Thursday 21 / November / 2024
Did you know that the honeybee has been around for million years and are the only insect that produce food for humans? And did you know that every single thing a bee produces has tremendous medicinal properties? I was unaware of these facts and many other bee-related facts until I met Dr Hassan Talib Al Lawati last month.
I got acquainted with Dr Hassan at the 5th Annual Honey Market. He holds a PhD in Bee Science and works for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. I was fascinated by his knowledge and enthusiasm about all things related to bees and beekeeping, so I was thrilled when he invited me to his Bee Products Healing Centre to learn more about Apitherapy, an alternate medicinal treatment popular in Europe, UK, Brazil, Italy, Germany, and France, that uses honey and other bee products to heal diseases. Contrary to the popular misconception, apitherapy uses all hive products including, honey, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, and bee wax for healing, not only bee venom, for a wide range of ailments and it has been increasingly gaining popularity and credibility in Oman since its inception in 2009.
Dr Hassan’s Apitherapy Clinic in Al Khuwair exclusively uses bee products to heal various diseases and illnesses. Located on the 7th floor of the Al Amal hospital building, BPHC, it wasn’t difficult to find it as the honey aroma was so strong that I was able to follow the scent from the elevator to the clinic’s doorstep. I stepped over the threshold into a bee wonderland filled with yellow and black striped combinations, bee soft toys, bee wall hanging, animated charts on walls, and a showcase cupboard full of bright coloured syrups, lotions, and cream bottles, capsule strips, soaps, and shampoos. In addition to the standard bee products, like honey and bee wax, he offers therapies that use smell of honey for healing sinus, flu, lung infections, and asthma; bee sound to stimulate the ear drum and improve hearing; and honey massages on the face, back, and feet for cosmetic benefits. A “bee cocktail” mixes all the natural bee products and byproducts to cure weakness and insomnia among other illnesses.
The fantastic apothocary seemed to have been plucked straight from a child’s imagination. I inhaled the sweet aroma and prepared myself for an immersion course in what might be the sweetest cure.
1. Honey
Honey, as everyone knows, is a sweet edible item made by bees using nectar from flowers. It helps to cure cough, throat infection, burns, cuts, and wounds. Old people in Oman use raw honey as eye drop in case of eye infection.
How it’s used
Can be eaten, applied to wounds, and dropped into
the eye directly.
2. Bee wax
The worker bees have four pairs of wax glands that have many benefits. Chewing bee wax for 30 minutes every day helps heal bleeding of gums, sinus, jaw problems, and problems with the ear drums and skin dryness. It can also be applied on children’s chest as Royal jelly generates heat which helps to cure cough. Apart from his, bee wax facilitates the regeneration of skin cells so it can be applied on wounds and cuts.
How it’s used
Bee wax can be chewed for 30 minutes everyday like chewing gum.
3. Pollen
Pollen is one of the main diets of a honey bee. It is a coarse, powdery substance, typically yellow in colour, discharged from the male part of a plant. It is a holistic remedy that cures Alzheimers, increases appetite, and reinstills folic acid in to your system. Pollen is rich in vitamins A and D and contains 11 essential minerals which keep our body healthy and nourished.
How it’s used
Pollen granules can be eaten directly every morning.
4. Propolis
Bees make propolis by blending the resin like substance secreted from fruits and plant buds with wax flakes and pollen. Plants secrete propolis, like luban, to heal itself. It has a number of health benefits as it has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, anti-allergic, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps in fighting cancer and tumour as it prevents the growth of new blood vessels to feed cancer cells.
How it’s used
Propolis can be eaten. It is also available in the form of capsules that can be gulped with water or cream that can be applied to the skin everyday.
5. Royal jelly
Worker bees have two glands in their heads that get activated when they are 6 to 13 days old. These glands secrete a milky substance, known as Royal Jelly that is fed to all larvae in the colony. This Royal Jelly is rich in Vitamin D and E and contains 12 per cent proteins. It affects and stimulates all the glands in the body and cures various gland related issues such as thyroid. It is also known to help increase the sperm count in males.
How it’s used
It is best for use in the form of a powder. Fresh royal jelly can also be placed under the tongue and consumed directly by letting the jelly melt instead of swallowing it directly.
6. Bee bread
Bee bread is usually a mixture of bee pollen with other bee products like Royal Jelly, bee wax, and honey all bound together. It helps to enhance the immune system. It is especially beneficial for athletes as it improves oxygen intake and boosts performance. It also has a high energy value.
How it’s used
Bee bread are like little crumbs that is adviced to be consumed directly early in the morning.
7. Bee venom
If you have been stung by a bee then you’ve done your health a tremendous accidental favour. Bee sting affects (positively) the nervous system, bones, muscles, blood circulation, and immune system. So it practically covers all the vital organs and systems of the human body.
How it’s used
There are two stages of getting bee venom into your system. First an indirect sting is given whereby the bee sting is removed from the bee with foreceps and placed on the skin gently for 1 minute. Make sure the penetration is only 2mm deep. This is to check how the patient reacts to the sting. If there are no side effects like extreme redness or itchiness, then the bee is placed on the skin directly and allowed to sting for 1 to 3 minutes. Alternatively a bee venom cream can also be applied.
Book Your Bee Therapy
Bee Products Healing Centre
Al Amal Hospital Building, 7th Floor
Al Khuwair
+968 9931 7006
*apitherapy is available for OMR 5 per session
