THE COMPONENTS OF APITHERAPY

Apitherapy : a science in its own right

By Prof. Roch Domerego
President of the European Company of Apitherapy, Apimondia
Vice President of Apitherapy Commission of Apimondia

  Any product that is created by the bees can become a remedy of great therapeutic interest. Thus honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax and even venom are the bases of the api-pharmacopeia, which leads to the realization that the hive has been a complete pharmaceutical laboratory since the beginnings of time. With this laboratory man has been able to overcome most of the pathologies, thereby insuring his survival, fragile as it has been.

The products of the hive have then become a salvation and green medicine a real health solution, indispensable at this time when chemical medicine has reached certain limits.

Each component of the hive posesses its specific therapeutic properties.

Honey

Its properties, known since the begining ot time, are many, and are often a function of the plants foraged and, sometimes of the race of the bee.

Its nutritional, energetic, anti-anemic and dynamizing roles are well known, as is its ability to absorb other substances. In addition it also has a strong capacity as a laxative and as a liver protector.

Honey also has antiseptic and antibacterial action. In vitro studies of different kinds of bacteria have demonstrated that this action is very dependent on the type of flower foraged (in particular mountain honey, Thyme, Lavender,…). It is a also dependent of the care shown by the beekeeper in respecting hygiene standards, of the quality in the handling of the hives and in the production of the honey.

Honey's strong wound healing capacity have been demonstrated and in many hospitals it is used to heal wounds, clean or infected.

The combination of honey with essential oils as aro-honeys results in a synergy that effectively addresses severe pathologies. To mention but one instance, aro-honeys have demonstrated an efficacy for certain specific pathologies that is superior to that of antibiotics, either in regard to the length of the treatment, to recurrences or to chronic conditions. And this without any negative side effects

Honeys do facilitate the organism's acceptance of active concentrated agents (propolis, essential oils).

Aro-honeys

Aro-honeys are aromatic mixtures providing the possibility of synergies between honey and aromatic essences. These synergies increase the therapeutic activity of their constituents relative to what the activity would be if they were administered separately. Also, they decrease unwanted side effects.

Essential oils contains many therapeutic properties, but organisms often have trouble assimilating them. Honey's strong capacity to promote assimilation by the organism, for instance of essential oils, signals its power as a therapeutic vector. The synergy of these two agents, honey and essential oils (called aro-honeys), presents a vaste choice of highly active therapeutic products.

Honeys also posess specific properties that depend on their geobotanical origin. For instance honeys from eucalyptus, lavender or fir trees present a specific indication for lungs and bronchial troubles ; rosmary honey for liver or intestinal deficiencies ; linden honey for anxiety and sleeping difficulties ; clover honey for asthenias and fatigue ; manuka honey for Helicobacter Pilori, etc.

Finally, certain races of bees make special honeys, like the Meliponas of Central America make a honey that is particularly indicated for eye affections.

Pollen

All the main religious or secular traditions have extolled the therapeutic virtues of pollen: toning, stimulating and metabolic.

Pollen is a good regulator of liver and intestinal functions, together with an anti-inflammatory action, particularly on the gut level.

Pollen has detoxifying and anti-oxidant properties. Pollen, as well as the Brazilian nut has the highest selenium content of food products.

All these properties of pollen are particularly indicated to reinforce immunity and to prevent cardiovascular illnesses and certain cancers.

Pollen presents a real paradox in relation to allergies. Pollen grains in suspension in air cause a number of allergies which are often called « Hay fever ». On the other hand, pollen carried by bees and taken by mouth has anti-allergic properties that particularly stimulate the immune system. It is very successful at desensitizing organisms that have a severe reaction.

Certain anti-allergic preparations have made use of these properties.

Propolis

Propolis is the hive's most complex material. Having a vast array of functions and known since antiquity, this product is collected by the bees from buds of certain trees. All propolises have common general properties, but these vary as a function of the region they come from. Each propolis has specific properties that are used to make specialized medications. These different biochemical compositions result in products of varied colors that are used to classify propolises and their clinical applications. An example is Green Propolis from Brazil, known for its anti-cancer properties.

