Malaysian Honey Retards Cancer Growth, Inhibits Bacteria and Fungi

Health Benefits of Tualang Honey on Par with Imported Ones

Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Honey in its natural state, is a veritable store house of health benefits, containing sugars like fructose and glucose, minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chloride, sulphur, iron and phosphates as well as vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3.

Not surprisingly, it is an important ingredient for traditional medicines used by various civilisations throughout centuries. Prior to 1996, the Tualang Honey collectors in the districts of Padang Terap, Ulu Muda, Sik, Baling, Jerai and Kubang Pasu in Kedah were selling their honey, packed in simple bottles, at makeshift roadside stalls and village markets…

According to Prof Dr Nor Hayati Othman, Dean of Clinical Science Research at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Kelantan, results from a total of 48 studies indicated that Tualang Honey, either taken orally or applied as a dressing to superficial cuts and burns, provides an array of medicinal benefits.

"Although still at its early stages, the encouraging results prove that Tualang Honey has anti-bacterial as well as antioxidant properties that can retard the growth of certain cancer cells and inhibits a broad spectrum of bacterial and fungal species, apart from being a good source of instant energy for the body," she said. Honey is an effective treatment for stomach problems, as it encourages healthy functioning of the intestine and kidneys.

Anyone can digest honey easily, because its sugar molecules convert into other, simpler sugars. Therefore, it does not irritate the digestive tract lining, and is soothing for the stomach. Nor Hayati said that honey is one of nature’s wonders.

"It is a complete food in itself. Being a regular user for the past 25 years myself, I am a firm believer in the health benefits of Tualang Honey," she added. "Tualang Honey even contains some positive elements that are not present in imported honey," she said…

Bees Can Commit Smells to Memory

Sugar Gives Bee Brains a Buzz
ABC, 2/8/2010

Trained bees may be part of the future of horticulture.

A study by the Brain Institute at the University of Queensland has found the honey bee's brain works by committing important smells to memory, and forgetting the rest.

Senior research fellow Judith Reinhard says that new information could allow them to train bees to focus on pollinating certain crops only.

She says, if it works, it could be a much more effective way of using bees in horticulture, and save farmers time.

"Honey bees are like little children, they'll do anything for a bit of sweet," she says.

"Now if we put this odour together with sugar water in the hive, when they fly out and they smell the avocado, or the almond aroma, they will go for for them and pollinate these flowers."

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This phenomenon was discovered decades ago in Russia.]

UK Firm Sells Off Medicinal Honey Brand

William Ransom Divests Manuka Gold Brand for £560,000
Proactive Investors UK, 2/5/2010

Hertfordshire headquartered natural healthcare company William Ransom agreed the disposal of its honey-based Manuka Gold health supplements to Honey New Zealand International for £560,000. Ransom said it intends to use the proceeds to reduce debt…

The Manuka Gold brand is composed of various manuka honey based products, which are believed to be effective against a wide range of bacteria, particularly the helicobacter pylori, which is associated with stomach ulcers, the group said.

The product’s primary ingredient is imported from New Zealand. The Manuka Gold brand generated annual sales of approximately £300,000 in the year ended March 2009. However Ransom said that the brand's margins are being significantly eroded due to changing distribution channels…

Indian Honey Used to Treat Wounds, Sore Throats, Acne

Medicinal Value of Indian Honey is on a Par with the World's Best
Jyoti Shelar, DNA, 2/8/2010

Mumbai: Indian honey has equal medicinal properties as the Manuka honey of New Zealand, believed to be of the best quality in the world.

Doctors from Nair Hospital tested the Indian honey on 226 patients and found that it had incredible healing properties. The findings were recently presented in the Second International Honey Conference in Malaysia.

Dr Sunita Deshpande of the hospital’s microbiology department and her six doctorate students tested nine types of Indian honeys. “We found all Indian honeys have almost equal properties as the New Zealand’s Manuka honey,” said Deshpande, who presented the research paper in the conference.

According to Deshpande, the antibacterial and anti-fungal properties of Jambhul honey were similar to those in Manuka honey. Therefore, they chose it to study its effect on patients. The study included patients with severe wounds including burns, cuts, diabetic foot, and those with sore throat and acne.

The wounds of patients were treated with dressing of sterilised Jambhul honey, sore throat patients were given small tubes filled with honey for intake and those with acne were asked to put the honey on the skin with medical gauze on it.

