Bee venom is officially used by doctors to treat a large list of diseases. For this reason, beekeepers are naturally interested in how to collect the toxin, and whether honey bees secrete it. It is important for patients to know what the substance helps from. About the properties of the drug, indications and contraindications, as well as what tools to collect it, read on.

What is bee venom?

Bee venom, or apitoxin, is secreted from the poisonous apparatus of a honey bee, which consists of:

• sting;
• acid gland;
• alkaline gland.

The sting has notches along the entire length. When a bee bites a person, the sting gets stuck in the skin. Together with it, internal organs break out, due to which the insect dies. However, with a bite, a bee secretes poison. The toxin is rejected by the human body.

The reaction varies from redness and itching to death. It all depends on the amount of apitoxin administered and the body's predisposition to an allergic reaction. Apitoxin is yellow in color. It is a thick, viscous, transparent substance. The aroma is pronounced, partly reminiscent of honey. The taste of poison is bitter.

The composition of bee venom

The bee venom contains the following substances:

• glucose;
• fructose;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• manganese;
• iodine;
• copper;
• hydrochloric acid;
• acetylcholine;
• phospholipases A and B;
• formic acid;
• histamine;
• orthophosphoric acid;
• melittin;
• fats
• squirrels.

Bee venom properties

Apitoxin is a popular medicine. The active substance has many useful properties. However, bee venom can cause significant harm. Before use, you should analyze the possible detrimental effects.

Benefit

The list of properties of apitoxin is huge.

When used skillfully, bee venom has a positive effect on the human body:

• destroys harmful bacteria;
• relieves inflammation;
• counteracts puffiness;
• relieves pain;
• increases hemoglobin;
• increases the number of white blood cells;
• lowers the erythrocyte sedimentation rate;
• saturates blood with oxygen;
• dilutes blood;
• improves blood flow;
• strengthens the joints;
• removes the accumulation of salts in the joints;
• prevents blood clots;
• dilates blood vessels;
• starts the synthesis of cortisol and steroids;
• relieves susceptibility to allergens;
• helps saturate the body with useful substances;
• lowers cholesterol;
• lowers blood pressure;
• boosts immunity;
• improves sleep;
• affects the appearance of appetite;
• increases stress resistance;
• improves the functioning of the nervous system;
• rejuvenates the skin;
• affects the regeneration of scars and scars.

Did you know? Together with the toxin, a bee releases a mixture of substances that attract other bees.

Harm

Despite the large list of beneficial properties, bee venom can harm the body.

• Among the possible harmful effects of the substance:
• allergic reaction;
• red blood cell destruction;
• hyperglycemia develops;
• blood coagulation decreases;
• phosphorus, calcium, potassium and sodium leave the body;
• swelling appears;
• the work of the heart muscle is disturbed;
• in the urine, the presence of protein is determined.

With an allergic reaction, dizziness, vomiting, gastrointestinal upset, edema, coordination difficulties, rash are noted. If the situation is critical, it becomes difficult to inhale, cramps, loss of consciousness and anaphylactic shock occur. Separately, doctors note a reaction to a bee sting. The sting of an insect affects the part of the body where it got.

Serious consequences are possible in the form of the following symptoms:

• inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye, edema of the eyelid, active lacrimation - with a bite in the eye;
• local swelling and suffocation - with a bite into the tongue, inner oral cavity, lips and nose;
• high fever, chills, dizziness, respiratory failure, cramps - when the substance enters the vessel.

Important! The first allergic reaction in 45% of cases is recorded in adult patients. Even if you have not had an allergy to honey or bee stings before, take apitoxin treatment with caution.

However, doctors claim that with apitoxin treatment, an allergic reaction occurs with a probability of 1 case per 15,000 patients.

First aid for a bee sting

Bee venom can actually lead to death. It is impossible to 100% protect yourself from a bite, therefore it is important to know how to act immediately after a lesion.

First aid for a bee sting is as follows:

1. Prepare the tweezers. Previously, it is better to disinfect it with alcohol. If there is no tool, use nails. Carefully remove the stinger without crushing it.
2. The bite site is treated with an alcohol solution of calendula or suprastin, ammonia or an antihistamine ointment, for example, Fenistil.
3. Attach a cold object. Ice is great. It can be replaced with fresh vegetables, for example, cucumber, a cloth soaked in cold water, a metal object.
4. Drink an antihistamine. “Suprastin” is popular among the people, however you can choose any available remedy.
5. During the day, drink 1.5–2 times more water than usual.

