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Honey Recommended for Skin Treatment

Winter-Proof Your Skin With Pure Honey
Star-Gazette (USA), 11/29/2006

Pure honey, nature's moisturizer, helps prevent dry skin and dull, lifeless hair. Honey is a humectant, drawing moisture into the skin. It easily produces spalike skin care results, but without the spalike premium prices.

Christopher Watt, owner of Christopher Watt Esthetics in West Hollywood, Calif., and skin care expert to celebrity A- listers, including Halle Berry and Ricky Martin, uses pure honey in most of his skin and beauty treatments.

"I recommend using 100 percent pure honey as part of your regular beauty routine," said Watt. "Winter is especially harsh on skin, lips and hair, and honey is an easy and inexpensive way to get spalike results at home. Whether your skin is dry and flaky or oily and acne-prone, pure honey can help you get beautiful, radiant skin."

Watt teamed up with the National Honey Board to create easy honey-based skin treatments you can make at home. He recommends using honey at least twice a week to soften and exfoliate the skin.

The board provides a full collection of beauty tips and recipes including luscious body scrubs and sweet hair conditioners in the Pure Honey Beauty Brochure. To receive a free copy of the brochure, visit www.honey.com/beauty or send your mailing address to Pure Honey Beauty Brochure, P.O. Box 14635, Madison, WI 53708.

Here is a sample recipe:

Green tea and honey hydrating mask (for dry skin)
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel*

1 tablespoon pure honey

2 teaspoons brewed green tea -- cooled

2 teaspoons brewed chamomile tea -- cooled

2 drops lavender essential oil* (optional)

* Available at a health food store or online.

Mix all ingredients together and apply to clean skin. Allow mask to remain on skin for at least 20 minutes. Place any remaining mask in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Brazilian Green Propolis Displays Anti-Ulcer Activity

Effect of Brazilian Green Propolis on Experimental Gastric Ulcers in Rats
Journal of Ethnopharmacoly, 2006 Oct 28

Propolis is a resinous hive product collected by honeybees from plants. The propolis produced in Southeastern of Brazil is known as green propolis because of its color. Modern herbalists recommend its use because it displays antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti-ulcer properties. The anti-ulcer activity of green propolis hydroalcoholic crude extract was evaluated by using models of acute gastric lesions induced by ethanol, indomethacin and stress in rats..

These findings indicate that Brazilian green propolis displays good anti-ulcer activity, corroborating the folk use of propolis preparations, and contributing for its pharmacological validation.

Royal Jelly Stimulates Bone Formation

Physiologic and Nutrigenomic Studies with Mice and Cell Lines
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem, 2006 Oct;70(10):2508-14

Royal jelly (RJ) has diverse physiological and pharmacological functions. We observed its weak estrogenic activity in the previous study…

These data suggest that RJ as a whole or some of its individual components stimulates production of type I collagen and other activities for bone formation through action on osteoblasts.

Bee Venom Therapy Popular in China

Bee Sting 'Cures Pain'
ITV News (UK), 11/26/2006

Doctors in Beijing believe they have found a cure for rheumatism, arthritis, back pain, and even a way to improve liver problems and cancers.

It is called bee venom therapy, part of apitherapy - which is the use of honeybee products like honey, pollen, royal jelly and venom for medical purposes…

Apitherapy doctors say the venom provokes an immune response.

Some scientists believe it can modify the way the immune system functions and contributes to increased production of hormones such as cortisol.

Honey-Impregnated Dressings Used Successfully in UK Wound Care Clinic

Manuka Honey Dressing: An Effective Treatment for Chronic Wound Infections
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2006 Nov 17

The battle against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) wound infection is becoming more difficult as drug resistance is widespread and the incidence of MRSA in the community increases. Manuka honey dressing has long been available as a non-antibiotic treatment in the management of chronic wound infections. We have been using honey-impregnated dressings successfully in our wound care clinic and on the maxillofacial ward for over a year.

Honey, Beeswax Used in All-Natural Skin Care Products

Creating Unique Lip Balm Using Montana-Produced Apiary Products
By Angela Woolett, The Prairie Star (USA), 11/24/2006

MISSOULA, Mont. - Shana Mattheis has taken her love of lip balms and applied the skin conditioning and rejuvenating benefits of beeswax and honey, creating her own line of all-natural skin products.