“Wounds of patients showed 90% healing within a week. Even deep injuries of those with diabetic foot healed within 15 days,” Deshpande said, adding that the patients experienced less pain and irritation as compared to the regular dressings.

Similarly, acne disappeared and there was no relapse recorded in 80% patients even after six months. Likewise, those with a sore throat experienced relief within a week, said Deshpande who has tested more than 15 types of Indian honeys in the past nine years…

Could Propolis Help Treat HIV/AIDS?

Apiarists Hope to Breed a Better Bee
Rob Rogers, The Contra Costa Times, 2/6/2010

Beekeepers are also doing away with an unhealthy tradition. Until recently, many beekeepers tried to keep their hives clear of propolis - a sticky substance made from tree resin with which bees coat the inside of their hives.

"It's very, very annoying for a beekeeper to go into a hive and have it all stuck together," McNeil-Draper said. "You have to pry everything apart with a hive tool. So over the last 150 years, breeders have selected bees that don't propolize heavily."

Yet new research suggests that propolis acts as a barrier against bacteria, mold and viruses, and may act to support the immune system of the hive.

"Bees don't produce antibodies," Spivak said. "Instead, each individual bee acts like a cell within a body, creating a colony-wide immune system. Bees with propolis don't have to invest as much energy in that immune response."

A few studies have shown that propolis may improve the human immune response as well, and Spivak hopes scientists will eventually explore whether its chemical compounds could be useful in attacking HIV, the virus believed to cause AIDS…

Cuban Propolis Inhibits Growth of Breast Cancer Cells

Antiproliferative Activity of Brown Cuban Propolis Extract on Human Breast Cancer Cells
Nat Prod Commun, 2009 Dec;4(12):1711-6

Brown Cuban propolis (BCP) is the major type of propolis in Cuba; its chemical composition is exclusive and the principal component is nemorosone. In this study we investigated the antiproliferative activity of the ethanol extract of BCP on human breast cancer cell lines.

The MTT assay showed a significant antiproliferative activity (P<0.005)>0.01) inhibition of cell growth in the G1 phase of cell cycle, which was mechanism dose- and time-dependent. 17-beta Estradiol (10 nM) administration to MCF-7 caused a significant (P<0.001), but not total reduction of BCP antiproliferative activity at concentrations of 1, 5 and 10 microg/mL, but not at the highest concentration (25 microg/mL).

The coadministration of ICI 182,780 (100 nM), an antagonist of ER, on MCF-7 totally reduced the effect of BCP at 24 h, and showed a significant (P<0.001) reduction of BCP antiproliferative activity at 48 h. Thus it was hypothesized that BCP possesses an estrogen-like activity.

It is to be noted, however, that BCP application to MDA-MB 23 1 at 48 h also induced increased cell mortality. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that BCP could not only interact with the ER, but also have an ER-independent activity.

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Bee Venom Therapy Popular in Gaza

Blockade Forces Gaza to Turn from Modern Medicine to Bee Stings
Erin Cunningham, The National (UAE), 2/5/2010

GAZA CITY // …With a health system crippled by the Israeli economic blockade, which the United Nations says causes unnecessary delays for the import of vital medical equipment, the residents of Gaza are increasingly turning to cheaper, more accessible methods of alternative medicine to cure their ailments.

A local beekeeper who runs a clinic using bee stings as a treatment in Gaza City said because of the blockade, he now sees upwards of a hundred patients each day. Also in the city, a pharmacist self-trained in traditional Chinese medicine said his business is growing in the wake of last year’s war, in which health facilities here sustained considerable damage.

“When we’re faced with the situation we have today with the healthcare system, where medicine and equipment are in short supply, and people don’t have access, it’s only logical they will turn towards alternative medical practices in order to get better,” said the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) national health officer in Gaza, Mahmoud Daher…

At the home of Ratib Ibrahim Samour, this local beekeeper and his wife, Umm Ibrahim, move from patient to patient, gripping plastic jars swarming with honeybees. Mr Samour pinches one of the bees, squirming and wings flapping furiously, with a pair of tweezers, and stings a young girl wearing a hearing aid on the back of her ear.

“I treat people for deafness, eyesight, sinus infections, pain,” said Mr Samour, who opened the clinic in 2003 and has since trained his wife and two oldest children to treat people with the bees. “The venom of the bee activates the natural cortisone in the body, and this can help with many things, many sicknesses.”

