Honey Recommended for Children’s Cough

Coughing? Here’s a Honey of a Cure
Fort Wayne Daily News, 8/29/2010

Coughing seems to be the current complaint. Everyone seems to have a cough. They may blame it on allergies, “hay fever,” bronchitis, sinus drainage, a cold, or any number of other problems. But the common symptom is a cough.

For adults, there are lots of medicines to be purchased over-the-counter or by prescription that will help to quell that cough. However, for little children, the cold and cough medicines have become much harder to find because of FDA restrictions and product recalls.

So, you might ask, “What can we give to our kids who keep us up all night coughing?”

I have struggled with this problem quite a bit. So I was very interested when I received an advertisement for a product that is alleged to safely and effectively suppress coughs and sooth throats in children as young as 12 months old. At the same time, it is said to contain no harmful drugs.

The ad said, “ZarBee’s Children’s Cough Syrup is the world’s first and only all natural OTC cough suppressant that is truly safe and effective for children under the age of four.”

It was created by a pediatrician named Dr. Zak Zarbock and is made of dark honey (the active ingredient), vitamins and other all natural ingredients. It even comes in lemon and cherry flavors.

Of course, you can order ZarBee’s Children’s Cough Syrup online at zarbees.com for $9.99, or you can purchase it at most major food and drug retailers. The question is: Why should you spend that kind of money on honey?...

If you want to try honey more cheaply, you can try one of the following popular cough remedies…

•Mix equal parts of lime juice and honey.

•Combine a cup of grape juice and a teaspoon of honey. Mix well.

•Mix one teaspoonful of raw onion juice with one teaspoonful of honey. Allow it to sit for three to four hours before drinking.

If you like, you can even add color and/or flavor to any one of these remedies…

Beeswax Used to Improve Quality of Edible Films

Development of Soybean Protein-Isolate Edible Films Incorporated with Beeswax, Span 20, and Glycerol
J Food Sci, 2010 Aug 1;75(6):C493-7

The effect of the beeswax, Span 20, and glycerol content on qualities of soybean-protein-isolate edible films was evaluated. Beeswax and Span 20 were selected to improve qualities of soybean-protein-isolate films from 11 emulsifiers. The content of beeswax, Span 20, and glycerol was further optimized by response surface analysis.

The optimal composite emulsifier was beeswax (1.87% of soybean protein-isolate), Span 20 (10.25% of soybean protein-isolate), and glycerol (29.12% of soybean protein-isolate) with tensile strength of 908 MPa, percentage elongation at break of 25.8%, water vapor permeability of 19.2 g/m.d.MPa, and oxygen permeability of 0 cm(3)/m.d.MPa. The quality of soybean-protein-isolate films incorporated with the optimal composite emulsifier was 2.34 times higher than that of the control.

Furthermore, the disulfide bond content of soybean-protein-isolate films showed a positive correlation with their quality, which provided a simple and rapid way to rank quality of soybean-protein-isolate films.

Therefore, our result will not only give an instruction to soybean-protein-isolate-film production, but also give a simple and rapid way to rank film qualities…

Honey Consumption Boosts Overall Health

Honey, Health and Longevity
Curr Aging Sci, 2010 Jul 5

Honey is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent which can enhance wound healing. A beneficial effect in cancer has been shown in cell cultures and in animal studies and a number of further nutritional and physiological effects of relevance to health and function have been shown for honey.

A representative sub-sample of 665 men within the Caerphilly Cohort kept a weighed dietary record for seven days. Risk factors for vascular and other diseases in 41 men who recorded eating honey suggest that these men were on the whole healthier than the 624 men who had not recorded honey consumption.

All-cause mortality during 25 years of follow-up was considerably lower in the men who had consumed honey, the hazard ratio, adjusted for a number of possible confounding factors, being 0.44. Because of the small number of subjects and of deaths in this study, further data from other large cohorts will be required before any effect upon mortality and other health effects of honey consumption can be adequately evaluated.

China Drug Watchdog Slams Propolis Claims on Blood Sugar

China's Drug Watchdog Exposes Misleading Health Advertisements

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's drug watchdog Friday published the names of six health products that allegedly used deceptive or exaggerated advertising.

All the products, capsules with ingredients such as propolis, ginseng and other herbs, misleadingly claimed to lower the blood sugar levels, said the State Food and Drug Administration.

