OUCH! BUT IS IT NATURE’S ANSWER TO BOTOX?
BEE venom has been used for thousands of years as a medicine. Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates used it to treat arthritis, while Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder believed it was a cure for baldness.
It has been touted as a treatment for gout, while more recently several celebrities have extolled it as nature’s answer to Botox.
Actress and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow believes being stung on the jawline helped tighten her skin. ‘It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it,’ she said. ‘But, man, it’s painful.’
As far as Lyme disease is concerned, the active compound in the sting is thought to be melittin. This is the peptide – a string of amino acids – that causes the intense burning sensation.
Some scientists, citing lab tests, believe melittin is highly effective at killing the Borrelia bacteria that cause Lyme disease. But there is scant evidence it does this in the body and many doctors fear bee venom is nothing more than a ‘quack’ cure.