New Method to Assess Royal Jelly Freshness

Research on Overall Assessment of Royal Jelly Freshness by FTIR Spectroscopy
Guang Pu Xue Yu Guang Pu Fen Xi, 2009 Dec;29(12):3236-40
Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China. apiswu@126.com

Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) of royal jelly (RJ) stored at different temperature and after different storage periods were measured, a series of correlation analysis among the spectra were carried out by using the spectra of new-harvested RJ as a standard.

The results showed that the correlation coefficient of amide band I and the relative intensity ratios of I 1 647 /I1 541, I1 647/I1 409, I1 647/I1 247 and I1 647/I1 054 of RJ samples' spectra decreased with extension of storage time and temperature, and existed good linear correlations with the storage time, with the order of their change extent being 28 degrees C > 16 degrees C > 4 degrees C > -18 degrees C.

According to the spectra change laws and practical experiences of RJ storage, the correlation coefficient of amide band I and four relative intensity ratios I1 647/I1 541, I1 647/I1 409, I1 647/I1 247 and I1 647/I1 054 were selected as assessment indexes of RJ freshness.

The threshold value of correlation coefficient was set to be 0.910 0, and the threshold values of the four relative intensity ratios were set to be 1.744, 2.430, 3.345 and 1.412 respectively. Once one or more indexes are lower than the corresponding threshold values, the RJ sample can be considered as a stale sample.

So, FTIR spectroscopy combined with several data-processing methods would be an effective method for overall assessing the freshness of IRJ.

Honey and Cinnamon Recommended for Arthritis

Readers' Home Remedies
By the AOL Health Editors, 3/7/2010

If you're suffering from arthritis you know how hard it can be to manage the pain. First we researched the best natural pain remedies, and then we asked what worked for you. We polled our Twitter followers, Facebook fans and the readers at Caring.com to bring you the best reader home remedies for arthritis pain.

Homemade Elixir

George Nielsen, 75, first noticed his arthritis about 10 years ago. It started in his right knee and then moved into his thumb and back.

“I have a very high resistance to pain, but this darn thing takes its toll regardless,” Nielsen said. “I had trouble walking great distances, and it makes my knee buckle making me vulnerable for a fall.”

Not wanting to give up golf, though he now uses a cart to navigate the greens, Nielsen turned to the Internet and found a pain-relieving drink recipe: one-half teaspoon of organic cinnamon mixed with one tablespoon organic honey and four ounces of warm water taken twice a day. He also takes an over-the-counter pain medication.

He has taken it every day for a year.

“I ask myself, is it the pain medication and not the drink that works? I'm not sure,” Nielsen said. “When I didn't take the drink for a short time, though, my knee, thumbs and back were worse. Who knows?” -- George Nielsen

Propolis Better than Traditional Treatment at Inhibiting Vaginal Yeasts Strains

Antifungal Activity of Propolis Extract Against Yeasts Isolated from Vaginal Exudates
J Altern Complement Med, 2010 Mar;16(3):285-90

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of propolis extract against yeasts Candida albicans and Candida non-albicans isolated from vaginal exudates, in comparison with nystatin.

Design: Ninety-seven (97) vaginal yeasts strains were evaluated. These strains were obtained from different clinical conditions, isolated and stored at the Sector of Medical Mycology of the State University of Maringá (Paraná, Brazil). The assays of susceptibility to nystatin and propolis extracts (PE) were conducted through microdilution in broth (National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards-NCCLS, M-27A Document of 1997).

Results: All the yeasts tested were inhibited by low concentrations of PE (maximum of 393.19 mug/mL of the total flavonoid content), including an isolate resistant to nystatin, regardless of the clinical conditions of the women and the species of yeast isolated.

