Bee venom may seem like something scary and something you would like to avoid at all costs, but this may not be so. Bee venom is now as useful as honey, just as honey was commonly used for medicinal purposes; venom too has medicinal properties that can be useful to both humans and animals.

Bee venom has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, its not new at all; it's just come back into vogue. It was used in ancient Egypt and during the middle ages it was used for joint ailments and it is still used in this manner today.

Scientific Research

The use of bee venom in treating ailments has not been extensively researched. At the moment it has been used for a variety of treatments but as yet there are no concrete scientific findings to back up the effectiveness of using bee venom in treating illnesses. However anecdotal experience would seem to suggest that it is most effective in treating arthritis.

Stinging

There are two ways that bee venom can be administered, the first is a ?natural? way and one that has been used in ancient time while the second is a more conventional way. The traditional method of administering bee venom is to use live bees to sting a person. This method can be painful and is not for the faint hearted.

The more conventional and less painful way is to have the venom injected via a syringe. This method relies on harvested bee venom. It is perhaps less scary and definitely an easier way to use venom therapy to treat whatever ailment you are experiencing.

Products

There are many products out there that contain bee venom, such as cream, ointments and even tablets. Usually you do not need a prescription for such products and they can be bought over the counter. Remember that this form of therapy usually falls under the alternative medicine category and naturopathy stores would be the best place to find these products.

Allergy

Some people are extremely allergic to bee stings and if you are one of those people then you cannot use this form of therapy. If you have never been stung by a bee or are unsure of your allergy status when it comes to bee stings then make sure that you consult a doctor before embarking on any treatment involving venom. The person administering the treatment should have a bee sting kit at the ready just in case.