Via practica 6/2024

The therapeutic value of preparations containing bee products available in the pharmacy

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is an important insect species for our planet. It has an irreplaceable role in plant pollination. It produces important products such as honey, propolis and beeswax from nectar, pollen and honeydew. Bee secretions, royal jelly and bee venom are also important. Wax is used in pharmacy in the preparation or production of ointments, creams, lip balms, for coating tablets or capsules. Standardized bee venom is part of the only registered human medicine on the Slovak market containing bee products. It is an immunopreparation intended for the treatment of specific allergic diseases caused by an allergen - bee venom. Honey, propolis and royal jelly are mixtures of several biologically active substances. There are no standardized extracts of them, therefore research into their biological and pharmacological effects is considerably limited. There are food supplements available in pharmacies containing honey, propolis and royal jelly in various dosage forms.

Keywords: honey bee, honey, propolis, beeswax, bee venom, royal jelly