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History of Apitherapy
When and where the idea that human ailments can be treated with bee venom or bee products is not clear. The exact place and pattern of origin of apitherapy is not clear. Early days of apitherapy can be traced back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and China. Honeybee played a major role in human lives from the ancient times. Man has recognized the use of honey thousands of years ago. and the use of honey has been clearly documented in several religious texts including the Veda (Hindu scriptures) and the Bible (Molan, 1999). In a documents dating back to 4000 years use of honey is mentioned (ancient Sumeria Molan, 1999). Honey was extensively used in ancient Egypt. They described bees making propolis, a gummy material from trees, on vases and ornaments (Molan, 1999). Theya also used honey to embalm their dead (Broffman, 1999). Even Hippocrates, the great Greek physician renowned as the "father of medicine," used bee venom to treat joint pain and arthritis. Ancient Greeks athletes used honey to boost an energy. (Broffman, 1999). A Roman scholar, Pliny, has written about healing properties of propolis in his book, claiming that it reduces swelling, soothes pain, and heals sores (Stangaciu, 1999). John Gerard wrote about the healing powers of propolis in his book The History of Plants (Stangaciu, 1999). Studies conducted in In 1919 confirmed that honey had antibiotic properties (Molan, 1999).
Systematic study of apitherapy was initiated through the efforts of the Austrian physician Phillip Terc. He published the effects of intentional bee sting and bee in his article "Report about a Peculiar Connection Between the Beestings and Rheumatism" in 1888. The history of apitherapy is closely associated with the late beekeeper Charles Mraz from Middlebury, Vermont. He is credited with popularizing bee venom therapy over the past 60 years in this country. Apitherapy is an established form of alternative therapy and is practiced by thousands of medical professionals and lay practitioners.
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