epithelial regeneration than honey alone. This is the kind of evidence that's rare for any natural product, let alone a competitor to a multi-billion-dollar honey category.
Sourcing, Purity, and the Patagonia Difference
The Ulmo tree (Eucryphia cordifolia) grows almost exclusively in the temperate rainforests of southern Chile. The trees flower for only a few weeks each year, in regions — Villarrica, Los Lagos, Chiloé — with no industrial agriculture, no pesticide drift, and minimal human impact.
Chile's monofloral standard requires at least 45% Eucryphia pollen for honey to be labeled as Ulmo. Our honey is harvested at 97% monofloral purity — well above the regulatory threshold and near the upper limit of what's biologically possible.
Manuka, by contrast, is harvested across New Zealand and increasingly Australia, in regions with active agriculture and growing production pressure. Quality varies significantly between producers, which is why the UMF/MGO grading system exists in the first place.
Indigenous Knowledge: Mapuche Traditional Medicine
Long before laboratory analysis, the Mapuche people of southern Chile used Eucryphia cordifolia honey to treat infections and wounds. Modern research has largely validated what traditional healers knew.
This is one of the strongest signals in ethnobotany — when indigenous medicinal use predates and predicts what controlled laboratory studies later confirm. The Mapuche identified Ulmo's antimicrobial properties through generations of observation. Modern scientists explained why.
Taste and Texture
Beyond the medicinal properties, the two honeys taste completely different. Manuka tends toward earthy, slightly bitter, and medicinal — many people genuinely don't enjoy eating it and treat it as a supplement to swallow. Ulmo honey is creamy and naturally crystallized, with subtle notes of vanilla and jasmine from the Ulmo flower's nectar. It's the rare "medicinal" honey that's actually pleasant to eat by the spoonful — which matters, because daily consumption is how you actually capture the antibacterial and antioxidant benefits.
Which One Is Right for You?
If you've already invested in Manuka and it's working for you, there's no urgent reason to switch. Both are legitimate medicinal honeys backed by real research.
But if you're new to functional honey, or you're looking for something with stronger laboratory evidence against drug-resistant bacteria, Ulmo honey is worth serious consideration. You get equivalent or stronger antibacterial activity, double the phenolic content, clinical evidence of complete wound healing, and a vastly better taste. The reason most people haven't heard of Ulmo isn't that it's inferior — it's that Manuka has had a 30-year head start on global marketing.
Sources
- Sherlock, O., et al. (2010). Comparison of the antimicrobial activity of Ulmo honey from Chile and Manuka honey against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10, 47.
- Velásquez, P., et al. (2020). Bioactive compounds and antibacterial properties of monofloral Ulmo honey. CyTA-Journal of Food, 18(1), 11–19.
- Del Sol, M., et al. (2015). Combined therapy of Ulmo honey (Eucryphia cordifolia) and ascorbic acid to treat venous ulcers. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 23(2), 259–266.
- Schencke, C., et al. (2016). Morphometric evaluation of wound healing in burns treated with Ulmo honey alone and supplemented with ascorbic acid. Burns & Trauma, 4, 25.
- Poulsen-Silva, E., et al. (2023). Antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of monofloral honeys from Chile. Antioxidants, 12(9), 1785.
- Muñoz, P., et al. (2023). Antibacterial and wound-healing action of Ulmo honey (Eucryphia cordifolia) of differing degrees of purity. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, 1172025.
