Honey Proven to Be a Wonder Cure

By Phil Mercer, The National (UAE), 7/4/2009

SYDNEY // Australian scientists have discovered that honey is a powerful natural medicine capable of killing almost all types of bacteria, including drug-resistant superbugs that threaten the lives of hospital patients around the world.

The miracle sweet liquid is Manuka or jelly bush honey and is made only by bees collecting pollen and nectar from trees in Australia and New Zealand.

After seven years of research, a team at the University of Sydney has found that this simple product has an extraordinary ability to destroy micro-organisms that cause infections in external wounds.

“The bacteria have all been killed very quickly by honey, despite any resistance [to other drugs] that they might have,” said Dee Carter, an associate professor…

Myanmar Propolis Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Chemical Constituents of Propolis from Myanmar and Their Preferential Cytotoxicity Against a Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line
J. Nat. Prod, July 2, 2009

A methanolic extract of propolis obtained in Myanmar was found to inhibit PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells preferentially under nutrient-deprived conditions (NDM), with a PC50 value of 9.3 μg/mL.

Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the extract led to the isolation of two new cycloartane-type triterpenes, (22Z,24E)-3-oxocycloart-22,24-dien-26-oic acid (1) and (24E)-3-oxo-27,28-dihydroxycycloart-24-en-26-oic acid (2), together with 13 cycloartanes (3−13) and four known prenylated flavanones (14−17).

Among these, compound 1 exhibited the most potent preferential cytotoxicity (PC50 4.3 μM) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, 1 induced apoptosis-like morphological changes of PANC-1 cells within 24 h of treatment.

Honey and Cinnamon Recommended for Acne

Honey for Health
Polly Jackson, Austin Healthy Food Examiner, 7/3/2009

Honey not only satisfies your sweet tooth in a healthy way but it is used medicinally, as well.

The early Egyptians used honey on open wounds to keep out infection and speed healing. It viscous consistency, when applied on a bandage over a wound, keeps out harmful bacteria and is as good as any anti-biotic cream.

Honey and cinnamon, mixed together into a paste, is a good cure for a pimple…

Bee Venom Therapy Better than Acupuncture for Treating Muscle Strain

Observation on Therapeutic Effect of Bee Needle Therapy on Chronic Lumbar Muscle Strain [Article in Chinese]
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 2009 Apr;29(4):332-4

Objective: To explore a new method for treatment of chronic lumbar muscle strain.

Methods: One hundred and fifty cases were randomly divided into 2 groups, an observation group of 78 cases and a control group of 72 cases. The observation group was treated with bee-needle therapy, with Jiaji (EX-B 2) on the loin and Shenshu (BL 23), Zhishi (BL 47), Ciliao (BL 32), Weizhong (BL 40), Ashi points selected as main; and the control group was treated with routine acupuncture at the same points as those in the observation group, in combination with fire-cupping or warm needle moxibustion. They were treated once daily, 10 sessions constituting one course. After 3 courses and a half year later, therapeutic effects were observed and followed up.

Results: In the observation group, 49 cases were cured, 27 improved, 2 ineffective, with a cured rate of 62.8%, and in the control group, the corresponding figures were 29, 40, 3 and 40.3%, with a significant difference between the two groups in the cured rate (P < 0.01).

Conclusion: The therapeutic effect of the bee-needle therapy on chronic lumbar muscle strain is better than that of the routine acupuncture, which provides a better method for treatment of chronic lumbar muscle strain.

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Video: Bee Venom Therapy Used to Treat Arthritis, Pudendal Neuralgia

Bee Therapy? Ouch!
By David Martin, FOX 35 News, 7/2/2009

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Scott Shurman and Jean Vasicek’s love is as sweet as the raw and unfiltered honey the married couple sells from their truck.

“The honey tastes great and the medicinal value comes through when you don’t take anything out of it,” says Shurman.

In fact, he says honey helps allergy victims.

“Take a tablespoonful a day,” submits Shurman. But to Jean Vasicek, there’s more to the bee’s short lifecycle than a tasty treat.

“I was very sick,” Vasicek remembers.

She was diagnosed with the ultra-rare illness, pudendal neuralgia. It causes chronic pelvic pain.