It was just one year ago when Mattheis, who was living in Harlowton, Mont., was “goofing around” with a friend and came up with the idea to make a lip balm from products that could be found at a local apiary. And that is how “Beekeeper's Blend” was born.

Mattheis began researching the product and eventually developed her own line of lip balms made with honey and beeswax from Harlowton, almond oil and vitamin E. Vitamin E preserves the other oils while almond oil is rich and smooth, giving the balms their non-waxy, non-greasy feel. Most of the balms are scented or flavored with essential oils, fragrance oils or flavor oils…

For additional information about any of the “Beekeeper's Blend” products, visit Mattheis' Web site at www.beekeepersblend.com. Beekeepers Blend is a Made in Montana product.

Legal Issues Related to the Medicinal Use of Bee Products

A paper presented at the international Apitherapy Symposium organized by
Nippon Apitherapy Society in Japan, June, 2006

APIMEDICA Presentation: Apipharmacopoeia - Laboratory Preparations with Bee Products

APIMEDICA 2006, October 12-15, 2006, Athens, Greece
Presenter: Bioch. Cristina Mateescu, Ph.D. Sen.Res.II, Institute for Apicultural Research and Development, Bucharest, Romania; Apimondia Standing Commission of Apitherapy

E-Mail: crismatapiter@hotmail.com or apicult@sunu.rnc.ro

Extraction Methods:

1. The selection of the solvent depends on the final use of the extract and on technical feasibilities.
2. Most active ingredients seem to be soluble in propylene glycol and ethanol.
3. Fewer ingredients are soluble in water, but even water extracts show at least some bactericidal and fungicidal effects, as well as wound healing properties.
4. Acetone extracts have been used for production of shampoos and lotions.
5. Once the specific chemicals or chemical groups and their biological effects are better understood, better and more specific extracts can be prepared for equally specific applications.

Method 1: Ethanol Extracted Propolis (EEP) - the simplest method for extracting propolis
Method 2: Quick extraction
Method 3: Glycol (ethylene glycol) extracted propolis (GEP)
Method 4: Aqueous (water) extracted propolis (AEP)
Method 5: Oil extracted propolis (OEP)
Method 6: Propolis paste
Method 7: Dry propolis extract
Method 8: Water-soluble, dried powder ethanol extracts
Method 9: Free-flowing, non-hygroscopic propolis powder
Method 10: Water soluble derivatives (WSD)
Method 11: supercritical fluid extraction

Propolis Preparations:

Tinctures
Officinal tincture 25% in 70% ethanol
30% propolis tincture in 96?ethanol
Extraction period – 21 days in dark bottles, occasional stirrings
Filtration
Dilutions to 5, 10% (sprays, lighter tinctures, syrups etc.)

Soft propolis extracts
Concentration of the mother tinctures (roto-evaporators)
It can be used itself or in various formulations (creams, ointments, lotions, tablets, and capsules.

Pollen Extracts:

1. To avoid the granular structure of pollen or avoid some of the allergenic effects, pollen extracts can be prepared.
2. The most common solvents for extraction are various types of alcohols. The higher the alcohol concentration, the more complete is the extraction of oils, fats, colours, resins and fat soluble vitamins from pollen.
3. Solvents with lower concentration of alcohol mainly dissolve tannins, acids and carbohydrates.
4. Therefore, with a variation of the alcohol concentration different types of extracts can be prepared.
5. A propylene glycol extract contains most water soluble material, leaving behind the proteins, thus eliminating most, if not all allergenic material.
6. Such an extract is well suited for external applications such as in cosmetics.
7. Oil extractions have been reported as inefficient.
8. Treatment with di-ethylene glycol mono-methyl ether discolors pollen and its extracts (D'Albert, 1956) where coloration may not be desired (cosmetics).
9. An extract can be prepared with a very high percent alcohol (95 % or more) to get most of the substances out of the pollen.
10. The alcohol has to be food grade (fit for human consumption).
11. Distilled beverages usually contain 40-60% alcohol or less, and so only produce less complete extracts.
12. A dark glass bottle is filled with 4 parts of 95% alcohol and 1 part of beebread (pollen)
13. Beebread has a higher nutritional value.
14. The mixture is stirred at least once a day and left 8 days for extraction.
15. More frequent agitation improves extraction.
16. The mixture is filtered through a fine cotton cloth and stored in a dark glass bottle.
17. It can be stored for a long time.
18. The filtrate can again be washed in water and this weaker extract may be used immediately.

