Apitherapy: usage and experience in german beekeepers.

Area of Science:

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Ethnobotany
• Apitherapy

Background:

• Apitherapy, utilizing bee products like honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom, is explored for its therapeutic potential.
• Understanding beekeepers' practices and experiences with apitherapy provides insights into traditional and self-administered health applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate apitherapy practices among German beekeepers.
• To evaluate beekeepers' experiences and perceived effectiveness of various bee products for health and healing.
• To identify factors associated with successful apitherapy outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was distributed to readers of three German beekeeping journals.
• Data collection involved 1059 completed questionnaires assessing beekeepers' health, working practices, and apitherapy use.
• Statistical analysis included descriptive methods, bivariate correlation, cross-tabulation, and one-way ANOVA.

Main Results:

• Honey was reported as the most effective bee product, followed by propolis, pollen, and royal jelly.
• Positive experiences were associated with beekeeper age, number of hives, health consciousness, prior product experience, and self-administration.
• Propolis was frequently used for colds, wounds, burns, sore throats, and prophylaxis; pollen for prophylaxis and prostate diseases.
• No adverse experiences with apitherapy were reported.

Conclusions:

• The positive experiences of a large cohort of beekeepers support the potential benefits of bee products for a wide range of conditions.
• Findings offer valuable insights into apitherapy indications and treatments, potentially guiding future research and clinical trials.