“I was probably never going to be able to walk very far again. I was going to pretty much be bed ridden the rest of my life,” says Vasicek.

That was 5 years ago. Defying doctors? You bet. Jean feels bee stings might be relieving that pain. She gets voluntarily stung once a week.

“At the base of my spine. Oh, oh so painful,” winces Vasicek.

Jean is part of growing movement of people who feel bee venom is the way to go. Her friend Beth Fox also practices what’s called “apitherapy.”…

Propolis Extract Improves Fish Growth, Immunity

Antagonism of Aeromonas hydrophila by Propolis and Its Effect on the Performance of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis Niloticus
Fish Shellfish Immunol, 2009 Jun 26

Propolis, a resinous substance collected by Apis mellifera bees from various plant sources and mixed with secreted beeswax, is a multifunctional material used by bees in the construction, maintenance, and protection of their hives.

The collected propolis sample, from High Egypt, was dark-green with olive-odor. The minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) of propolis-ethanolic-extract, against Aeromonas hydrophila, was 80 mug. of Propolis-ethanolic-extract and crude propolis (1%) were added to artificial basal diet with (30% crude protein) to evaluate their efficacy on the fish growth-performance, immunostimulation and resistance to A. hydrophila.

Two hundred and twenty-five Oreochromis niloticus (8+/-0.45g/fish) were divided into three equal treatments (T) of triplet replicates. The fish of T(1) were fed on basal diet (control). The fish of T(2) were given the basal diet, containing propolis-ethanolic-extract. The fish of T(3) were given the basal diet containing crude propolis for 28 day.

The fish were intraperitoneally challenged by A. hydrophila (0.2x10(7) cells ml(-1)) at the end of the feeding period and kept for 15 more days.

The best growth rate and feed conversion ratio were obtained with T(2.) The increase in the average daily gain, specific growth rate and feed efficiency ratio were highly significances in T(2) followed by T(3) when compared with the control group. The HCT-level and monocyte-counts were increased (T(2)). No significant change, in the large lymphocytic-count was found among the three treatments (28-27-28%), while the neutrophil-count was significantly decreased (7%) with T(2) and increased (13.11%) with the control. A significant increase in serum lysozyme and serum bactericidal activities was found with T(2). The RLP against A. hydrophila was high with T(2) and T(3).

The propolis-ethanolic-extract enhanced the growth, immunity and resistance of O. niloticus against A. hydrophila more than the crude propolis.

Honey Can Replace Antibiotic Creams on Wounds, Catheters

Study: Honey Can Kill Superbugs
By Mark Tutton, 7/1/2009

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Honey has been used to treat wounds since ancient times, but recent years have seen a surge of medical interest in the sticky stuff.

Manuka honey has been the subject of particular interest, with the results of a study just published by Sydney University finding that it has powerful antibacterial properties, and is even effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Associate Professor Dee Carter, from Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences said: "Our research is the first to clearly show that these honey-based products could in many cases replace antibiotic creams on wounds and equipment such as catheters. Using honey as an intermediate treatment could also prolong the life of antibiotics."

"Most bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic, and there is an urgent need for new ways to treat and control surface infections."

She added: "We don't quite know how these honeys prevent and kill infections, but a compound in them called methylglyoxal seems to interact with a number of other unknown compounds in honey to prevent infectious bacteria developing new strains that are resistant to it."…

Now, an Australian company is claiming to have produced the world's most potent medical-grade antibacterial honey, made by bees pollinating the Australian jellybush, also a member of the Leptospermum family.

Australia's Medi Bioactive Honey Company claims its Berringa antibacterial honey has twice the antibacterial content of normal manuka honey, and has launched the product in the UK…

Honey May Help Treat Sinus Inflammation

Effectiveness of Honey on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2009 Jul;141(1):114-8

Objectives: Biofilms formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) have been shown to be an important factor in the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). As well, honey has been used as an effective topical antimicrobial agent for years. Our objective is to determine the in vitro effect of honey against biofilms produced by PA and SA.

Study Design: In vitro testing of honey against bacterial biofilms.

Methods: We used a previously established biofilm model to assess antibacterial activity of honey against 11 methicillin-susceptible SA (MSSA), 11 methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA), and 11 PA isolates. Honeys were tested against both planktonic and biofilm-grown bacteria.