The products were Houde Propolis Capsule, Lvhai Compound Propolis Capsule, Nuoer Yangzhengtang Capsule, Baibang Propolis and Ginseng Capsule, Zhongbao Pingtang Capsule and Jinxiong Cangxiong Capsule.

A circular from the SFDA said the advertisements lied about or exaggerated the efficacy of the products and used fictional consumers in promotions…

Microemulsion Used to Deliver Propolis Topical Applications

Development of a New Propolis Microemulsion System for Topical Applications
Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia, 2010, vol.20, n.3, pp. 368-375

Microemulsion systems (MES) offer advantages as drug delivery systems, among them favour drug absorption, being in most case more efficient than other methods in delivering of drug.

In this work a new MES was obtained in order to be applied as a pressurized aerosol formulation containing bee propolis ethanolic extract (PEE). For that, pseudoternary phase diagrams were used to characterize the microemulsions boundaries and also to define the Winsor IV microemulsion region of the PEE-MES system containing Tween 80 as surfactant and the cosurfactant ethyl alcohol in small percentage.

The obtained results indicated that the best MES was composed by Tween 80 and ethyl alcohol with C/S (cosurfactant/surfactant) ratio equal to 1.0, since it provided a large boundaries in the obtained O/W microemulsion region. This PEE-MES formulation, in which bee propolis consisting as oil phase, is herein designed for topical uses (PEE-MES spraying) in order to treat mouth and throat inflammatory infections.

Considering the very large uses of bee propolis in conventional vehicles, MES type of delivery system has to be compatible with achieving the highest drug aim loadings, determined substantially by the specific MES application (drug solubilization in water systems) improving in this case, propolis farmacological aplications. Additionally, PEE-MES antibacterial effect was evidenced and the microemulsion system PEE-

New Peptide Discovered in Bee Venom

Characterization of Honeybee Venom by MALDI-TOF and nanoESI-qTOF Mass Spectrometry
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Article in Press

The aim of the study was to comprehensively characterize different honeybee venom samples applying two complementary mass spectrometry methods.

41 honeybee venom samples of different bee strains, country of origin (Poland, Georgia, and Estonia), year and season of the venom collection were analyzed using MALDI-TOF and nanoESI-qTOF-MS.

It was possible to obtain semi-quantitative data for 12 different components in selected honeybee venom samples using MALDI-TOF method without further sophisticated and time consuming sample pretreatment. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) has shown that there are qualitative and quantitative differences in the composition between honeybee venom samples collected over different years. It has also been demonstrated that MALDI-TOF spectra can be used as a “protein fingerprint” of honeybee venom in order to confirm the identity of the product.

NanoESI-qTOF-MS was applied especially for identification purposes.

Using this technique 16 peptide sequences were identified, including melittin (12 different breakdown products and precursors), apamine, mast cell degranulating peptide and secapin.

Moreover, the significant achievement of this study is the fact that the new peptide (HTGAVLAGV + Amidated (C-term), Mr = 822.53 Da) has been discovered in bee venom for the first time.

Bee Venom Therapy Can Help Treat Multiple Sclerosis

Killer Animals, Live-Saving Cures: Why Venom Is Good For You
By Kat Meduski, FoxNews.com, 8/23/2010

You wouldn't want a deathstalker scorpion in your boot. But it could save your life. Tarantula venom may seem frightful. But medically speaking, it's awesome. And gila monster spit? Great stuff, if you have diabetes.

They're just a few examples of a fascinating area of research using the venom from the most dangerous creatures around. Step on one and it could kill you, but synthesize those toxins in the lab, and they could be used to save your life.

The University of Washington recently announced the latest breakthrough in this field, explaining how scorpion venom can be useful in treating brain cancer. Researchers found that chlorotoxin, an amino acid found in deathstalker scorpions, can slow the cancer's spread by blocking narrow channels in the brain through which malignant, shape-shifting cells can migrate.

But it's only the latest in a long line of scientific studies:

* Apitherapy -- the use of honey bee products -- has been used in treating multiple sclerosis patients. Controlled stinging around the spine brought back sensation and immune response, where numbing and desensitization had previously been crippling...

