The Buzz on Bee Products

By Catherine Guthrie

‘Tis the season for bees. Whether you’ve been out hiking or working in the garden, no doubt you’ve seen these fuzzy creatures buzzing from bloom to bloom. But they’re more than just part of the backdrop of summer; they’re tiny winged chemists working in laboratories masquerading as hives. For centuries, people have made use of the healing properties of the goods they produce. The science of healing with bees, called apitherapy (apis means bee in Latin), dates back before the time of Hippocrates; references to honey are found in the Bible and the Koran, as well as in the Hindu scripture, the Veda.

Today we are no less fascinated. We steal bees’ hard-earned honey, pickpocket their pollen, and make them sting us to ease our aching joints. Now some experts believe bee products may even be able to vanquish antibiotic-resistant superbugs. But is there any brawn behind the buzz? Or are claims of healing through honeybees just a little, well, fuzzy? As it turns out, some bee products have merit, but others are bogus. Here’s the lowdown.

Bee pollen: antioxidant powerhouse
You can be forgiven if you’re not sure just what bee pollen is. As bees cruise blossoms, they pick up the flowers’ dusty pollen and store it in sacs on their hind legs, then mix it with honey or nectar to form a gluey pollen pellet. Beekeepers heist these goods by placing screens at the hive’s entrance. As the bees return home with saddlebags loaded and wiggle through the screen, the shimmy squeezes the pollen out of their sacs and into the beekeeper’s coffer. And to what end?

Bee pollen enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame when U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) used it to cure his seasonal allergies. Flush with enthusiasm, Harkin spearheaded the establishment of the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Alternative Medicine (now the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine). Sadly, that’s where the bustle over bee pollen ended. It has yet to prove itself in clinical trials for allergy relief and doesn’t appear to boost athletic performance—its other purported benefit—either.

But bee pollen does fly high in one arena: its antioxidant content. These cellular good guys scavenge free radicals, errant molecules that wreak havoc on cells and can jump-start cancerous growths. In an independent lab test recently commissioned by CC Pollen Co., a bee product maker in Phoenix, the company’s High Desert pollen contained even more antioxidants than berries.

• Who might benefit: Anyone seeking a good source of antioxidants.

• How to use it: Bee pollen is available in many forms, including tablets, powders, and liquids. Follow manufacturer’s instructions on dosage. If you develop signs of an allergic reaction—itchy throat, hives, or flushing—stop using it. (See “Take Heed with Bees,” page 57, for more warnings.)

Bee venom: potent anti-inflammatory
For busting inflammation, it’s hard to beat bee venom: One of its components is thought to be 100 times more powerful than hydrocortisone. Hippocrates was one of the first to record the use of bee venom in treating inflamed joints, and the practice continues today. Bee venom therapy, given either by needle or direct sting, offers relief for thousands of people who suffer from inflammatory conditions, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, and bursitis.

Ralph Golan, a general practitioner in Seattle and author of Optimal Wellness: Where Mainstream and Alternative Medicine Meet, has used bee venom in his practice for 15 years, injecting it into inflamed areas. The therapy is believed to work by creating an acute inflammation on top of the chronic one, he says. “The body’s healing mechanisms kick in to treat the acute inflammation and then get fooled into treating the chronic condition as well.”

Intentionally stinging a sore joint may sound like adding insult to injury—but the practice does have some support. A study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine in 2001 compared bee-venom-enhanced acupuncture with the traditional version for relieving arthritis pain. Researchers randomly selected 60 people with osteoarthritis of the knee to receive either acupuncture or bee venom therapy (in acupuncture points), twice a week for four weeks. At the end of the study, 83 percent of those treated with bee venom reported “substantial pain relief” compared to 55 percent in the acupuncture group.

• Who might benefit: If you suffer from painful, chronic tendon or joint inflammation, you may want to consider this therapy. Be prepared for pain and swelling similar to what you’d get from a bee sting.

• How to use it: Unfortunately, no organization offers licensing or credentialing for apitherapists, so you’ll need to seek a referral from a local alternative practitioner. Or contact the American Apitherapy Society at apitherapy.org.

Raw honey: soothing wound healer
Raw honey owes its healing powers to its antimicrobial properties, which are thought to be destroyed when it’s heated for processing. During World War I, Russian soldiers used honey to speed wound healing and stave off infection. One way it helps heal is by way of an enzyme that gets activated by fluid from the wound to form hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic.

Although the medicinal use of raw honey declined with the arrival of prescription antibiotics, it is making a comeback. Specifically, researchers are testing raw honey on antibiotic-resistant infections. The problem with conventional antibiotics is that because they attack bacteria with a single mechanism, the bugs can easily develop resistance to the drug. Raw honey, on the other hand, acts by several mechanisms, says Theodore Cherbuliez, president of the American Apitherapy Society. “This means the capacity to evoke resistance is enormously decreased.”

All raw honey is not created equal, however. The version with the highest known levels of antibacterial activity, called manuka honey, comes from New Zealand. In Australia, a manuka-honey-based product, called Medihoney, is government approved for treating minor wounds and infections.

• Who might benefit: Anyone with minor cuts, burns, or topical infections.

• How to use it: Packaged in a tube, Medihoney can be squeezed onto a cut or burn, then covered with a Band-Aid. Order online at medihoney.com.

Royal jelly: the newest cholesterol-buster?
Dine on royal jelly and you’ll eat like a queen. That’s because royal jelly, secreted from the salivary glands of worker bees, is fed to the queen bee throughout her life. This strict diet of bee spit not only allows the queen to produce twice her weight in eggs, it lengthens her life span twentyfold.

For years, charlatans have claimed royal jelly products work similar magic for women by increasing fertility and reversing wrinkles. Such claims haven’t been verified in reputable studies. But that’s not to say royal jelly is a wash.

Lately, some studies indicate that it may help lower cholesterol. In one meta-analysis, a researcher at New York Medical College in Valhalla found that doses of about 50 to 100 milligrams of royal jelly a day lowered patients’ total cholesterol levels by about 14 percent. Although scientists don’t understand how it works, one theory is that royal jelly keeps some cholesterol from being absorbed in the gut. Even so, don’t toss out your cholesterol-lowering medication just yet, as more studies are needed to confirm these results.

• Who might benefit: People who have borderline high cholesterol but aren’t on medication.

• How to use it: Royal jelly is available as a capsule, liquid, or chewable tablet. If you’re not on a cholesterol-lowering drug, you may want to try 50 to 100 mg a day. If you are, talk with your doctor before adding any new therapy.

Take Heed with Bees
Apitherapy isn’t for everyone. If you know you’re allergic to bee stings, don’t experiment with any bee products. If you’re not sure if you’re allergic, get tested by an allergist before signing on.

Also, don’t feed honey, raw or processed, to babies under one year old. Honey harbors bacterial spores, harmless to older kids and adults, that can cause botulism in infants. People with compromised immune systems should beware of raw honey, which can contain infection-causing fungi.

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