Royal Jelly Preparations:

Fresh royal jelly
Fresh royal jelly in honey
Lyophilized royal jelly (freeze dried royal jelly).
In capsules, tablets, lotions, syrups, etc.

Aro-Honey for Internal Usage:

1. Total concentration 3-5% essential oils;
2. 100 drops of essential oil for 100 g honey
3. If more essential oils are used, the 100 drops are divided accordingly. Thus for:
2 essential oils – 50 drops of each
3 essential oils – 33 drops of each
4 essential oils – 25 drops of each

Aro-Honeys for External Application:

1. 25 drops of essential oil for each 100 g of honey
2. Final concentration – no more than 1%
3. Homogenization for at least 5 minutes, with a plastic or a wooden spoon (metallic spoons should be avoided).

US Apitherapy Company Launches New Website

A Brand New Website is Launched by Skin Care Manufacturer Honeymark International
PRWEB, 11/22/2006

LONG ISLAND, NY (PRWEB) November 22, 2006 -- Honeymark International manufacturers medicated skin care products containing Manuka Honey as a healing agent, effective in the treatment of Eczema, Psoriasis, Dermatitis (and other dry skin conditions), Arthritis, Wound Care and Toenail Fungus. Honeymark has recently launched their website www.HoneymarkProducts.com with e-commerce capability allowing its consumers to purchase their unique honey-based products online.

"Many years ago, people used honey to treat a number of different types of ailments. However, with the advent of antibiotics, people started regarding honey as merely a home remedy. Now, recent studies have indicated that in many cases, honey seems to be more effective than antibiotics. We at Honeymark intent to exploit the fascinating benefits of utilizing honey for medicinal purposes. Combined with other valuable ingredients, our products are instrumental in relieving the discomforts of many ailments experienced by our customers." Frank Buonanotte, CEO - Honeymark International, LLC…

Beehive Botanicals Offers Customers "Buy One Get One Free"

Hayward, WI (PRWeb) November 22, 2006 -- With the holiday season just around the corner, Beehive Botanicals (www.beehivebotanicals.com) is offering customers a special opportunity to indulge, buy holiday presents and save money at the same time with its "Buy One Get One Free" offer…

Charles Mraz Credited for Interest in Bee Venom Therapy

The Sting that Soothes
By Rick Holland, MetroWest Daily News (USA), 11/21/2006

FRANKLIN -- He’s lost an exact count, but Howard Crawford has been stung "at least 1,000 times" in a beekeeping career that spans four decades.

But more than 100 of those stings have been intentional, self-administered and celebrated for the eventual relief from pain they provided.

Crawford, the owner of Akin-Back Farm on Rte. 140, became a believer in the medicinal power of honeybee venom -- known as bee venom therapy or BVT -- more than 20 years ago, when he stung himself to cure his balky right knee…

Crawford’s introduction to BVT happened more than two decades ago, when he saw the late Charles Mraz demonstrate his technique at Davco Farms in Southborough.

The father of BVT in the United States, Mraz was a Vermont beekeeper who quietly created a legion of followers to his methods, a particularly impressive feat, because so many of his disciples -- Crawford among them -- started out as skeptics…

Precisely how the bee venom works on everything from chronic arthritis to multiple sclerosis is not fully understood. Some research has concluded bee venom contains an enzyme that helps lubricate joints.

But Crawford acknowledged BVT does not work for everyone, and Mraz’s son Bill has said his father was content with a 60 percent rate of success in those he treated…

Indian Beekeepers Urged to Produce Venom, Royal Jelly

‘Focus on Producing Bee Venom, Royal Jelly’
Express News Service (India), 11/20/2006

Ludhiana, November 19: Emphasis should be laid on producing bee venom and royal jelly along with honey, in order to increase profitability from beekeeping. This was stated by members of the Progressive Bee Keepers Association and the National Bee Board at a press conference, today.