Kamal Ruka, from the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, needs a spinal operation in the coming months. But he cannot afford both the operation and the pain relief medication he needs while he waits for the surgery. Mr Ruka comes in every four to six weeks, he said, to be stung 15 times to alleviate the pain. It costs him just 10 shekels per session, while prescription drugs cost him 50 shekels per week, he said.

“I started coming to the clinic about a year ago, and I feel 100 per cent better,” Mr Ruka said. “The pain from the bee is nothing compared to the pain I have.”

Mr Samour said he often turns patients away, however, because his bee-sting method is no substitute for modern medicine. He always asks patients what their real doctor’s diagnosis is first.

But because conventional drugs are often too expensive or in short supply, people are faced with no other choice but to seek out alternative healers…

Honey, Royal Jelly Boost Health Benefits of Valentine's Day Gift

BeeAlive Offers Heart-Healthy Dark Chocolate Truffles

VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- With Valentine's Day approaching, many consumers are challenged to find a creative and romantic gift.

BeeAlive offers the perfect solution – rich dark chocolate (64% cacao solids) dietary supplements with a creamy filling composed of the company's exclusive B-12, B-6, Folic Acid (B-9) formula, blended with honey and Royal Jelly. Only 45 calories per piece, the delicious heart-healthy truffles – called Chocolate B-12 Plus – are guilt-free, with no trans or hydrogenated fats.

Scientific research has shown that B vitamins, when taken regularly, may help to promote a healthy heart, while also supporting a healthy immune and nervous system. Researchers have also found that dark chocolate is an important source of potent antioxidants. With BeeAlive's unique Chocolate B-12 Plus dietary supplements, consumers receive the combination of great taste, antioxidants and heart-healthy benefits.

BeeAlive's Chocolate B-12 Plus is available in an elegant 30-piece box. The truffles are ideal for consumers seeking a satisfying and healthy treat. BeeAlive also offers convenient B-12 Plus Twist-Its, which are portable and perfect for anyone's busy lifestyle. BeeAlive offers, then, two smart strategies to support a healthy cardiovascular system, while helping to fight the negative effects of stress…

Honey a Throat Soother, Energy Booster and Moisturizer

The Many Benefits of Honey
The Reno-Gazette Journal, 2/5/2010

The 60,000 or so bees in a beehive may collectively travel as much as 55,000 miles and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey.
In addition to being a great natural sweetener, honey has a multitude of benefits. Honey has been proven to be a natural throat soother and its unique blend of natural sweeteners gives it the ability to provide quick energy in any circumstance.

Honey is used in everything from hand lotions and moisturizers to bar soaps and bubble bath. It is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture, and that makes honey a natural fit in a variety of moisturizing products, including cleaners, creams, shampoos and conditioners. Honey also acts as an anti-irritant, making it suitable for sensitive skin and baby care products. Look for honey in store-bought beauty products or simply add a squeeze of honey to your moisturizer, shampoo or soap at home...

Honey Laundering Threatens New Zealand Trade with U.S.

NZPA, 2/5/2010

Beekeepers are warning the country's growing honey trade with the United States will suffer if Australian honey products are allowed into New Zealand.

The National Beekeepers' Association of New Zealand (NBA) said tonight that Australian honey was being mixed with international honey and exported as an Australian product.

"If Australian honey imports are allowed into New Zealand, New Zealand risks becoming a 'honey laundering' hub, a situation that would severely damage our honey exporters," NBA joint chief executive Gemma Collier said…

New Zealand Apitherapy Firm Appoints R&D Manager

Scientist-Author to Head R&D at Manuka Health New Zealand
Business to Business, 2/4/2010

Food scientist and author Dr Lynne Chepulis has been appointed Research and Development Manager at honey health science company Manuka Health New Zealand Ltd.

Announcing the appointment, Chief Executive Kerry Paul said Manuka Health is expanding R&D to advance its position in the $100 million manuka honey export industry.

“We need more in-house capability to exploit scientific advances in the uses for bee products,” he said. “Dr Chepulis is the ideal person to lead that.”

Manuka Health is the only company to certify the level of the active ingredient methylglyoxal responsible for the antibacterial activity of its MGO™ manuka honey products. It also markets non-honey bee products such as Bio30™ propolis which international researchers are investigating for its cancer-blocking properties...

