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«“√ “√°“√·æ∑¬å·ºπ‰∑¬·≈–°“√·æ∑¬å∑“߇≈◊Õ° Journal of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine
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«“√ “√°“√·æ∑¬å·ºπ‰∑¬·≈–°“√·æ∑¬å∑“߇≈◊Õ° Vol. 7 No. 2-3 May-December 2009
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Editorial

Apitherapy, Hormesis and Homeopathy*

Somchai Bovornkitti**

Background those of the disease to be treated, the drug being

This article is intended to be a refresher course administered in minute doses in succession.
1,2
on apitherapy, a type of health treatment utilizing Professor Dr. Fang Zhu, President of the
bee products, including bee venom. Incidentally, Kunming-based International Apitherapy & Bee-Prod-
3
another term ùapiotherapyû is used in the interna- ucts Society (IABPS), has been recognized as the first
tional medical dictionary (but not anywhere else) and modern medical doctor to have introduced in China
1
it denotes treatment with bee venom containing treatment techniques using bee materials.
apitoxin. The present author, however, prefers the
Apitherapy Techniques
term apitherapy.
2
Hormesis and homeopathy signify biological According to Professor Fang Zhu there are four
mechanisms that might be involved in the therapeu- therapeutic techniques: bee acupuncture, beeswax
4,5
tic use of bee venom as follows: treatment, introduced electrohydronium of bee venom,
6
Hormesis is the term for generally favorable and ultrasonotherapy with bee products. The present
biological responses to low exposures to toxins and author, however, will cover clinical practice using bee
3
other stressors; it has the opposite effect in small venom only; thus, the techniques covered in this
doses as in large doses. The biologic response phe- article would comprise only three modalities, namely

nomenon characterized by low-dose stimulation or a bee acupuncture, electrohydronium of bee venom and
high dose inhibition results in either a J-shaped or an ultrasonotherapy with bee venom.
3
inverted U-shaped dose response. The following definitions are terms concerned
7
Homeopathy is a system of therapeutics in with bee venom treatment.
which diseases are treated with drugs which are ca- - Apidae, bees, a family of flying insects with
pable of producing in healthy persons symptoms like relatively large bodies, of the order Hymenoptera; many

species can sting. Genera include Apis and Bombus.
*A paper delivered at the International Conference on Apitherapy - Apis, a genus of bees of the family Apidae,
Health Care at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai Province,
smaller than the bumblebee (genus Bombus). A.
November 14, 2009.
**The Academy of Science, the Royal Institute, Bangkok mellifera is the most common type of honeybee, which

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