Vice-president of the newly re-structured board and president of the association Gagan Deep Singh said that in India the focus is on production of honey alone and other products like bee venom and royal jelly are being ignored. Citing examples of other countries, he said that they are earning huge profits from these two products. Gagan pointed out that bee venom was being used for manufacturing medicines for joint pains and royal jelly was being used for vitality increasing medicines. He said that the newly re-structured National Bee Board would now start exploring both these products as a part of bee keeping…

Propolis Extract May Aid in Development of Effective Vaccines

Immunomodulation Produced by a Green Propolis Extract on Humoral and Cellular Responses of Mice Immunized With Suhv-1
Vaccine, 10/18/2006

Despite recent technological advances in vaccine production, most the vaccines depend on the association with adjuvant substances. This work evaluated the adjuvant capacity of an ethanol extract of green propolis associated to inactivated Suid herpesvirus type 1 (SuHV-1) vaccine preparations. Mice inoculated with SuHV-1 vaccine plus aluminum hydroxide and 5mg/dose of propolis extract presented higher levels of antibodies when compared to animals that received the same vaccine without propolis…

Besides, propolis increased the percentage of protected animals against challenge with a lethal dose of SuHV-1. The effect of green propolis extract on the humoral and cellular immune responses may be exploited for the development of effective vaccines.

Honey Used to Treat Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Honey Heals Your Wounds
New Media Explorer

Honey is more effective in treating difficult-to-heal wounds than antibiotics, says Jennifer Eddy, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Even methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the so-called flesh eating bacterium is no match for the antibiotic compounds the bees manufacture for us - for free…

Sugar-Free Honey in India?

Sugar Free Honey Project For Himachal
India Business Insight, 11/15/2006

The Government of Himachal Pradesh (HP) has introduced a new eco-friendly beekeeping system in the State. The intention is to motivate farmers to produce sugar-free honey. The National Horticulture Board has dispatched 5,000 beekeeping boxes with bees to HP and they will be distributed in 10 of the 12 districts.

The bees will be fed on the stevia herbal plant leaves that can produce sugar-free honey.
The plant is considered a natural sweetener and attracts bees.

Sugar-free honey is in demand by diabetics and has the properties to reduce cravings for sugar and fat. It is said to be helpful in controlling blood sugar and high blood pressure.

Doctors Asked to Warn Against Royal Jelly for Asthma Patients

Doctors Urged to Warn on Asthma Alternatives
By Tamara McLean, AAP (Australia), 11/14/2006

New national asthma guidelines urge doctors to warn patients about the dangers of using complementary remedies to treat their condition.

The National Asthma Council Australia handbook on how best to manage asthma also cautions sufferers about the condition's newly discovered links with depression.

Regarded as the “gold standard” for asthma treatment, the report is the first official update on medications, devices and other recommendations since 2002.

Released this week, the document tackles the growing trend towards complementary therapies for the first time.

It warns that popular 'remedies' such as echinacea and royal jelly may cause life-threatening anaphylaxis in people with allergies and asthma…

New Product: Manuka Honey, Echinacea Immune Booster

Get Your Immune System in Shape for the Holidays
Scoop Independent News, 11/13/2006

Get your immune system in shape for the holidays with the power of Echinacea and Manuka Honey

Comvita Echinuka™ is a new liquid product combining the special antibacterial properties of UMF® Manuka Honey with Echinacea, traditionally taken for its immune qualities...

Eating Honey Moral, Environmentally Sound Choice

Buzz On Honey Tastes Sweet
LAURA RANCE, Winnipeg Free Press, 11/11/2006

Just as meat producers rejoiced when the Atkins Diet caught consumers' fancy, the latest buzz about ethical eating tastes pretty sweet to local honey producers…

Some are even calling it the "new organic" when it comes to food trends that can reshape and reposition product lines.

Lower transportation and energy costs, the potential for a direct connection with the producer and the ability to monitor production processes -- are all facets that have growing appeal to consumers.

Industry analysts are consistently finding that a rising proportion of consumers are willing to pay more for foods that coincide with specific values. This is good news for honey.

A report on the Canadian Honey Council website cites a Life Cycle Analysis of sweeteners, a calculation of the amount of energy consumed from their production, processing through to the consumers' mouth.

The analysis conducted by Swedish researchers found that it takes as much energy to produce a pound of chocolate as it does to make the equivalent weight of gasoline. Sugar and jam weren't far behind…

The exception is locally produced honey. Bees actually contribute to the environment by pollinating, which is a natural productivity enhancer, as they move among annual crops and wildflowers during the summer months.

