Newspaper Profiles Canadian Apitherapist

A Beehive of Activity
By Katrina Simmons, The Hamilton Spectator (Canada), 3/8/2007

Honey has been around since the beginning of time. The pharoahs of Egypt were buried with honey, says beekeeper and apitherapist Annie vanAlten of Dutchman's Gold honey and maple products, and this powerhouse of nutrition is even mentioned numerous times in the Bible…

In recent years, vanAlten has turned her attention to the health benefits of other products of the hive, and added Annie's Apitherapy to the Dutchman's Gold label. She started attending international workshops and congresses to learn and lecture about the therapeutic use of bee products (apitherapy).

"Royal jelly is B-complex and a pick-me-upper," she instructs. "Propolis is a natural antibiotic, and bee pollen boosts the immune system, is an energy booster and a multivitamin." Even honey itself is an anti-bacterial, she says, that can be used as a wound dressing.

All of these products, plus beeswax candles, wax gift boxes, soothing skin creams, soaps and salves crowd the shelves of the Dutchman's Gold shop in Carlisle, alongside the jars of honey. VanAlten does her best to educate everyone who walks through the door about the amazing and age-old world of bees.

Dutchman's Gold is at 300 Carlisle Road in Carlisle (905-689-6371/ www.dutchmansgold.com or www.anniesapitherapy.com). You can also find their honey in food stores throughout Ontario.