Bee Venom: How This Unlikely Remedy Can Reduce Pain And Increase Mobility

If you've ever been stung by a bee, you'll know just how painful it can be... starting with a sharp pain which usually develops into a dull, throbbing ache. The reason why the pain so often persists is because the bee's stinger usually remains lodged in your skin - allowing venom to keep entering the affected site for up to 60 seconds after you've been stung.

While painful at best, bee stings can be fatal for those who are allergic to them. It seems remarkable, therefore, that bee venom can relieve a wide range of painful conditions, such as arthritis, tendonitis, ulcerative colitis and even multiple sclerosis.

In fact, the technique of applying bee stings to ease inflammatory conditions has been around for hundreds of years, and there are numerous apitherapists (therapists who administer bee products for healing purposes) practising the therapy throughout the world.

Yet, it has only been recently that modern scientists have discovered the health-giving properties of bee venom, particularly in the management of arthritis - a condition which has so far defied the best efforts of conventional medicine to find a cure.

Luckily, you don't have to be stung to benefit from bee venom!
It was more than 70 years ago that bee venom injections - as an alternative to being stung with a live bee - were first used to treat inflammatory diseases. Recently a more convenient way of benefiting from bee venom therapy has become available, which doesn't require you being stung or injected!

In 1996, Philip Cropp of Nelson Apiaries, New Zealand, a third-generation bee keeper, found a way of stimulating bees to release venom without causing their death. (The act of stinging usually results in the bee's death, because the venom sac and attached muscles are torn from the bee in the process).

This discovery led to the formulation of two products under the brand name Nectar Ease - bee venom in capsule form or a combination of bee venom and Manuka honey (you may remember reading about this medicinal honey and its ability to encourage the speedy healing of wounds, back in the March 2001 issue of HSI Members' Alert).

The addition of Manuka honey makes the bee venom more palatable
Taken orally, the venom is distributed slowly to the problem area via your blood stream rather than in one hit at a sting site. This avoids the unpleasantness of the traditional method and reduces the risk of an allergic reaction - however, caution is advised and a gradual build-up of dose size is recommended.

Bee venom provides a rich source of healthful ingredients
Bee venom contains a complex mixture of at least 18 active substances. These include peptides, enzymes, active amines, sugars, lipids and amino acids.

Melittin, a polypeptide, makes up 50 per cent of the dry weight of bee venom and is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents known. It works in the body by stimulating the release of cortisol, a natural steroid hormone, secreted by your adrenal cortex. Melittin also has antioxidant properties and has been found to lower blood pressure.

Apamin and adolapin, also peptides, possess anti-inflammatory properties. Adolapin has some analgesic (pain killing) qualities. When combined in bee venom these beneficial ingredients have shown some impressive results.

A clinical trial conducted in Auckland, involving 20 patients with arthritis, found that 66 per cent of the group experienced a reduction in pain levels and an increase in mobility when treated with Nectar Ease.1

A second trial, monitored by Dr Alan Doube, conducted in Hamilton, New Zealand, involved 97 arthritis sufferers.2

Results showed a statistically significant improvement in the level of pain and mobility in those with osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. In both trials, patients remained on their regular therapies, which included non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin and paracetamol.

'I don't believe in miracles... but after a week the pain had gone'
Anecdotal reports on the effectiveness of bee venom are also impressive. Mr Axbey, a 73-year old, had suffered with an arthritic knee and hip for almost 20 years. After hearing about bee venom on the radio, he decided to give Nectar Ease a try.

'I don't believe in miracles', he said in a letter to Nelson Apiaries, 'but after three doses my knee felt better, and after a week the pain had gone. For the first time in 20 years I could walk without a limp,' he added.

Another patient, Mr Hamilton had been a mechanic for 30 years, but arthritis in his hands made it difficult to work. He says, 'Nectar Ease has worked a miracle and I now have full use of my hands again. I gave some to my neighbour who suffered bad injuries as a result of a tractor accident. Within three weeks his pain had gone.'

Bee venom is also beneficial in the relief of pain from tendon injuries, repetitive strain injury (RSI), tendonitis, and bursitis (inflammation of fluid-filled sacs situated between tendons and bone in various locations in the body).

In America, scientists are currently investigating the effects of bee venom on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) - a degenerative condition of the central nervous system.

Led by Dr Joseph Bellanti, Professor of Immunology at the George Washington University Hospital, the study involves more than 100 MS patients who will receive two injections of bee venom extract a week for a year. 'We hope to give bee therapy a scientific basis so it can be used as a safe alternative treatment for MS patients,' says Dr Bellanti. HSI will bring you research findings as soon as they become available.

What to take for best results
The suggested dose is one capsule a day, increasing to three to four a day (in divided doses) as required, or one to two teaspoons a day in honey form.

Warning: Bee venom does contain allergy-inducing compounds. Caution is needed in using Nectar Ease for the first time. Asthmatics and those who are allergic to bee products should only take the product under medical supervision. Doses should start at the lowest quantity and be built up gradually over a period of time to prevent a reaction. Nectar Ease should not be taken by those with cardiovascular disease or by pregnant or lactating women. Individuals on medication should check with their GP first.

1. Keelan, J and Keelan S. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, study into the effectiveness of Nectar Ease in alleviating the symptoms of arthritis. Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Auckland School of Medicine, 1998.
2. Doube, A. Nectar Ease, a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, 2000.