This weekâs fascinating episode of the Bees with Ben podcast features Dr Bridget Goodwin from the
Australian Apitherapy Association (go to apitherapyaustralia.net). For those listeners unfamiliar with
apitherapy, this involves the âuse of products from the bee hive as medicineâ. Dr Goodwin explains
that there is a tendency for people to view bee products as rather innocuous whereas they are in
fact medicinally highly active. The Australian Apitherapy Association website details that apitherapy
has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine for 5,000 years (it was the original form of
acupuncture) and was used by the ancient Egyptians. In the modern day, apitherapy is an accepted
part of the national medical system of many countries. Korea, Turkey, Romania, and Japan all have
established apitherapy practices and even hospitals. So, Australia is perhaps a little behind in this
regard.
Everything that bees make has medicinal applications, and the beneficial properties of bee pollen,
bee venom, royal jelly, propolis and apilarnil (drone larvae) are well established. Unlike some forms
of alternative medicine, apitherapy is backed by some incredible scientific research. For example, in
2020 the young West Australian PhD scholar, Dr Ciara Duffy, made world news with her research on
how bee venom shrinks breast cancer tumours. Earlier in 2016, Sydney University chemist, Professor
Colin Duke, published extensively on the tumour shrinking properties of Kangaroo Island propolis.
Apitherapy may be used to combat cancer and to heal wounds, as well as in dentistry and veterinary
science.
Dr Goodwin tells Ben that the âbees found herâ rather by accident just before the Covid lockdowns
when she was asked to work on a patientâs skin cancer. She had been researching Korean skin care
preparations including bee products and decided to give something similar as after care. The results
were astonishing - the patientâs skin healed beautifully with no scarring - so Dr Goodwin was left
pondering what had happened and embarked on further research into apitherapy. This led to
training with international expert Dr Stefan Stangaciu of Romania (who can be found on
apitherapy.com), a thesis on treating basal cell carcinoma with bee products and eventually to the
formation of the Australian Apitherapy Association. Since then, by her own admission Dr Goodwin
has been swept up by the bee community and the Australian Apitherapy Association has established
important links internationally.
Dr Goodwin credits increased interest in apitherapy in part with the increasing failure of antibiotics,
and the World Health Organisation has encouraged member nations to seek alternative
medications. She says bee products have the advantage of being completely natural and non-toxic;
bees naturally seek out medicinal plants and incorporate beneficial compounds into the products
they manufacture. The use of honey in hospitals to assist in healing wounds is widespread and
common knowledge, but for more than 20 years a professor of pediatrics in Egypt has been treating
asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia in children by nebulizing honey. He has also used honey to treat
cataracts.
There is so much absorbing information crammed into this podcast - like the advent of apitourism in
Europe and âbee hive air therapyâ, which involves merely breathing in air from a hive and has been
shown to be very helpful for people suffering from long Covid and chronic pulmonary disease.
The Australian Apitherapy Association is a voluntary organization and relies on the support of the
public. Membership is only $120, and the 3 rd conference is to be held by Zoom in November. On July
1 and 2 this year, the Association is proud to offer some very special training with none other than
Dr Stefan Stangaciu himself in Hahndorf, South Australia. Visit apitherapyaustralia.net