Apimedica: Progress and Prospect on Apitherapy in China

Apimondia Apimedica-Apiquality International Forum

Oct. 22-25, 2012

Zhenjiang, China

(Miao Xiaoqing, Apitherapy Commission of Apicultural Science Association of China, College of Bee Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University)

The first word of Chinese apitherapy was recorded in Chinese history 3300 years ago. With the direction and promotion of the Apicultural Science Association of China (ASAC), the apitherapy and health care application have been developed into a complete system including teaching, researching, producing, and clinic service in the past 30 years.

At the very beginning, there were only tens of apitherapy practitioners. And now, up to 300,000 practitioners have taken part in the apitherapy and clinic service. It makes the apitherapy and health care application become one of the most popular domain of apiculture in China.

For teaching, apitherapy has developed the complete higher-education system for students, including technological academy, bachelors, masters and doctors. For science research, apitherapy has developed from clinical efficacy observation of acupuncture and bee products into the special research of pharmacodynamics in cellular and molecular level. And tens of research institutes on apitherapy and health care application have been established.

For institution construction and management, special hospitals or clinics are certificated by the government health administration department, instead of the former individual illegal medical points.

For the apiculture production, there are several apitherapy and health care application companies in China. For apitherapy clinic application, we bring the bee acupuncture into the officially listed in medical insurance directory the national department of health, and at the same time, the bee acupuncture became apitherapy certified doctors. The bee acupuncture method, which combines modern medical, has deeply related to novel apitherapy biology medicine and health care products development with methods of pharmacology and molecular medicine.

From the apitherapy and health care application development above, we could find that it is a modern science based on original folk, and becoming more and more mature in China. Besides achievements we have gained, there is something more should we notice. The number of certified doctors is less than 10% of the 300,000 apitherapy practitioners, and the certified hospitals and clinic is not more than 100. This is not large enough in our nation, considering that apitherapy is one of the most effective medical skills.

We hope that after this communication, the skills of the apitherapy would be increased and have an international incorporation, promotion and population. Furthermore, we should also develop bee products-based novel molecular medicine combination of traditional Chinese medicine theory and Western medicine technology, and accompany with scientific researcher of apitherapy from all over the world to develop apitherapy much well.

Professor Xiaoqing Miao, Vice-President of ASAC, Chairman of the Apitherapy Commission, Dean of College of Bee Science of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU). Research interests including: apitherapy and healthcare products, process of bee products, and honey bee biology.

中国蜂疗发展与展望

缪晓青

中国养蜂学会蜂疗保健专业委员会、福建农林大学蜂学学院

摘 要  中国蜂疗保健发展史有长达3300年的文字记载。在中国养蜂学会30多年来的努力推动下，中国蜂疗保健发展迅猛，已形成具有正规教学、科研、生产、临床服务的完整学科产业体系。在蜂疗从业者人数方面，从最早不足百人发展到如今多达30多万人，使得蜂疗保健成为目前中国蜂业中从业人数最多的学科方向。在蜂疗教学方面，蜂疗教学从未列入高等教育，由过去简单的蜂疗技术培训发展成为在大学中具备大专，本科，硕、博士研究生的完整高等教育体系。在科学研究方面，建立了数十家蜂疗保健专业研究机构，从简单蜂针与蜂产品临床疗效学粗浅的观察研究，深入到蜂产品生物医药的细胞分子药效学研究水平。在机构建设与管理方面，蜂疗机构从最早仅施行简易的蜂针治疗的个体非法行医点，蜕变为经政府卫生管理部门审核批准的规范化省、市医保立点蜂疗专科医院、诊所等。在蜂疗制品生产方面，从民间粗制作仿生产，改进为GMP药品保健品标准化生产，全国已形成数十家有较大规模的蜂产品制药与保健品生产单位。在蜂疗临床应用方面，蜂疗从简单使用蜂原产品及蜂针的粗糙民间行医，成长到现今蜂针治疗被国家卫生部正式列入医保目录，而蜂疗行医者也从民间非法行医者发展为现在具有不同岗位职称的蜂疗执业医师，蜂疗手段也扩大成为蜂产品结合其他中药应用现代先进医学手段，从药理、分子医药学手段深入研发新型的高效蜂生物药品与保健品的规范化蜂疗临床应用。从中国蜂疗的发展历史可以看出：中国蜂疗是从原始民间逐步走进现代科学殿堂并正向成为更加成熟的学科快速发展着。虽然中国现代蜂疗相对过去已取得瞩目的进步，但由于发展的不均恒性，现今中国蜂疗30多万从业者中持有蜂疗执业医师者不足10%。全国得到医疗机构批准的规范化蜂疗医院、诊所、门诊、保健所等也只有百家。中国人多地广，蜂疗以其特有的临床高效性，在全国范围内有较大的发展空间。我们展望：通过国际蜂疗学术交流以不断提升中国蜂疗的水平，并促进国际间蜂疗技术的合作、推广与普及；同时充分发挥中医药特色优势，结合西医药先进研发技术，与国际蜂疗同行共同推动蜂疗学科的深层发展，特别是在蜜蜂毒、蜂胶、蜂王浆、蜂花粉等蜂产品分子医药学等方面的研发合作。

关键词：中国，蜂疗，进展，展望

作者：缪晓青，男，53岁，中国养蜂学会副理事长、蜂疗保健专委会主任，福建农林大学蜂学学院院长、教授、博导，主要从事蜂疗保健与蜂产品加工及蜜蜂生物学研究与教学。