Conclusions: The PE showed an outstanding performance against the tested vaginal yeast strains, and could be included among the novel therapeutic options for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Bee Venom May Help Treat Liver Disease

Bee Venom Protects Hepatocytes from Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha and Actinomycin D
Park JH, Kim KH, Kim SJ, Lee WR, Lee KG, Park KK.
Arch Pharm Res, 2010 Feb;33(2):215-23

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom (BV) has a broad array of therapeutic applications in traditional medicine to treat variety of diseases. It is also known that BV possesses anti-inflammatory and anticancer effect and that it can inhibit proliferation and induces apoptosis in cancer cells, but there is no evidence of information regarding anti-apoptosis of BV on hepatocytes.

In the present study, we investigated the anti-apoptotic effect of BV on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha with actinomycin (Act) D induces apoptosis in hepatocytes. TNF-alpha/Act D-treated hepatocytes were exposed to different low concentration (1, 10 and 100 ng/mL) of BV.

Our results showed statistically significant inhibition in DNA damage caused by BV treatment compared to corresponding TNF-alpha/Act D-treated hepatocytes. BV suppressed TNF-alpha/Act Dtreated activation of bcl-2 family and caspase family, which resulted in inhibition of cytochrome c release and PARP cleavage.

These results demonstrate that low concentration BV possess a potent suppressive effect on anti-apoptotic responses of TNF-alpha/Act D-treated hepatocytes and suggest that these compounds may contribute substantial therapeutic potential for the treatment of liver diseases.

Apitherapy Business Workshop to be Offered in North Carolina

Natural Products Business: Apitherapy, Healing from the Hive

Hive products such as honey, propolis, royal jelly, and bee pollen are valuable medicines. Learn how people have used these gifts from the honeybees for centuries as well as recent scientific validation of their efficacy. Valuable information will be gained regarding family care, first aid, and marketing honey. (3 hrs)

Total Registration Fee: Free
Mon, Mar 22, 6:00PM - 9:00PM

Indian Propolis Water Extract Shows Higher Antioxidant Activity Than Ethanol Extract

Antioxidant Activity of Indian Propolis and Its Chemical Constituents
Food Chemistry, Article in Press

We report for the first time the antioxidant activity of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of Indian propolis (AEP and EEP respectively).

The antioxidant activity was measured by chemical and electrochemical assays. Reducing power and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity were the chemical assays, whereas, cyclic voltammetry was used as the electrochemical assay.

In all these assays, AEP showed significantly greater activity over EEP; which is in contradiction with the previous reports of propolis from other countries. This may be due to its higher polyphenol content. Hence aqueous extract may well be a substitute of organic solvent extracts of propolis. Moreover, two flavonoids, pinocembrin (1) and galangin (2) were isolated from EEP; among which (2) showed high DPPH radical scavenging activity.

Thus Indian propolis, being a rich source of natural antioxidants, may be used in the prevention of various free radicals related diseases.

Propolis Contaminants Analyzed

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Levels in Propolis and Propolis-Based Dietary Supplements from the Italian Market
Food Chemistry, Article in Press

Propolis and propolis-based extracts, attained from beekeepers and the local market, were analysed for the presence of 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including 8 high molecular weight PAHs (PAH8), recently indicated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as suitable indicators of the presence of carcinogenic and genotoxic PAH in foods.

An analytical procedure based on microwave assisted saponification/extraction, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrofluorometric detection, has been developed. About half of the samples analysed presented benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) concentrations exceeding 2 μg/kg, which is proposed as a regulatory limit for dietary supplements. A product-by product approach (based on maximum recommended dosage) was used to calculate PAH exposure.

Even thought the majority of the samples gave low exposure levels when compared to exposure levels from other diet constituents, PAH intakes deriving from a daily consumption of some of the investigated products provided an important contribution to the total dietary intake and lead to margin of exposure (MOE) values which are of concern for human health.