Whole Bee Venom Capable of Inducing DNA Alterations

Increased Frequency of Sister Chromatid Exchanges and Decrease in Cell Viability and Proliferation Kinetics in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes After in vitro exposure to Whole Bee Venom
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, Volume 45, Issue 12 October 2010, pages 1654 - 1659

The present study was aimed to investigate the impact of bee venom on frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and viability in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. In addition, the proportion of lymphocytes that undergo one, two or three cell divisions as well as proliferative rate index (PRI) have been determined.

Aqueous solution of whole bee venom was added to whole blood samples in concentrations ranging from 0.1 μg/mL to 20 μg/mL in different lengths of time. Results showed that whole bee venom inhibited cell viability, resulting in a 22.86 ± 1.14% and 51.21 ± 0.58% reduction of viable cells at 1 hour and 6 hours, respectively. The mean SCE per cell in all the exposed samples was significantly higher than in the corresponding controls.

In addition, the percentage of high frequency cells (HFC) for each sample was estimated using the pooled distribution of all SCE measurements. This parameter was also significantly higher compared to the control. Inhibition of proliferation was statistically significant for both exposure times and concentrations and was time and dose dependent.

These data indicate that whole bee venom inhibited cell proliferation, resulting in a 36.87 ± 5.89% and 38.43 ± 1.96% reduction of proliferation at 1 hour and 6 hours, respectively.

In conclusion, this report demonstrated that whole bee venom is capable of inducing DNA alterations by virtue of increasing sister chromatid exchanges in addition to the cell viability decrease and inhibition of proliferation kinetics in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro.

Bee Venom Works Better Than Botox

The A-List’s Secret Beauty Weapon
By Claire O'Boyle, The Mirror, 8/18/2010

As more and more A-listers turn their backs on Botox and invasive beauty treatments, one woman is credited with leading the trend toward natural facial work.

Debbie Mitchell has made such an impression, she’s even convinced Botox fan Dannii Minogue to ditch the jabs – and the X Factor judge now raves about her natural facials...

And she claims her bee venom treatment works even better than Botox. “Like Botox, bee venom makes the skin relax,” says Debbie, who runs Heaven Health and Beauty.

“This is partly what makes it look younger. But unlike Botox, bee venom stimulates the blood supply coming into the skin, improving its condition. Long-term, bee venom will improve the skin, while Botox will damage it. To maintain the look, people have to use Botox over and over again.”...

Nerve Cells Highly Sensitive to Bee Venom Toxin Apamin

Allosteric Block of KCa2 Channels by Apamin
The Journal of Biological Chemistry, August 27, 2010

Activation of small conductance calcium-activated potassium (KCa2) channels can regulate neuronal firing and synaptic plasticity. They are characterized by their high sensitivity to the bee venom toxin apamin, but the mechanism of block is not understood.

For example, apamin binds to both KCa2.2 and KCa2.3 with the same high affinity (KD ∼ 5 pm for both subtypes) but requires significantly higher concentrations to block functional current (IC50 values of ∼100 pm and ∼5 nm, respectively). This suggests that steps beyond binding are needed for channel block to occur.

We have combined patch clamp and binding experiments on cell lines with molecular modeling and mutagenesis to gain more insight into the mechanism of action of the toxin. An outer pore histidine residue common to both subtypes was found to be critical for both binding and block by the toxin but not for block by tetraethylammonium (TEA) ions.

These data indicated that apamin blocks KCa2 channels by binding to a site distinct from that used by TEA, supported by a finding that the onset of block by apamin was not affected by the presence of TEA.

Structural modeling of ligand-channel interaction indicated that TEA binds deep within the channel pore, which contrasted with apamin being modeled to interact with the channel outer pore by utilizing the outer pore histidine residue.

This multidisciplinary approach suggested that apamin does not behave as a classical pore blocker but blocks using an allosteric mechanism that is consistent with observed differences between binding affinity and potency of block.

Honey May Offer Sweet Relief From Coughs

By Cathy Wong, Alternative Medicine Guide, 8/18/2010

Honey may soothe coughs more effectively than over-the-counter medications, a new study shows. The study involved 139 children (ages two to five), all of whom were dealing with coughs caused by upper respiratory infections.