Extracting the honey from hives costs a fraction of what it takes to make corn sugar (fructose syrup) from a wet milling process. In fact, there is very little processing involved.

Honey is also typically transported shorter distances than sugar. "Canadians buying domestic honey support a beekeeper who owns their own business and who abides by numerous health and safety regulations. Canadian honey has less impact on the environment, conforms to ethical labour practices and keeps our rural communities vibrant," the report says.

Yet, Canadian honey often loses out in the grocer when ethically minded consumers get fooled into thinking organic cane sugar is the moral option…

APIMEDICA Presentation: The Antimicrobial Effect of Romanian and Japanese Honey on Oral Pathogens

APIMEDICA 2006, October 12-15, 2006, Athens, Greece
Presenter: Cristina Mateescu, Institute for Beekeeping Research & Development, Bucharest, Romania

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial potential on oral streptococci of several samples of acacia honeys from Romania, Japan and the manuka honey from New Zealand.

The method used was Broth Macro-dilution Method. Honey was diluted in a series of tubes with liquid culture medium (Brain Heart Infusion broth – Becton Dickinson, USA), resulting serial dilutions (50%; 15%; 10%; 5%).
A tube containing only broth was included as a growth control.
As inocula - a 3 hours culture in broth of Streptococcus anginosus isolates from oral abscesses was used.

Before being tested for their antibacterial activity, the amount of poly-phenols (phenolic acids and flavonoids) in the various sorts of honey was analyzed by HPLC with UV detection.

Conclusions:

1. There is a good correlation between certain phenolic compounds concentration in honey and its anti-bacterial effects, particularly when gallic, ferulic, cinammic acids and quercetin are concerned.

2. All these compounds are almost always present in acacia honeys. Specific patterns are seen for Japanese acacia and Romanian acacia.

3. According to this study, the good antibacterial action of honey against oral pathogens, indicated by the low inhibitory concentration and bactericidal concentration values against such strains as Streptococcus anginosus, recommends the Romanian sorts of honey as good quality natural products, with certain antimicrobial features.

4. These proved qualities could be used in preparing several products with direct protective action at the level of oral mucosa.

Lozenges, syrups or the simple domestic use of acacia honey or chewing acacia honey in comb, are but a few possibilities to use acacia honey.

These properties are proving efficient application of honey as a collyrium in various puss-producing infections at the level of the eye annexa.

Paleolithic Cave Painting of Honey Gathering in Spain

Honey a ‘Safe, Satisfying and Effective Healing Agent’

Wound Healing With Honey--A Randomised Controlled Trial
South African Medical Journal, 2006 Sep;96(9):831-5

Objectives: To compare honey and IntraSite Gel as woundhealing agents, to record side-effects, gauge patient satisfaction and calculate the cost-effectiveness of the honey used.

Design And Setting: A prospective, randomised, double-blind controlled trial was carried out among goldmine workers.

Outcome Measures: Outcome measures were healing times of shallow wounds and abrasions; side-effects; patient satisfaction with treatment; and amount of honey and IntraSite Gel used.

Results: The mean healing times of shallow wounds treated with honey or with IntraSite Gel did not differ significantly (p = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI): -5.41; 7.49 days)…All patients in both treatment groups were either satisfied or extremely satisfied with treatment. The average cost of treatment per patient was R0.49 with honey and R12.03 with with IntraSite Gel.

Conclusions: A distinction should be made between shallow wounds and abrasions when wound healing is being measured. There was no evidence of a real difference between honey and IntraSite Gel as healing agents. Honey is a safe, satisfying and effective healing agent. Natural honey is extremely costeffective.

Propolis Shows ‘Excellent’ Antifungal Activity

Antifungal Activity of Propolis Extract Against Yeasts Isolated from Onychomycosis Lesions
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 2006 Aug;101(5):493-7

The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro activity of propolis extract against 67 yeasts isolated from onychomycosis in patients attending at the Teaching and Research Laboratory of Clinical Analysis of the State University of Maringa…

The yeasts tested were: Candida parapsilosis 35%, C. tropicalis 23%, C. albicans 13%, and other species 29%. The propolis extract showed excellent performance regarding its antifungal activity: the concentration capable of inhibiting the all of the yeasts was 5 x 10(-2) mg/ml of flavonoids and 2 x 10(-2) mg/ml of flavonoids stimulated their cellular death…

In view of the fact that propolis is a natural, low cost, nontoxic product with proven antifungal activity, it should be considered as another option in the onychomycosis treatment.