Bees use propolis as a protective mastic inside the hive, for its bacteriostatic, bactericidal, fungicidal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic and antiseptic properties. This goes from the disinfection mat at the entrance of the hive to the mastic used to close up any fissure, to its use to immobilize any potentially moving part in the hive, to the fine layer the bees use to render each cell aseptic before it receives an egg and to their their handling of the corpse of any undesirable host by covering it with propolis so as to mummify it and prevent any spread of infection.

Propolis's main characteristics as noted above this makes it a basic constituent of apitherapy.

It has a very wide antibacterial spectrum (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Helicobacter pilori, ...), with action even on multi-resistant bacteria (MRSA – Methycillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Its antiviral action is effective against viruses of herpes, flu, hepatitis B etc. Its anti-mycotic activity can be shown with Candida Albicans, for both skin and mucosal lesions.

Propolis has strong healing properties for skin problems: regenerating (burns), and slightly anesthetic.

Propolis is a source of antioxidant products, and this feature can be demonstrated mainly in weak concentrations. It has anti-tumor chaaracteristics and is a powerful stimulant of the immune system, raising the level of defense against cancer metastases. Using a mechanism close to that of aspirin, it has anti-inflammatory properties.

Propolis can occasionally, but rarely, provoke allergic reactions in sensitive persons, manifested as skin reactions or even asthmatic crises. Some flavonoids contained in propolis have paradoxically a strong anti-allergic effect, and this confers the same power to propolis as the one pollen has towards allergies.

The geobotanical origin of propolis has its importance, just as it has for honey and for pollen, and the knowledge of the specific characteristics of a particular propolis allow its use in treatments that are perfectly targeted to the condition.

Royal Jelly

Royal Jelly is given to all larvae only during the first three days of their life, but is given to an «elected» larva as the only food for all her life. This leads to her developing her sexual organs, being recognized by the hive as «queen», and laying, when mature, each day, her own weight in eggs.

This mysterious phenomenon shows de facto this product's strong nutritional, energetic and metabolic properties. Royal jelly improves tissue oxygenation, increases resistance to cold temperatures, stimulates appetite, as well as improves the sense of humor, and generally increases vitality. It acts on bone marrow to generate red blood cells, and acts on certain bacterias (Escherichia coli) and on certain viruses (flu, herpes). Generally speaking, it adds wellbeing to people, whatever their age.

With its immuno-modulating abilities, it is regenerative, energetic and mood elevating, decreases the perception of pain. These qualities represent a clear indication for elderly persons, as well as for anyone having to undertake heavy work, be it intellectual or sport related. It is also indicated for any recuperation process, like regeneration of the intestinal flora following antibiotic treatment. This demonstrates a rare quality of royal jelly: an antibacterial activity on the one hand and regeneration of the intestinal flora on the other, To obtain the same effects from a chemical pharmacopeia, one would need two different products.

Even though royal jelly has definitively immuno-modulating characteristics, its strong potential at causing cellular multiplication (to wit the queen's performance on this activity) demands that great caution should be exercised when prescribing it to anyone with metastatic cancer, if one were to prescribe it at all. At this stage cancer results from an anarchic cell development, and it stays unproven to this day whether the properties of royal jelly intensify this anarchy or whether its immuno-modulating properties work for the patient's benefit. However its strong preventive action against metastatic cancer has been demonstrated.

Bee Venom

Venom comes from the secretion of two glands, acid and basic, that are mixed in the shaft of the bee's stinger at the time of the stinging. The queen will not hesitate to use venom exclusively in order to eliminate a rival. Workers will use it in any action of defending the hive, at the cost of their life.

Venom has a strong influence on the nervous and circulatory systems.

Therapeutic doses causes decrease of arterial pressure and vaso-dilatation. Even though venom injection is painful, its «cortisone-like» action inhibits the inflammatory reaction and decreases the sense of pain of arthritis, myalgias, neuralgias. Its action opens interesting perspectives in the handling of multiple sclerosis. In the United States bee venom therapy is considerably advanced.

Venom introduced into the organism by stinging acts like an antigen, a foreign substance, and provokes a mobilization of the organism's defenses, stimulating its immune system. It also has a radio-protector action and can be indicated for persons having had radiotherapy.

In addition to its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties, venom has Mellitin which inhibits blood coagulation, and this offers interesting perspectives to the treatment of arteriosclerosis and of thromboses.