Compound Extracted from Egyptian Propolis has Antimicrobial Activity

A New Prenylated Flavanoid with Antibacterial Activity from Propolis Collected in Egypt
Nat Prod Commun, 2010 Jan;5(1):43-5

A novel prenylated flavanoid, isonymphaeol-D (1), together with two known compounds, isonymphaeol-B (2) and nymphaeol-B (3), were isolated from Egyptian propolis. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by various spectroscopic methods. 1 exhibited antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative strains (Serratia sp., Pseudomonos sp., Escherichia coli)...

Conclusions: In this work, new compound was extracted from Egyptian propolis, this compound possess antimicrobial activities for Gram- positive strain and Gram-negative strain using Ampicillin and amoxicillin as refe-rences.

Bee Venom Therapy a Possible Treatment for Lung Cancer

Bee Venom Inhibits Tumor Angiogenesis and Metastasis by Inhibiting Tyrosine Phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 in LLC-Tumor-Bearing Mice
Cancer Letters, Article in Press

Bee venom (BV) treatment is the therapeutic application of honeybee venom (HBV) for treating various diseases in Oriental medicine.

In the present work, the authors investigated the functional specificity of BV as an angiogenesis inhibitor using in vitro models and in vivo mouse angiogenesis and lung metastasis models.

BV significantly inhibited the viability of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells but did not affect peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes (PBML) cells. BV also inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced proliferation, migration and capillary-like tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Western blotting analysis showed that BV inhibited AKT and MAPK phosphorylation in LLC cells and HUVECs and down regulated expression of VEGF and VEGFR-2 of LLC cells and HUVECs. Also, BV effectively disrupted VEGF-induced neovascularization in Matrigel plugs in our in vivo angiogenesis assay.

When given subcutaneously, BV also significantly suppressed tumor angiogenesis through inhibition of VEGF and VEGFR-2 in LLC model. Mice bearing subcutaneous LLC tumors were treated with 1 μg/ml or 10 μg/ml of BV. They showed reductions ranging between 49% and 62% in primary tumor volume and reduction of spontaneous pulmonary metastasis occurrences.

Furthermore, BV treatment in the spontaneous lung metastases model after primary tumor excision prolonged their median survival time from 27 to 58 days.

These results suggest that the tumor-specific anti-angiogenic activity of BV takes effect during different stages of tumor progression by blocking the tyrosine phosphorylation of VEGFR-2, and validate the application of BV in lung cancer treatment.

Apitherapy and Migratory Beekeeping in China

Follow the Honey -- Bee Farmer's Life
China Daily, 3/1/2010

Although armed with incense, hats and masks they are still stung every day, as the bees are naturally protective of their hive.

Since bees only forage when their comb is empty they are constantly extracting the honey so the worker bees are always busy.

Royal jelly, the most valuable bee product, can only be collected manually from the numerous man-made queen cells.

When the cole flowers have finished blooming, Jiang and his wife travel to Dengzhou, Henan province, so they can keep farming honey.

Royal Jelly Energy Drink Comes to U.S.

D’Angelo’s Cheetah Power Surge Makes its First Foray into the U.S.

(Vocus) March 2, 2010 -- It’s been a great year at D’Angelo Brands and it’s looking as though 2010 will prove even greater. D’Angelo Brands announced they have just finished signing a landmark distribution deal with the Arizona Beverage Company to distribute Cheetah Power Surge – Caffeine Free Energy Drink in the United States.

“Distribution will start in January with an initial push into five states (California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and New York) and then expand from there,” said Frank D’Angelo, President and CEO of D’Angelo Brands (http://www.dangelobrands.ca/).

Currently available only in Canada, this will be Cheetah’s first distribution deal south of the border, with select distribution deals with other countries in development.

“We’re excited about the prospects of Cheetah Power Surge (http://www.cheetahpowersurge.com/) in the United States because it’s a caffeine-free, all-natural energy drink made with Ginkgo Biloba, Royal Jelly and Ginseng. So it complements our portfolio of Iced Tea beverages quite nicely,” says Arizona Beverage’s management...