APIMEDICA Presentation: Use of Bee Venom Therapy for a Patient with Multiple Myeloma

APIMEDICA 2006, October 12-15, 2006, Athens, Greece
Presenter: Dr. B. Kaviani-Vahid, Pharm. D., Tehran, Iran

Materials and Methods:

1. Live Honey Bee (Apis Mellifica Persica) in a special queen hive (patented by Prof. Dr. Pour Asghar). The hive should not be treated with chemicals.

2- Bee Pollen (daily intake)

3- Royal Jelly (daily intake)

4- The method of Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) was similar to that used for arthritic conditions.

Bee Venom Component May Aid Antitumor Action

Reports from Austria, France and Germany Describe Recent Advances in Cancer Treatment Research
Oncology Business Week, 11/12/2006

Study 1: The cooperation of bee venom secretory phospholipase A2 and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate exerts antitumor action and immune activation.

According to researchers in Austria, "We evaluated tumor cell growth modulation by bee venom secretory phospholipase A2 (bv-sPLA2) and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate as well as potential cooperative effects. In addition, the immunomodulatory impact of tumor cell treatment was examined by monitoring changes in phenotype and function of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) co-cultured with pretreated tumor cells."

"Bv-sPLA2 or phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate alone displayed moderate effects on the proliferation of A498 renal cell carcinoma cells, T-47D breast cancer cells, DU145 prostate cancer cells and BEAS-2B transformed lung cells," said Thomas Putz and colleagues at the University of Innsbruck. "However, when bv-sPLA2 was co-administered with phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate a potent inhibition of [H] thymidine incorporation into all tested cell lines occurred."...

Putz and his coauthors published their study in Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy (Antitumor action and immune activation through cooperation of bee venom secretory phospholipase A2 and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4)-bisphosphate. Cancer Immunol Immunother, 2006;55(11):1374-1383).

For additional information, contact Martin Thurnher, Department of Urology, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. martin.thurnher@uibk.ac.at.

Propolis Component May Help Prevent Colon Cancer

Research From Kobe University, Japan Provides New Insights Into Human Health
Lab Business Week, 11/12/2006

Administration of Artepillin C may prevent colon cancer.

According to a study from Japan, "Potential chemopreventive agents exist in foods. Artepillin C in Brazilian propolis was investigated for its effects on colon carcinogenesis."

"We had found that artepillin C was a bioavailable antioxidant, which could be incorporated into intestinal Caco-2 and hepatic HepG2 cells without any conjugation and inhibited the oxidation of intracellular DNA…

The researchers concluded, "Artepillin C appears to prevent colon cancer through the induction of cell-cycle arrest by stimulating the expression of Cip1/p21 and to be a useful chemopreventing factor in colon carcinogenesis."

Shimizu and colleagues published the results of their research in Molecular Carcinogenesis (Artepillin C in Brazilian propolis induces G(0)/G(1) arrest via stimulation of Cip1/p21 expression in human colon cancer cells. Mol Carcinog, 2005;44(4):293-299).

APIMEDICA Presentation: Bee Venom Therapy in Japan

APIMEDICA 2006, October 12-15, 2006, Athens, Greece
Presenter: Hirofumi Naito, Kofu Honeybee Research Laboratory, Vice President of Nippon Apitherapy Society

Summary Points:

Beekeeping in Japan began in the 19th Century when Western honey bees were first introduced.
Bee Venom Therapy (BVT) began in the 1930s.
Around 1940, several doctors published booklets about BVT.
Japanese BVT is the method of acquiring the greatest effect by the minimal amount of bee venom.

Characteristic of Japanese BVT:

Remove the stinger with a forceps.
Sting several times very lightly.
Stinging points are mostly all over the recipient’s body.
Sting points where parasympathetic nerve are known to be stimulated.

Quantity of Venom:

QV-I - Skin is pierced and stinger immediately withdrawn
QV-II - Stinger left in about 0.5 seconds
QV-III - Stinger left in about 1-2 seconds
For I-III - Wait 5-6 seconds after removing the stinger before treatment
QV-IV - Immediately after removal the stinger is left in for 5 seconds
QV-V - Direct sting

Attaining BVA (Bee Venom Acceptable) level generally takes one to six months (receiving BVT once a week), with the average recipient requiring between two and three months.