Venom contains a large number of substances, some of them very volatile. Stinging can be very painful and can sometimes cause an allergic reaction that can turn into an anaphylactic shock in the most serious cases.

A massive injection of venom causes an intoxication that can be deadly, which is the fate of the little uninvited visitors that enter the hive. For an adult human, the lethal dose varies from one person to another, but is around some twenty stings per kilo and this amounts to more than one thousand stings for a normal person.

Finally, venom has demonstrated an interesting activity regarding the skin, in the threatment of scabs as a way of revascularizing necrotic tissue. One has thus to watch for risks of allergic reactions and any treatment will have to keep this parameter in perspective.

Beeswax

Beeswax was recognized early as a therapeutic agent, in making poultices and ointments in the treatment of wounds and burns. It is successfully used in the treatment of certain forms of arthritis and against some bacterias such as salmonella, or to facilitate intestinal transit.

Wax prevents the aging of the skin with its property of cleaning the epiderm and softening and nourishing the derm. It is mostly used in cosmetology entering into the composition of skin products.

Essential Vegetal Oils

Essential oils succed in concentrating into a reduced volume plants' therapeutic properties that are usually contained in their most volatile components.

One can obtain these oils through processes of extraction or distillation, the most frequently used being distillation with steam from water. Plants are immersed in 100°C steam at atmospheric pressure. This will cause the secreting organs to burst open, freeing their  subtile essences to be carried away by the steam. This mixture will then be condensed and cooled.

These essences have usually a density inferior to 1 and therefore will float on the surface of the water; hence the name of essential «oils», even though they contain no lipids. An extraction of water by phase differentiation, followed by centrifugation will guarantee its purity, necessary for therapeutic usage.

The plants' active principles can be localized or concentrated in very different parts ; one can therefore distill leaves as well as flowers, fruits, roots, bark, seeds or whole plants.

In order to certify an essential oil for medicinal purposes one will necessarily have to specify its chemotype; and this requires three characteristics that are neccessary to achieve an unequivocal definition:

-The botanical species that will define exactly the plants and its variety. For instance Eucalyptus includes hundreds of varieties and the curative properties of Eucalyptus globulus are fundamentally different from those of Eucalyptus radiata.

-The plant's organ that produces the oil. Orange tree «small grain» essential oil will be different from that of the flower of the orange tree,

-Biochemical conditions of cultivation ( soil, climate, latitude, altitude. time of picking,…). An essenial oil of the same plant, Thymus vulgaris as an example, will have different composition and properties depending on whether it originates on seashores , at a medium altitude, or whether it is a mountain plant.

Each essential oil can have a certain number of therapeutic properties. If the span for the essential oils studied and proposed by aromatherapy is already wide and quite complete, there are many plants the world awaiting to be discovered.

Some essential oils have very narrowly defined therapeutic properties, and, on the other hand, there are numerous essential oils which are more or less able to respond to a specific pathology. Here resides the art of the scientist : to find the one oil that is the most appropriate to a particular demand or to combine several oils aiming at a particular target.

Synergies and domains of application

One speaks of synergy when it turns out to be that the activity of a combination performs better than that of each of its constituents taken separately.

Some studies in vitro, addressing the effect of mixtures of some products from the hive and of some essential oils, have demonstrated that the therapeutic effect of the composition was superior to that of each of the constituents, coming either from the hive or from the distillation.

Apitherapy rests on this principle of synergy between natural products, which is on the opposite side of the mono-molecular proposition, the latter generally belonging to the pharmacopeia of synthesis.

As a matter of fact, one of the basic tenets of Apitherapy is to collect the active principles of plants by two distinct routes : the one of the bee and the other of distillation, and to recombine them with products of the hive in synergy so as to offer powerful therapeutic products.

There are numerous areas of application, but tho se where apitherapy seems to propose the best performances are infectious diseases in general (bacterial, viral. fungal…) ; issues of wound healing ; auto-immune conditions (sclerosis,…) ; and issues of nutrition (malnutrition, complements…).

Many other domains are being explored and will without doubt give very interesting results for health. Meanwhile it is evident that humans will need to find a better harmony with the natural world, in order to find an optimal answer to the formidable challenges awaiting a population of 7 billion inhabitants.