Can Propolis Prevent Tooth Decay?

The Irish Times, 3/2/2010

Propolis is a resin made by bees to seal openings in the bee hive and prevent microbial growth. It consists mostly of wax, bee saliva and extracts from plants and trees visited by the bees. The precise composition of propolis varies depending on where and when it is made by the bees.

Propolis is harvested by placing a perforated grid with small openings in a bee hive. The bees fill the perforations with propolis as if they were sealing their hive. The grid is then removed and the propolis collected.

Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, wrote about the medicinal value of propolis. It has been used for many different ailments, but primarily as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent, especially for treating wounds and burns. More recent interest has focused on its use in dental care.

Dental caries, or tooth decay, arises after bacteria build up on tooth surfaces leading to dental plaque. If untreated, the bacteria can break down tooth enamel, leading to cavities, pain, tooth loss or, sometimes, more serious infections.

Proper oral hygiene, fluoride products and dental visits can prevent or control dental caries.

Pharmaceutical antimicrobial agents are available for dental caries, but resistance and side effects can develop. This has led to a search for non-toxic, inexpensive ways of treating and preventing dental caries and other types of mouth infections.

EVIDENCE FROM STUDIES

More than 160 different compounds have been isolated from propolis. Over half of these are classed as phenolic compounds or flavonoids, which often have antimicrobial activity. Laboratory tests have confirmed that many compounds in propolis are antibacterial, antifungal or antiviral. A study with rats was the first to notice significantly reduced dental caries after a propolis extract was added to the animals’ drinking water.

Studies in humans have shown that mouthwash containing propolis extract significantly reduced the concentration of bacteria in people’s saliva. Such beneficial effects were found in three small studies, while another study found no benefits.

The researchers believed this was due to the different propolis harvesting in different regions. Most of the research to date has been conducted in Brazil as dental caries is particularly problematic in that region.

Propolis has also been tested against Candida albicans mouth infections. Most people carry this yeast without harmful effects, but under certain conditions it causes opportunistic infections. This can happen under dentures if the person’s immune system is compromised or if the dentures aren’t cleaned adequately.

Two small studies were conducted in Brazil with people wearing dentures who had developed Candida mouth infections. They cleaned their dentures four times daily and applied a propolis gel. Most people’s infections were resolved and their gums healed after seven days. The results were similar to other patients using pharmaceutical gels for such infections…

New Book Has Chapter on Apitherapy

Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper
By Cate Hennessey, Chester County Dwell, 3/1/2010

Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper, by C. Marina Marchese. Black Dog and Leventhal: 2009. 256 pages.

...And if economics, culture, and history don’t convince readers to revere the honeybee, add medicine to the list. Marchese dedicates a full chapter to apitherapy, the use of bees and bee products to promote health and healing. Sustainable and all natural, apitherapy provides an environmentally responsible way to “maintain health and harmony within the body.” This had led Marchese to develop a line of all-natural personal care products, and she even includes in the book a recipe for homemade lip balm using beeswax, olive oil, and essential oils.