Results: Honey was effective in killing 100 percent of the isolates in the planktonic form. The bactericidal rates for the Sidr and Manuka honeys against MSSA, MRSA, and PA biofilms were 63-82 percent, 73-63 percent, and 91-91 percent, respectively. These rates were significantly higher than those seen with single antibiotics commonly used against SA.

Conclusion: Honey, which is a natural, nontoxic, and inexpensive product, is effective in killing SA and PA bacterial biofilms. This intriguing observation may have important clinical implications and could lead to a new approach for treating refractory CRS.

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Video: Propolis Used to Fight Cancer

3 News (New Zealand), 7/1/2009

A sticky resin made by New Zealand bees could be used to fight cancer, according to a visiting researcher.

Bee Product Potentially ‘Bigger than Manuka Honey’

By Niko Kloeten, The National Business Review (New Zealand), 7/1/2009

A bee health product with cancer-fighting properties could become an even bigger export earner than Manuka honey, according to the professor who uncovered its benefits.

Melbourne-based professor Hiroshi Maruta led international research that found Bio 30 bee propolis from New Zealand suppresses neurofibromatosis, a condition that affects the skin and nervous system of one in 3000 people.

Dr Maruta is a visiting professor at Hamburg University Hospital, the University of Maryland in Baltimore, and La Trobe University in Melbourne.

He has specialised in research into the anti-cancer properties of propolis, a sticky brown substance made by bees from resins gathered from tree buds and cuts.

His initial research found the Bio 30 propolis supplied by Te Awamutu company Manuka Health suppressed the growth of Type 1 neurofibromatosis tumours in mice by over 90 per cent. Tumour shrinkage was visible after 6 to 12 months treatment.

Since then, an on-going trial in several countries involving neurofibromatosis type 1, melanoma and pancreatic cancer sufferers has found most showing no further growth in their tumours…

Did Bee Venom Therapy Cause Benign Skin Tumor?

Giant Dermatofibroma with Granular Cell Changes: Side-Effect of Bee-Venom Acupuncture?
Clin Exp Dermatol, 2009 Jul;34(5):e18-20

Dermatofibroma (DF) is a common benign fibrohistiocytic tumour with a predilection for the legs in middle-aged women. Giant DF, a rare clinical variant of DF, is characterized by its unusually large size. Granular cell change is typical of granular cell tumour, but can be observed in diverse cell lineages. Traumatic factors may be involved in the pathogenesis of giant DF and cellular granularity.

We describe a 49-year-old Korean man with a giant DF showing granular cell differentiation, which may have been caused in part by multiple treatments with bee-venom acupuncture.

Green Propolis Has Better Antibacterial Activity Than Stingless Bee Propolis

Effects of Stingless Bee and Honey Bee Propolis on Four Species of Bacteria
Genet Mol Res, 2009;8(2):635-40

We examined the antibacterial activities of several types of propolis, including Africanized honey bee green propolis and propolis produced by meliponini bees. The antibacterial activity of green propolis against Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus was superior to that of Melipona quadrifasciata and Scaptotrigona sp propolis. Only two samples of propolis (green propolis and Scaptotrigona sp propolis) were efficient against Escherichia coli. Melipona quadrifasciata propolis was better than green propolis and Scaptotrigona sp propolis against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We concluded that these resins have potential for human and veterinary medicine…

Although we did no chemical analyses of the propolis extracts, propolis composition should certainly differ among these samples and would be responsible for their differing antibacterial activity. This conclusion is supported by the findings of Bankova et al. (1998), who reported differences in propolis chemical composition produced by species of Brazilian stingless bees.

We conclude that, in general, green honey bee propolis is better than stingless bee propolis; we also conclude that these resins have potential importance for human and veterinary medicine.

Video: Bees Go Sightseeing in NYC

NEW YORK (WABC) -- An urban bee-wrangler says a swarm of at least 8,000 honeybees will be getting a new home after causing a buzz of excitement on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Onlookers applauded as the New York Police Department's beekeeper, Officer Anthony Planakis, corralled the huge swarm Sunday on Lexington Avenue…