Jury’s out on honey’s health benefits, but buzz grows

March 28, 2011
By Kim Mulford
Courier Post – Cherry Hill, N.J. 

Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used it. So did your grandmother. But the health benefits of honey and other bee products still haven’t been fully recognized by modern medicine.

Few well-controlled studies have been done on the effectiveness of apitherapy, or the medical use of honey, beeswax, bee pollen, bee venom, royal jelly or propolis (a resin-like substance used in the construction of hives).

According to the American Apitherapy Society, no medical group in the United States has sanctioned apitherapy as a medical treatment, though the Food and Drug Administration has approved bee venom for “de-sensitization” only.

“Apitherapy is considered, from both the legal and medical viewpoint, an experimental approach,” the organization says.

No matter. The buzz about the benefits of the honeybee has been growing, from slurping down honey as a remedy for allergies and colds to injecting bee venom as a treatment for multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

Honey itself has antimicrobial properties. It does not spoil.

Seth Belson, president of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association, says he sells a lot of raw honey to repeat customers who take it for their seasonal allergies. The Cherry Hill resident and public defender collects the amber gold from his 10 hives. The honey must be raw, he stresses, so the pollens aren’t altered.

“There have been studies — but not double-blind studies — from Tulane University that do seem to support that the eating of local raw honey aids in allergy symptomology reduction,” said Belson, owner of Hidden Acre Honey. “The basic premise is when you eat raw local honey, you’re eating the same pollen that gives you the allergic reaction. It acts as an inoculant.”

Anecdotally at least, honey has its followers among the hay fever set. Dennis Wright, owner of Fruitwood Orchards in Monroeville, says he believes the theories about honey’s effectiveness on allergies are true — as long as it’s locally produced honey.

“It does work,” says Wright.

Honey also is recommended by many doctors — and moms — as a remedy for sore throats, colds and flu. A 2007 study conducted by the Penn State College of Medicine found honey was more effective than over-the-counter cough syrup for calming coughs and improving sleep in children who had colds.

Honey also “tastes a heck of a lot better than medicine,” says Belson.

Honey has some beneficial medicinal properties and high nutrient value, says Dr. Allan Magaziner at the

Magaziner Center for Wellness in Cherry Hill. A teaspoon or two mixed with hot water can help break up mucus in patients with cold or flu.

Honey also may be useful in treating wounds and burns, because of its antibacterial properties.

Propolis, the hard, sticky material honeybees use to maintain and build their hives, also is edible. Belson melts it and puts it in his tea to ease a sore throat.

Gathered from tree sap, propolis looks like brown paste or putty. It has a nutty flavor and smells like flower nectar.

“It really does seem to have a significant effect,” says Belson. “It’s amazing stuff.”

The American Apiary Society says propolis has a number of other medical uses, from treating bad breath to preventing cancer. It has long been used in other countries to heal wounds, because it has antibacterial properties.

Bee venom is believed to reduce inflammation and promote healing. Some medical practitioners use it as a therapy for painful conditions like multiple sclerosis and arthritis. However, some people may be allergic to bee stings, so the therapy should be administered by a trained professional, the American Apitherapy Society suggests.

As a beekeeper, Belson sometimes suffers a few stings when collecting honey from his hives. But when he’s hit, he says, a side effect is the temporary easing of his arthritis pain in his knees.

Minute doses of bee venom also are used in homeopathy, says Dr. Polina Karmazin, a family physician with Integrated Family Medicine in Voorhees. “Apis mellifica” is used to reduce certain types of swelling and hives and is especially useful in emergencies.

“It can resolve them very quickly,” says Karmazin.

Carefully collected, pollen is a protein source for bees, and can be eaten by humans as a food additive.

Beeswax is frequently used in lip balm, cosmetics and hand creams. And royal jelly, the substance fed to the larvae designated to become the queen bee, also has benefits that aren’t yet fully known.

Even so, honeybees can take credit for another significant health benefit. They’re an integral part of agricultural production because they pollinate flowers.

Indeed, honey is considered a byproduct for Fruitwood Orchards, which maintains 4,000 colonies. Most of Wright’s business is generated from farmers who bring in his bees to pollinate crops, from blueberries and cranberries in South Jersey to orange groves in Florida.

“You can’t depend on honey to make a living,” says Wright. “Pollination is guaranteed income.”

New Jersey’s honeybee population has been under attack in recent years, not by the much-publicized colony collapse disorder, but by a tiny parasite called the varroa mite. Infected colonies can suffer 80 percent losses over the winter. Even with proper controls, the mite can wipe out 30 to 35 percent of a colony, says Tim Schuler, chief apiarist for the state’s Department of Agriculture.

Like Wright, most commercial beekeepers take their colonies to Florida for the winter, thereby limiting the problem. This winter’s losses aren’t yet known, but Schuler is hoping the number is down in the 20 percent range.

Reach Kim Mulford at (856) 486-2448 or kmulford@camden.gannett.com

ON THE WEB
Hidden Acre Honey, Cherry Hill: www.hiddenacrehoney.com
Fruitwood Orchards, 419 Elk Road, Monroeville: Call (856) 881-7748 or visit www.fruitwoodorchards honey.com

New Jersey Beekeepers Association: www.njbeekeepers.org. Spring meeting will be held May 21 at the Cape May County 4-H Fairgrounds, 355 Court House-S. Dennis Road, Cape May Court House. More details will be posted on website. Open to the public.

American Apitherapy Society Inc.: www.apitherapy.org

 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

Abstract (Document Summary)

Few well-controlled studies have been done on the effectiveness of apitherapy, or the medical use of honey, beeswax, bee pollen, bee venom, royal jelly or propolis (a resin-like substance used in the construction of hives). According to the American Apitherapy Society, no medical group in the United States has sanctioned apitherapy as a medical treatment, though the Food and Drug Administration has approved bee venom for “de-sensitization” only.

 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.