However, factors such as age, gender, weight, health condition, and use of tobacco or alcohol create such a remarkable difference between individuals that predicting the amount of time it will take at the beginning of treatment is close to impossible.

APIMEDICA Presentation: Bee Honey Therapy in Diabetic Volunteers

October 12-15, 2006, Athens, Greece
By Mamdouh Abdulmaksoud Mohamed Abdulrhman, Professor of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Among the health benefits of honey are its anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial effects. Because diabetes mellitus is thought to be precipitated by an autoimmune process, inflammation, or infections (or a combination of these) in genetically predisposed individuals, it is worthwhile to try honey, despite its high sugar content, in treating the disease.

It has been observed that the increases in blood glucose in type 2 diabetes were higher after fructose or sucrose intake than after honey .

After obtaining consent, four volunteers with type 2 diabetes mellitus stopped taking all their medicines and were then given bee honey therapy (BHT).

Plan of Management:

No medicines (insulin is tapered)
Bee Honey (oral ± IV)
No diet restriction except:
Salt restriction in hypertensive cases(1&2)
Replacing sugar by honey as a sweetener

Bee Honey Therapy (BHT):

Oral:

The minimum dose is 50 ml t.d.s in case 2 and 30 ml t.d.s in those receiving IV honey (cases 1 & 3 & 4)
Honey is dissolved in water and given before meals.

IV honey solution:

Case 1 received 20 injections at mean intervals of 4 days , each was 3ml 20% solution .
Case 3 is receiving 5ml at mean intervals of 2 weeks ( the concentration was gradually increased from 5 to 20% ).
Case 4 is receiving 5ml at mean intervals of 2 wks ( the concentration was gradually increasing from 5% and last injection at 5 October 2006 was 18% ).

Follow Up:

History
Physical examination
Urinalysis
RBS
Serum lipids
Renal functions
Fundus examination
ECG

No complications:

No coma
No ketonuria
No eye problems
No kidney problems
No foot problems
No CVS or CNS complications

Conclusion:

For the first two patients, bee honey therapy helped alleviate the disorders associated with diabetes (hypertension, angina, and dyslipidemia) despite the persistence of high blood sugar. Not only is the high blood glucose associated with BHT benign; it may also be needed to prevent and treat complications of diabetes. Alternatively, high glucose may be only a temporary reaction that would be the last one to disappear .

The situation in cases 3 and 4 is nearly similar to cases 1 and 2 but in their earlier stages although the progress in case 4 looks more rapid.

Bee Products Favored as Beauty Ingredients

Bee is for Beauty
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), 11/2/2006

According to L'Occitane, which has a Honey Harvest range of products, ingredients such as propolis, honey and royal jelly strengthen, soften, nourish and soothe skin…

Some brands have taken the bee for their starting point in setting up business. Greek brand Apivita began with a line of soaps and shampoos made from honey, propolis, royal jelly and bee pollen…

Burt's Bees is a natural-born brand that grew out of a bee-keeper's stock of beeswax that was made into candles and lip balm and sold at craft fairs in the United States. The products range from beeswax and royal jelly to lip balm.

Propolis May Offer Solutions to Bacterial Resistance

Tiny Tools is Big Business
By Ron Godfrey, This is York (UK), 10/31/2006

A UNIVERSITY spin-off company, whose scientists have developed tiny tools to examine the nature of matter, is competing tomorrow for a £2,000 award.

Paraytec Ltd is one of five shortlisted bio-firms that are presenting their research and commercial potential at the two-day White Rose Bioscience Forum, held at the Central Science Laboratory, in Sand Hutton, near York…

Paraytec's only North Yorkshire rival at the presentation is Nature's Laboratory, of Whitby, which has gone back to nature to find medical solutions to bacterial resistance.

It works with propolis, a complex chemical which is collected from plants by bees and has antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.

James Fearnley, managing director of Nature's Laboratory, said clinical trials had been undertaken to see if propolis could be used to treat some skin diseases and respiratory problems.

It is also being tested for ways in which it can combat immune deficiency diseases, like HIV/AIDS, as well as Alzheimer's disease.