Hi all
People ask me about the benefits of bee venom. I usually state that there is little scientific proof of specific benefits, that some people can become allergic to it and die, but that I personally think it is invigorating and produces positive health effects. What follows is an excerpt from an Indian publication called. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences. They state that it is a "multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal with reputable academics and experts as members of its Editorial Board." They list 50 experts, about half from India, none from Europe, Russia or south of the Equator, and only one from the US. What follows are a few excerpts. I was especially interested in its effect on Lyme disease.
* * *
Bee venom called apitoxin is a mixture of proteins: melittin (main component 52%), apamin, adolapin, phospholipase A2, hyaluronidase, histamine, dopamine and protease inhibitor. It is a bitter, colorless liquid of density 1.1313g/cm3 and pH 5.0 5.5 (Hye et al., 2004). It has been used for at least 22 centuries, especially in Eastern Asia (Kwon et al., 2002). A honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) can inject 0.012 0.1 mg of venom via its stinger.
Therapeutic application of bee venom include their use in the management of arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, dissolving scar tissue, in the management of post-herpetic neuralgia, Lyme disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, TMDs and more.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is passed to the patient by a tick bite. Lyme disease has become, after AIDS, probably the fastest spreading infectious disease. Honeybee venom has been found to be effective in the management of this disease. Research proved that one of the peptides in bee venom, melittin, has a strong inhibitory effect on the Lyme spirochete at very low doses (Lubke and Garon, 1997).
* * *
One wonders why, if melittin was "proved" to inhibit Lyme disease twenty years ago, how it has become "probably the fastest spreading infectious disease, after AIDS." Further, following the citation of "Lubke and Garon" takes you down a rabbit hole which lands on their paper titled: The Antimicrobial Agent Melittin Exhibits Powerful In Vitro Inhibitory Effects on the Lyme Disease Spirochete. They tested mellitin in culture dishes against the causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Their conclusion:
> We report here, the effect of this molecule upon Borrelia burgdorferi cells growing in culture, as monitored by dark-field and scanning EM and by spectrophotometry, is both immediate and profound.
This was in a dish, not a person. They conclude:
> Although antimicrobial agents may act to exert their effects in various ways, all must be internalized effectively before they can produce any effect on the pathogen. Experiments are under way in our laboratory ... that might serve to widen the spectrum of clinically useful antimicrobial agents.'
The statement "probably the fastest spreading infectious disease, after AIDS" really piqued my curiosity. Can this be true? Almost every incident of this statement refers to the World Health Organization. Yet, on their web site, they state:
Risk for travellers
Generally low except for visitors to rural areas, particularly campers and hikers, in countries or areas at risk.
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
