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Medical Uses of Honey Bee Venom

The use of bee venom as a medicine is nothing new. The ancient Egyptians were the first known civilization to try bee venom. The emperor Charlemagne and Ivan the Terrible used bee venom to help alleviate sore joints and stiffness, according to "Medicinal Uses for Bee Venom" at Swedish.org, the website of a medical center based in Seattle. Today the medical uses of bee venom remain slightly clouded with evidence both for and against its medicinal benefits.

  1. Inflammation

    • According to Swedish.org, two of the major components of bee venom, mellitin and adolapin, are believed to have natural anti-inflammatory effects. Ahealthyme.com quotes a 1988 study at the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki in Greece that found bee venom slowed the symptoms of arthritis in laboratory rats. The site also quotes a similar study at Montreal General Hospital, where bee venom was found to block the production of interlukin-1. This is a compound that helps cause arthritic inflammation and pain.

    Lyme Disease

    • In his article "The Treatment of Lyme Disease with Bee Venom," Dr. Dietricht K. Klinghardt says that bee venom in small doses can help stop Lyme disease from spreading through the human body. The peptide mellitin inhibits Lyme disease and prevents it from multiplying. Lyme disease is then easier to control and can be taken care of through the body's own immune system.

    Multiple Sclerosis

    • The component apamin is prevalent in bee venom and believed to heighten nerve transmission, according to Swedish.org. However, studies of apamin, bee venom and their effectiveness in treating neurological disorders have been less than convincing. Neurology.org cites a specific study conducted in 2005 involving 26 patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. Half were given an 24-week course of bee venom treatment while the other patients received no bee venom. No significant reduction in symptoms was recorded during the course of this study. Nonetheless, bee venom is increasingly being used as a treatment for multiple sclerosis.

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