Apitherapy

[beenatural101]

Since old egyptian times, people have kept hives and used their products for medicinal purposes. The ancients knew things we are only beginning to understand and discover again. Bacteria just will not grow in honey if it's moisture content stays below 18%. Useful fact if you have a nasty wound or need to embalm a body. Honey is great for sores and stomach ailments, sore throats and sweet tooths. Of course you need real raw pure fresh honey to get the effect. In the comb is best wax is good for you and the bees use propolis to strengthen the comb.
Propolis
This stuff kills germs dead now, not just prevent em from growing. it is strong stuff. Basically sap collected from the new buds of trees and worked over with enzymes this bee glue is potent stuff for gargles, tinctures for wounds, throat sprays, just sucking on a tiny bit will help halitosis. Just don't touch it to your teeth it may be there awhile, unless you don't min alcohol it dissolves good in vodka or rum.
Sting
Stings seem to help my arthritis some, and some folks have driven ms into remission with bee sting therapy. some systemic thing, and bee venom effectively destroys bacterial membranes another intersting fact.
Wax
well candles, molds, as well as to use to cap canned goods back in the day wax is rather anti bacterial in its own right doesnt gutter or smoke and has a pleasant smell.

[tentfire]

Very, very interesting. I need to print this off and save it.

You say that the wax has some anti-bacterial qualities to it. So, if I used it in a natural deodorant bar in place of soy wax, would it give it more anti-bacterial power? I mean, the more bacteria you can kill under there, the better and longer it reduces the odor.

That sting therapy for arthritis sounds interesting. Although I hate being stung, I would give it a shot if it weren't for the fact that I am allergic to bee stings. I am always looking for natural arthritis remedies.

I have a question about something that I don't see mentioned on here. You said

Bacteria just will not grow in honey if it's moisture content stays below 18%

. Why is it, then, that parents are FIRMLY told not to EVER give a child under 12 months old any honey .... that it could kill them?

[beenatural101]

As to the anti bacterial qualities of wax. Bees use propolis to strengthen the comb. Propolis is very anti bacterial. I think it would help soap, there are many soap recipies that call exclusively for beeswax. Good stuff.
Bacteria will not grow in honey. Well known fact, and I wondered why the warning against giving it to infants. Mom had to feed milk and honey to my sister, it was the only thing she could eat as a baby. In fact, when we had our "bee class" this was something I brought up and we debated heavily on. Frank said botulism spores could (very slim chance) be in honey due to poor canning practices. Probably a couple kids died and they set a rule. Just in case. Botulism is a bacteria . It lays dormant in spore form until it finds something it can consume and multiply. Now botulism doesn't kill you it is the toxins it releases as waste. It can't grow in honey but the spores can survive, and it doesn't take much infants are sensitive. Hope that covers it, you can find all kinds of wax usin books at any bee supply place dadant, brushy mountain , walter t kelly etc...

[tentfire]

Thanks, that helped a lot. It makes sense that botulism spores could maybe harbor in honey, but not multiply until they found a host. I have heard of kids dying from eating honey. But then, too, who is to say that there wasn't something else, totally missed, that they also might have consumed in common.

I have seen soap recipes that called for wax, but never have tried them. Thought it was kind of odd to see wax in soap, but then I have used some other odd things in mine that had a really good purpose. Now I know why beeswax is used, thanks. I have used honey, and let me tell you, DON'T EVER put it in the water BEFORE adding they lye, unless you are trying to come up with the best volcano in your science class! And if that is the case, do it outside and rope off a LARGE. LARGE area to have everyone stand behind.

[beenatural101]

infant botulism is a rare disease fewer than 100 diagnosed cases in us yearly, thought to be responsible for some SIDS deaths.the spores can actively mature and grow in the infants intestinal tract Botulism spores are found in the environment even the air. 10% of honey samples contained botulism spores. It takes 6 hrs of boiling to kill botulism spores. Adults and children older than 1 have a better able to cope digestive tract.