Historycal facts of the use of bee products

In my today’s post I am going to provide you a little history lesson related to the bee therapy and its early applications, enjoy!

The Egyptians use to keep bee for their honey and wax. They were kept in woven wicker hives that had been covered in clay. The main center of bee keeping was Lower Egypt, where one of the symbols for that part of the country was the bee itself. The honey was used for food and as offerings to the gods; it was also used by the Egyptians to create makeup and medicinal uses because of its antibacterial effect. The wax was used for boat building, mummification and as a binding agent in some paints.

Hippocrates was a Greek physician born in 460 BC on the island of Cos, Greece. He became known as the founder of medicine and was regarded as the greatest physician of his time. He based his medical practice on observations and on the study of the human body. He held the belief that illness had a physical and a rational explanation.

He believed in the natural healing process of rest, a good diet, fresh air and cleanliness. He noted that there were individual differences in the severity of disease symptoms and that some individuals were better able to cope with their disease and illness than others. He was also the first physician that held the belief that thoughts, ideas, and feelings come from the brain and not the heart as others of his time believed.

He recognized the healing virtues of bee venom for treating arthritis and other joint problems. Today, growing scientific evidence suggests that various bee products promote healing by improving circulation, decreasing inflammation, and stimulating a healthy immune response.

Hippocrates traveled throughout Greece practicing his medicine. He founded a medical school on the island of Cos, Greece and began teaching his ideas. He soon developed an Oath of Medical Ethics for physicians to follow. This Oath is taken by physicians today as they begin their medical practice. He died in 377 BC. Today Hippocrates is known as the "Father of Medicine".

 back to top ^