Her Phd at the University of Waikato’s honey research unit was a joint project with Fonterra to investigate the health advantages of honey over other sugars.

She is the author of a book “Healing Honey: A Natural Remedy for Health and Wellness” and numerous peer-reviewed publications…

Royal Jelly Component Shows Anti-Bacterial Activity

Expression of Acc-Royalisin Gene from Royal Jelly of Chinese Honeybee in Escherichia coli and Its Antibacterial Activity
J. Agric. Food Chem, Article ASAP

Royalisin is an antibacterial peptide found in Royal Jelly.

Two gene fragments of Chinese honeybee (Apis cerana cerana) head, 280 bp cDNA encoding pre-pro-Acc-royalisin (PPAR) of 95 amino acid residues, and 165 bp cDNA encoding mature Acc-royalisin (MAR) of 51 amino acid residues were cloned into the pGEX-4T-2 vector. They were then transformed individually into Escherichia coli for expression.

Two expressed fusion proteins, glutathione S-transferase (GST)-PPAR of 36 kDa and GST-MAR of 32 kDa were obtained, which were cross reacted with GST antibody accounting for up to 16.3% and 15.4% of bacterial protein, respectively. In addition, 41% of GST-PPAR and nearly 100% of GST-MAR were soluble proteins.

Both lysates of the two purified fusion proteins displayed antibacterial activities, similar to that of nisin against Gram-positive bacteria strains, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus. MAR peptide released from the thrombin-cleaved GST-MAR fusion protein has a stronger antibacterial activity than that of GST-MAR fusion protein.

Royal Jelly Helps Treat Infertility, Impotence

Effect of Royal Jelly on Sexual Efficiency in Adult Male Rats
Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Sciences, Vol. 23, Supplement II, 2009 (155-160)

The study was designed to investigate the efficacy of treating the adult male rats with royal jelly (1g/kg B. Wt. orally) for one month with or without hydrogen peroxide (0.5%) in drinking water on sexual efficiency, glutathione and malondialdehyde tissue testis levels.

The current study demonstrated that male rats receiving hydrogen peroxide caused a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the sperm count, percentage of live sperm and glutathione level, accompanied with a significant increase (P<0.05) in the malondialdehyde level and percentage of abnormal sperm deformity compared with control group. No significant difference was found in the weight of testis, epididymus, prostate, seminal vesicles, testosterone hormone level and body weight compared with control group.

The treatment of adult male rats with royal jelly concomitantly with hydrogen peroxide caused a significant increase (P<0.05) in testicular weight and the body of epididymus, sperm count, testosterone hormone and glutathione level, and decrease in sperm deformity percentage, while no significant differences in the prostate weight, seminal vesicles, the percentage of live sperm, malondialdehyde level and body weight compared with hydrogen peroxide group.

The treatment of adult male rats with royal jelly alone produced a significant increase (P<0.05) in the weights of testis and body of epididymus, sperm count, testosterone hormone, the percentage of live sperm, and glutathione level and retuned to control value, accompanied with a significant decrease (P<0.05) in malondialdehyde level and the percentage of sperm abnormality.

It could be concluded from this study that royal jelly is a beneficial treatment of male adult rats receiving hydrogen peroxide (to induced oxidative stress) specially on sperm count, testosterone hormone level, the percentage of live sperm, and improvement of glutathione and malondialdehyde tissue testis…

Royal jelly is known as sexual tonic and used for treatment of impotence infertility, and significantly increase leutinizing hormone (LH) levels; this effect could be attributed to central effect of royal jelly…

New Clinical Trial of Bee Venom Treatment for Arthritis

Osteoarthritis Knee Pain

Could a bee's sting help take the sting out of arthritis knee pain? We're doing research to find out!

Radiant Research is conducting a clinical research study of an investigational medication for arthritis made from bee venom. To qualify for this study you must have arthritis of the knee and take a prescription or over-the-counter pain medication. Qualified participants will receive all study-related care and investigational medication at no cost and may be compensated up to $200 for their time and travel.

Call Mon-Fri for more information,
1-866-818-3254
8527 Village Dr., Suite 207-E, San Antonio, TX
http://www.radiantresearch.com/
E-Mail: antoinettevelez@radiantresearch.com