Apitherapy Presentations, Posters at Apimondia 2009 in France

Apitherapy - Oral presentations

• Introduction - CHERBULIEZ Theodore
• My clinical experiences on use of propolis to cancer patients - MIZUKAMI Osamu
• Involvement of non-protein thiols, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reactive oxygen species in the honey-induced apoptosis - JAGANATHAN S. K.
• Complex treatment for psoriasis by api-reflexotherapy and beekeeping products - KHISMATULLINA Nailya
• Basic clinical concepts in green medicine - DOMEREGO Roch
• Royal jelly and propolis prevent development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic animal models - KAWASAKI Hiromu
• Applications of Bee Products in modern medicine - MUNSTEDT Karsten
• Hive Products: from folklore to pharmacopoeia - JONES Richard
• Bee products in human health and in Science: linking empirism of apitherapy with modern molecular medecine - BENGSCH Eberhardt
• Lyme Borreliose and Apitherapy - BENGSCH Eberhardt
• Prevention and Treatment of Bee Products Allergies including Anaphylactic Shock with Apitherapy - STANGACIU Stefan
• Role of honey in wound healing. Honey, a new medical solution for wound healing? - DESCOTTES Bernard
• Probiotic effect of Lactic Acid Bacteria from fresh bee pollen - PERCIE DU SERT Patrice
• Effect of chrysin detected in honey on melanoma cells - PICHICHERO Elena
• Analysis of flavonoid from bee propolis which sources in Indonesia as anti-plasmodium medicine - HUTAGALUNG James S
• Novel Bioactive Prenylated Phenolics from Kangaroo Island Propolis - DUKE Colin C Comparative efficacy of apiphytotherapy towards chemotherapy in chicken eimeriosis - SICEANU Adrian
• Plant origin and anti-bacterial activity of Taiwanese green propolis - CHEN Yue-Wen
• Propolis increases the total antioxidant activity (TAA) of human saliva in vitro and in vivo - MIRANDA Sonia
• Novel Lactic acid bacteria from the honey stomach of honey bees - VASQUEZ Alejandra
• Somatic Cell Count in Milk of Bee Venom Treated Dairy Cows with Mastitis - HAN SangMi
• Functional and Biological Properties of Bee Products - BOGDANOV Stefan (PDF file 0.8 Mb)
• The Efficacy of Honey Dressing on Wound Healing : A Clinical Observation Study - MOHD. YUSOFF Kamaruddin
• Api-Phyto-Therapy in demyelization condition - results analisys on a sample of 33 patients - AOSAN Cristina
• Treatment of multiple sclerosis - DORIN Mindrescu
• Pre-clinical and clinical research of a thermoreversible gel formulation to reduce healing time of lesions in burn victims - BERETTA-SILVA Andresa A.
• Synergistic effectiveness of the consumption of bee products infused with medicinal herbs - ADZHIGIREY Galina

Apitherapy - Posters

• New insights into the composition of bee, wasp and ant venoms and how it can contribute to a better therapy of patients suffering sting allergy - DE GRAAF Dirk C
• Antioxidant properties of dried bee pollen samples from selected plant species - FATRCOVA-SRAMKOVA Katarina
• Antibacterial activity of bee pollen - GRIGORYAN Karina
• Carcass characteristics of feedlot cattle fed with 50%:50% forage to concentrate ratios with addition of propolis based products - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Digestibility and ruminal parameters of diet based in roughage with the addition of propolis and monensin sodium for steers - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Isolation and expeditiously characterization morphology, biochemistry and kinetics of rumen bacteria tolerant to propolis - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Influence of use of the product containing propolis sl49 * base for the diet of rabbits: characteristics of resistance of leather - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Powder pollen on the rabbit semen characteristics - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Crude protein effective degradability of some protein sources on bovines with daily dosages of monensin or propolis - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Occurrence of ectoparasites of tilapia-do-nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) food with different levels of sl 492* (product-based propolis) - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Propolis (llos)® in replacement the sodica monensin in the performance of finished young bulls Nellore in feedlot - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Performance of nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed with different levels of sl491* based on propolis rations - PERES DE MOURA PONTARA Lucimar
• Propolis protects against oxidative stress in human saliva - SANCHEZ Nuvia
• Antibiotic activity of Colombian propolis and its correlation with the origin ecoregions -TALERO URREGO Cesar Augusto
• Antioxidant activity and constituents of ethanolic propolis extracts from Romanian market - MATEESCU Cristina

Video: Bee Sting Therapy Used to Treat Arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia

By Joy Robertson's 'Personal Portraits'

Arthritis? Lupus? Fibromyalgia? For some Ozarkers a bee sting will cure what ails ya. Check out what people are buzzing about in Reyah Carlson's basement.