BEE VENOM AND ITS BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS

Apitherapy is defined as “the use of Apis mellifera L. products such as royal jelly, pollen, honey, propolis, beeswax, and bee venom in the treatment of ailments”. Although honey is the primary product acquired, other bee products are also obtained in Turkey. These commodities, in addition to being utilized as nutrition, have been employed to promote human health since ancient times owing to the biologically active compounds they contain. Bee venom is increasingly commonly used in apitherapy and has a wide range of biological effects including antiviral, antidiabetic, anticancer, antirheumatic, anticoagulant, antibacterial, anti-cancer, anti-aging, neuroprotective, analgesic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and anti-asthmatic properties. According to the literature, bee venom has promising biological implications for human health, which constitutes the topic of this review.