Chapter 163 - Medicine, Insects in

Abstract

This chapter discusses the role of insects in therapeutic treatment. Throughout history, humans have used insects and their products therapeutically. Ingested, injected, or topically applied, insects have been used to treat an assortment of respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiac, neuromuscular, and infectious diseases. To this day, therapeutic insects are prescribed worldwide. Medicinal maggots and honey bee venom therapy are two commonly prescribed insect-based treatments. In honey venom therapy, Honey bee (Apis mellifera) venom, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, and honey all are used therapeutically. Medicinal use of any of these products can be considered to be “apitherapy,” but many authorities use the term specifically to denote the clinical use of honeybee venom itself known more precisely as bee venom therapy. Bee venom therapy has been used successfully to treat rheumatological disorders (rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, gout, fibromyalgia), neurological diseases (multiple sclerosis, chronic pain syndromes), immunological diseases (scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosis), and other chronic illnesses. Bee venom contains a multitude of polypeptides, enzymes (phospholipase A2, hyaluronidase), and biologically active amines (histamine, dopamine, and noradrenaline). The mechanisms by which venom exerts its beneficial actions are unknown, but might include an anti-inflammatory effect resulting from alterations seen in pituitary and adrenal gland function, local effects on the nerves and blood vessels, and stimulation of acupuncture-like pathways. A combination of these and other mechanisms may explain the diversity of benefits attributed to venom therapy.