Apitherapy for menopausal problems

Royal Jelly: Biological Action and Health Benefits

Royal jelly (RJ) is a highly nutritious natural product with great potential for use in medicine, cosmetics, and as a health-promoting food. This bee product is a mixture of important compounds, such as proteins, vitamins, lipids, minerals, hormones, neurotransmitters, flavonoids, and polyphenols, that underlie the remarkable biological and therapeutic activities of RJ. Various bioactive molecules like 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), antibacterial protein, apisin, the major royal jelly proteins, and specific peptides such as apisimin, royalisin, royalactin, apidaecin, defensin-1, and jelleins are characteristic ingredients of RJ. RJ shows numerous physiological and pharmacological properties, including vasodilatory, hypotensive, antihypercholesterolaemic, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, estrogenic, anti-allergic, anti-osteoporotic, and anti-tumor effects. Moreover, RJ may reduce menopause symptoms and improve the health of the reproductive system, liver, and kidneys, and promote wound healing. This article provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of RJ in various diseases, aging, and aging-related complications, with special emphasis on the bioactive components of RJ and their health-promoting properties. The data presented should be an incentive for future clinical studies that hopefully will advance our knowledge about the therapeutic potential of RJ and facilitate the development of novel RJ-based therapeutic opportunities for improving human health and well-being.

Traces of Honeybees, Api-Tourism and Beekeeping: From Past to Present

Throughout history, honey has been used for many different purposes and due to its medicinal properties, has been one of the products marketed by traders. The figure of the bee first appeared in drawings on rock with the history of humanity, then on statues, as a logo, on money or stamps, and also in movies. Beekeeping museums, which present the historical process of beekeeping, also reflect an important culture with their ancient hives, documents, beekeeping materials, and historical antiquities. The contribution of bees to the sustainability of natural life is very important and has a history of 100 million years. The importance of bees and their by-products is increasing day by day, and the demand for the beekeeping industry as alternative income determines the emergence of new products and activities. Based on its health properties, apitherapy is the basis of activities such as api-air and api-diet. In natural regions (i.e., mountainous areas, forests) where beekeeping is carried out, people’s tradition, food culture, and healthy lifestyle attract society’s attention. In this context, api-tourist activity appears as a new phenomenon. In this article, the existing literature was scanned to create a resource about these new fields triggered by the beekeeping sector.