What is Apitherapy?

Apitherapy, or "bee therapy” (from apis which means bee in Latin) is the medicinal use of products made by bees. In the united States it is Apis mellifera, the European honey bee which is most commonly used. Products of the honey bee include bee venom, honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, and beeswax.

Therapies involving the honey bee have existed for thousands of years and some of them may be old as human medicine itself. The ancient rock art of early hunter-gatherers depicts the honey bee as a source of natural medicine. Bee venom therapy was practiced in ancient Egypt, Greece, and China -- three Great Civilizations known for their highly developed medical systems. Hippocrates, the Greek physician known as the "Father of Medicine", recognized the healing virtues of bee venom for treating arthritis and other joint problems. Today, growing scientific evidence suggests that various bee products promote healing by improving circulation, decreasing inflammation, and stimulating a healthy immune response.

The more modern study of apitherapy, specifically bee venom, was initiated through the efforts of Austrian physician Philip Terc in his published results "Report about a Peculiar Connection between the Bee Stings and Rheumatism” in 1888. Bodog Beck (Budapest, Hugary 1871 – NYC, 1942) followed Terc, and brought Apitherapy to the United States.  More recent popularity has been credited to Charles Mraz (1905 – 1999), a beekeeper from Vermont, who knew Beck.  Some of the Board Members of the American Apitherapy Society, as well as some general AAS members, have been trained by and/or treated and inspired by Mraz.  The Society’s annual educational and training event, CMACC, is named for him, the Charles Mraz Apitherapy Course and Conference.

(taken in part from Andrew Kochan, MD, 5-08)