REVIEW

Known Uses of Honey from Apitherapy Products in Protective Medicine
Received Date : 05 Sep 2022
Accepted Date : 11 Jan 2023
Available Online : 13 Jan 2023
Doi: 10.56054/ajohoim.2022-93230 - Article's Language: TR
Acad. J. Homeopat. & Integ. Med. 2023;1(1):28-32
ABSTRACT
Apitheraphy is defined as the use of bees and bee products to protect general health and to support the treatment of some diseases in our country. The main bee products in question are honey, beeswax, bee polen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom and their derivatives. Bee products (honey, propolis, royal jelly, polen etc.) are products with high antioxidant value and are used especially as a regulator and supporter of the immune system. Available data show that these products can be particularly effective in the field of preventive medicine. At the same time, honey is a fermented food product, which is nectar that is partially digested by bees’ enzymes and their probiotic symbionts. Presence of prebiotic substances and probiotic microorganisms in fresh honey indicates that honey is a synbiotic food. However, appropriate synbiotic combinations may be more effective in benefiting the host than individual administration of probiotics and prebiotics. Honey contains potentially prebiotic oligosaccharides and antibacterial components that can synergistically enhance probiotic efficacy against pathogens. Benefits include increased probiotic persistence within the gastrointestinal tract, high levels of short-chain fatty acids, and increased resistance to pathogens. The topics in this review give an idea about the antioxidant activities of honey, which is one of the bee products, and its use in preventive medicine, thanks to the prebiotics- probiotics they contain.
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