For the study, participants received honey, dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant), diphenhydramine (an antihistamine), or no medication. After about 24 hours, scientists tested all participants for the frequency and severity of their coughs. Study results showed that the 2.5-ml dose of honey provided greater cough relief, compared to both medications and the control treatment…

Honey May Help Treat Inflammatory Conditions

The Inhibitory Effects of Gelam Honey and Its Extracts on Nitric Oxide and Prostaglandin E(2) in Inflammatory Tissues
Fitoterapia, 2010 Aug 11

We investigated the effects of honey and its methanol and ethyl acetate extracts on inflammation in animal models.

Rats' paws were induced with carrageenan in the non-immune inflammatory and nociceptive model, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the immune inflammatory model.

Honey and its extracts were able to inhibit edema and pain in inflammatory tissues as well as showing potent inhibitory activities against NO and PGE(2) in both models. The decrease in edema and pain correlates with the inhibition of NO and PGE(2). Phenolic compounds have been implicated in the inhibitory activities.

Honey is potentially useful in the treatment of inflammatory conditions.

Apitherapy Firm Founder Credits Bee Products for Long Life

At 100, the Comvita Man Says His Health Products Work
By CLAIRE McENTEE, Business Day, 8/18/2010

The founder of Comvita will turn 100 today and, from his Te Puke rest home, he lists his daily health regimen of – mainly – Comvita products: bee pollen, manuka honey, olive leaf extract, multi-vitamins and Omega 3 capsules.

And don't forget the Comvita elixir for treating coughs and sore throats, he says…

Propolis Recommended for Treating Infertility

Mike Walden, American Chronicle, August 18, 2010

...Most parents when teaching their kids about sex education give the example of birds and bees, but most parents do not know that bees do a lot more than just gather honey for us. The fact is, bees are responsible for gathering a resinous substance that is known as Propolis and this they do from barks of trees, from buds and from the leaves too. The bees know that Propolis is very useful to protect their hives against destruction and disease.

Now medical studies have revealed that the same Propolis might be very useful for infertility treatment as well, particularly in the early stages of endometriosis in ladies. However frankly, we do not yet know how Propolis manages to do this but one thing we surely know and this is that, Propolis can cause many pharmacological actions like it can stop the functioning of the enzyme Aromatase which works majorly in estrogen metabolism. Several studies have been carried out on Propolis and its benefits, particularly with infertility and endometriosis, and these studies have showed us that just 500 mg of Propolis taken two times a day can improve the chances of a woman becoming pregnant by as much as 60% - while with conventional medicines this is just about 20%. This is thus what is referred to as the propolis infertility effect.

And not only that, the bee Propolis has also been seen to have given good results in defective sperm repair, which is a major cause of male infertility. This is why Propolis is also often used in centrifugation, which is a sperm preparation technique that is applied before IVF or In Vitro Fertilization (an assisted reproduction technology). Centrifugation can generate ROS or Reactive Oxygen Species and Propolis is very helpful in this. At least this was the result of a study in which Chilean Propolis was used on sperm in IVF with exogenous ROS and Benzo(a)pyrene.

There are other observations about Propolis too. It can be said that Propolis is a natural drug and it can protect genomic DNA against Benzo(a)pyrene induces damage, and also from a combination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), 5 di-phosphate (ADP) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). Propolis is able to reduce intercellular oxidants significantly. Extracts from Propolis are also able to protect the membrane of the sperm from harmful oxidative aggression and it can also reduce the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and release LDH. Propolis thus according to the study is able to upkeep male fertility and because of its antioxidant features and it can successfully repair the male sperm as well...

Jamaican Beekeepers Urged to Produce Apitherapy Products

Bee-Keeping By-Products are Relatively Untapped
Jamaica Gleaner, 8/16/2010

With the bee-keeping industry valued in excess of $1.3 billion and currently experiencing growth of 40 per cent, the Ministry of Agriculture says there is room to diversify the relatively untouched by-products and value-added markets.

The production, harvesting and marketing of other products of the beehive such as bee pollen, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom, queen bees and packaged bees (the latter for overseas targeted markets) are only marginally addressed by 1.2 per cent of the island's 1,202 bee-keepers.

At present, by-products and linkages generated locally and available on the domestic market include personal-care items such as soaps, ointments, shampoos, hair wax and candles from beeswax, jams and jellies, wines and infused flavoured honey...

Peddy said the value-added component of the apiculture industry has been relatively untapped because of the fact that financing for such ventures are often unavailable or too costly for individuals to undertake. The situation is also made difficult because farmers are required to source and secure their own markets…