Apitherapy Could Mitigate Some Risks Associated with COVID‐19/Coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2, Treatment, Prophylactic)

Bee products as a source of promising therapeutic and chemoprophylaxis strategies against COVID‐19 (SARS‐CoV‐2)

Phytotherapy Research

The emergence of novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) in 2019 in China marked the third outbreak of a highly pathogenic coronavirus infecting humans. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) spread worldwide, becoming an emergency of major international concern. However, even after a decade of coronavirus research, there are still no licensed vaccines or therapeutic agents to treat the coronavirus infection.

In this context, apitherapy presents as a promising source of pharmacological and nutraceutical agents for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of COVID‐19. For instance, several honeybee products, such as honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, and bee venom, have shown potent antiviral activity against pathogens that cause severe respiratory syndromes, including those caused by human coronaviruses. In addition, the benefits of these natural products to the immune system are remarkable, and many of them are involved in the induction of antibody production, maturation of immune cells, and stimulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses.

Thus, in the absence of specific antivirals against SARS‐CoV‐2, apitherapy could offer one hope toward mitigating some of the risks associated with COVID‐19...

Bee products are known for their several medicinal and pharmaceutical properties, which have been explored since the beginning of society. Of these, the antiviral effect and the ability to stimulate the immune system using bee products stand out as potentially promising alternative in the therapy of severe viral respiratory infections, such as COVID‐19.

Moreover, except for bee venom, apicomplexes are generally well tolerated and readily available, which can contribute to wide access in times of pandemic. The immunomodulatory, antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro‐resolving effects of different bee products and their chemical components can be useful in prophylaxis, specific treatment, and even symptomatic treatment of COVID‐19. However, the number of current evidence is overwhelming, and large randomized and controlled clinical trials should be conducted to assess the real benefit of apitherapy against SARS‐CoV‐2.

In this direction, here, we present the numerous possibilities of apitherapy in combating COVID‐19 and highlight the importance of bee products as a promising source of therapeutic and prophylactic strategies against this emergent public health crisis.

Apitherapy Clinic Opened in Canada to Treat Lyme Disease, Arthritis, Immune Disorders

Niagara man builds plan for new clinic on the backs of bees

Gord Howard

His father and grandfather were beekeepers back in Paraguay. Unger, who came to Canada in 1974, keeps about five million of them in hives at BY’s Honey Farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

He takes a bit of honey every day like a daily vitamin, and is a firm believer that bees and their byproducts can help help the body heal both physically and mentally.

Later this month he will open what he believes will be Canada’s first apitherapy clinic, using bee venom to ease the pain of people suffering a wide variety of ailments including Lyme disease, arthritis and an immune system weakened by chemotherapy...

Amy Schumer Has Lyme Disease — Why Do People Think Bees Can Help?

What is bee sting therapy?

Bee sting therapy is a form of apitherapy, which is an alternative treatment using products from honeybees. Along with bee sting venom, apitherapy can include honey, propolis, bee pollen, beeswax, and royal jelly.

"This strategy has been used in alternative medicine for more than 5,000 years," one study explains. "It consists of either indirect application, by extracting bee venom (BV) with an electric stimulus followed by its injection into the body or directly via bee stings."

To apply bee sting therapy directly, bees are held with a tweezer and placed onto a particular part of the body. After it stings, the bee is removed, but the stinger remains in the body for a short period of time.

This treatment was recently featured in the Netflix docuseries (Un)Well, so many people around the world were exposed to the idea of apitherapy to help manage symptoms of Lyme disease. In the sixth episode of the show, the founder of Heal Hive, Brooke Geahan, calls bee venom an antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic, and an anti-inflammatory.

She then explains one property of bee venom, called melittin, which supposedly breaks into the cell walls containing the Lyme disease bacteria (B. burgdorferi) and causes them to burst...

Korean Propolis Can Prevent H. pylori-Induced Gastric Damage (Ulcers)

Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effect of Korean propolis on Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric damage in vitro

Journal of Microbiology (2020)

Helicobacter pylori, present in the stomach lining, is a Gramnegative bacterium that causes various gastrointestinal diseases, including gastritis and peptic ulcers. Propolis is a natural resinous substance collected from a variety of plants, and contains several natural bioactive substances. 

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of Korean propolis on H. pylori-induced damage in the human adenocarcinoma gastric cell line. The propolis used in this study was obtained from the Korea Beekeeping Association in South Korea. The expression of pro-inflammatory interleukins (ILs), such as IL-8, IL-12, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, which was increased after H. pylori infection, significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner upon pretreatment with Korean propolis, because of the suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor kB pathway. 

The anti-oxidative activity of propolis was assessed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate free radical assay. Korean propolis showed significant anti-oxidative effects via reactive oxygen species scavenging. In addition, pretreatment with Korean propolis upregulated the expression of anti-oxidant enzymes through Nrf2 signaling activation. These findings indicate that the use of Korean propolis, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, can be promising for the prevention of H. pylori-induced gastric damage.

Honey Bee Venom Rapidly Kills Aggressive Breast Cancer Cells

Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research study finds honeybee venom rapidly kills aggressive breast cancer cells

By Nicolas Perpitch

Venom from honeybees has been found to rapidly kill aggressive and hard-to-treat breast cancer cells, according to potentially groundbreaking new Australian research.

Key points:

• The research was published in the journal Nature Precision Oncology
• It found honeybee venom was effective in killing breast cancer cells
• Researchers say the discovery is exciting but there is a long way to go

The study also found when the venom's main component was combined with existing chemotherapy drugs, it was extremely efficient at reducing tumour growth in mice...