Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 11
Apitherapy: How the Honeybee Heals
Before completely leaving my job with the giftware company, I made one last trip to
China. Spending eighteen long hours on an airplane, breathing in all that stagnant air,
always seemed to bring on sniffles and a cold, so I wasn't surprised when, that even-
ing, I felt a sore throat coming on. In China they do not have pharmacies as we know
them,buttherearefull-serviceapothecariesalmosteveryfewblocks,andthereisalways
a qualified herbalist or doctor on staff to answer any questions and recommend herbal
remedies. These pharmacies are similar to our twenty-four-hour emergency-care clinics,
but not half as intimidating or expensive. It goes without saying, you need to be accom-
panied by a bilingual speaker to translate your needs to the medical staff. Being able to
obtain teas and herbal remedies by a mini private consultation had always appealed to
me, and since I had been keeping bees for a while, I was particularly on the lookout for
any bee remedies. Propolis extracts, royal-jelly tablets, and bee-pollen jars were just a
few of the antidotes I found at the Chinese apothecary. I wondered why we did not have
such products so readily available back home in the United States.
I explained my throat and head discomfort to my business associate Mr. Wang, who
translated to the herbalist. He recommended I take some loquat-honey syrup for my
throat and cough, and a tiny bottle of clear liquid essential oils called Bai Wan You for
headache relief. Without hesitation, I opened up the tiny bottle of Bai Wan You (white
flower oil) for a sniff. Clearly, it was peppermint and eucalyptus oils to rub on your si-
nuses and temples. It felt really good, soothing, and wholesome knowing exactly what
was in the bottle. Upon arriving at our hotel, I immediately took a swig of the loquat-
honey syrup and was surprised at how mild and pleasant it tasted. It was the most deli-
cious cough syrup I had ever tasted. The ingredients list stated it was simply a mixture
of honey and loquat, a Chinese plum. It was soothing because of the honey and pleasant
because there wasn't any alcohol in it, as there is in cough medicines back home in the
United States. This got me wondering why U.S. cough medicines had alcohol in them at
all. In China, I found honey used in cough medicines, herbal teas, candies, and even fa-
cial creams. I began to notice honey was more important than sugar as a sweetener, and
I liked that.
During this working trip, I was wearing what I call my honey eyes, meaning I began
to see honey and bees everywhere. Unbeknownst to me at the time, honeybees have a
richhistoryinancientChina.Ipurchasedasmanyhoneyitemsandotherbeeproductsas
I could find to take home with me. The acquisition and understanding of such products
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