Production methods

Harvesting bee venom is not entirely humane. Insects die as a result of exposure. Get the substance in the fall when honey is collected. There are several ways to get bee venom. Among the most affordable - mechanical, with the help of an oil and water solution.

Mechanical way

One of the simplest methods of getting poison from a bee. To extract the substance you will need:

• tweezers;
• pipette;
• glass.

Follow the instructions below:

1. Take the bee with tweezers.
2. Squeeze the insect in the chest area.
3. Take the poison that comes out of the bee's body with a pipette.
4. Squeeze the substance onto the glass plate.

Using oil solution

To obtain the necessary substance, you can use an oil solution. The method involves the use of the following tools and materials:

• glass jar with a capacity of 1 liter;
• 1 liter of vegetable oil;
• polyethylene film;
• tweezers.

The stepwise production of poison is as follows:

1. Fill the jar with oil.
2. Pull the film over the container so that the polyethylene is in contact with the oil.
3. Take the bee with tweezers and bring it to the film.
4. Polyethylene in contact with oil imitates the skin, so the bee will bite the film.
5. The chemical properties of bee venom are such that it sinks to the bottom of the can. Oil is a substance where the poison does not dissolve.
6. When the right amount of substance is collected, drain the top layer of oil and collect the poison using any convenient method.

Did you know? Apitoxin therapy was the first to be used by physicians from ancient China, Egypt and Greece. This method was used to treat patients with arthritis and rheumatism.

Using an aqueous solution

This method is more complicated than the previous ones. To collect some beekeepers euthanize insects and use plain water.

The procedure involves the use of:

• glass jar;
• sulfur dioxide;
• water.

The method is as follows:

1. Plant insects in a jar.
2. Dust them with sulfur dioxide. So they will begin to release poison.
3. When the necessary amount of substance is collected, fill them with water.
4. Evaporate a solution of water with poison and filter.

Medical use

Apitoxin is a powerful medicine that is used in apitoxin therapy. Doctors call a large list of indications for therapy. Together with him, experts made a list of contraindications for which the use of the substance is prohibited.

Indications and contraindications for bee venom

• The beneficial properties of bee venom suggest that it is used with caution in certain diseases:
• rheumatism;
• multiple sclerosis;
• hypertension of the I – II stages;
• atherosclerosis;
• scars on the skin;
• wounds with suppuration;
• metabolic disorder;
• migraines
• frequent fatigue;
• insomnia;
• muscle tissue damage;
• inflammation of the nerves;
• vascular disease;
• osteochondrosis;
• polyarthritis;
• bursitis;
• thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism;
• herniated discs.

Doctors highlight a list of diseases in which apitoxin therapy is prohibited.

Important! During pregnancy, there is a risk of exposure to the toxin on the fetus. When a bee stings, a pregnant woman must consult a doctor.

• Among the contraindications:
• allergy to bee products;
• pregnancy;
• menstruation;
• cardiovascular failure;
• mental illness;
• blood diseases;
• pathology of the kidneys, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, adrenal glands;
• crayfish;
• tuberculosis;
• sexually transmitted diseases;
• infectious diseases chronic and acute;
• diabetes;
• exhaustion of the body.

Methods of introducing bee venom into the body

Apitoxin therapy can take place in different ways, depending on the doctor's testimony.

Specialists in this field identify six types of introduction of a substance into the body:

1. Natural bee sting.
2. Injection
3. Inhalation of the diluted product in dry form.
4. Electrical and ultrasound introduction.
5. Unction.
6. Taking pills.

Overdose of bee venom

An overdose from bites is possible if a person is stung from 450 to 100 bees at a time. In case of an allergy to beekeeping products, one bite is enough. To prevent an overdose of poison with apitoxin therapy, start treatment with a few bites. At first there will be a reaction in the form of temperature and itching, but then the body gets used to the toxin.

The therapeutic dose is not more than 10 bites, but an accustomed person is able to survive 50 bites. Apitoxin is an effective drug that has been used in medical practice for many millennia. With the right approach, the patient expects a positive result. The main thing in apitoxin therapy is not to forget about safety measures and monitor your condition.