Use of bee venom as medicine is a part of apitherapy, a discipline of alternative treatment that in addition to venom utilizes other bee products such as honey, pollen and royal jelly. Although there are claims that the treatment does work, the medical community is less confident in apitherapy.
Background
Apitherapy has been a popular form alternative medicine throughout history, with stories of Frank king Charlemagne treating himself with bee stings and a reference to the medicinal use of bee-produced liquid appearing in the Koran.
Use
Bee venom is purported to contain an anti-inflammation agent as well as amines, enzymes and peptides, all of which have medicinal properties to treat arthritis, back pain, eczema, herpes, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and migraines, according to the American Cancer Society.
Application
While traditionally bee venom is injected by inducing live bees to sting the patient in the right area, it also can be taken as a cream, ointment or injection. The administration can cause inflammation, pain, redness, itchiness and swelling.
Effectiveness
Many claims about how well bee venom works are anecdotal and definitive medical studies are rare. Though a 1988 study at Greece's Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki showed some anti-inflammatory effects in rats, another study published in a 2005 issue of "Neurology" showed no effect on patients with multiple sclerosis.
Warnings
Bee venom and other bee products may prove fatal to those who are allergic to bee stings or have weak immune systems. Those who depend exclusively on the Apitherapy risk death because they would be avoiding more conventional forms of treatment that have a greater proven chance of working, according to the American Cancer Society.
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