Sample lesson · Fundamentals Level

Apitherapy is best studied when you know what kind of evidence you are looking at

Lesson 1 8 minutes This lesson is narrated by a synthetic, computer-generated voice, and its content is prepared by the World Apitherapy Organization.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain what apitherapy is, which products it covers, and how to tell a sourced fact from an inference and from an idea with no solid evidence.

Slide 1 of 12

Apitherapy is best studied when you know what kind of evidence you are looking at

Apitherapy Program of the World Apitherapy Organization (WAO). Fundamentals Level. Lesson 1.

This narration uses a synthetic voice.

Slide 2 of 12

Apitherapy works with six hive products, each with its own chemistry

                    Apitherapy is the use of substances from bees for health purposes. Sourced fact
                    [F02]
                  
                    Honey, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, and bee venom (apitoxin). 
                    
                    Each product has its own chemical composition. Sourced fact
                    [F02]

Six products, six chemistries

Honey Mostly sugars: fructose and glucose.
Propolis Resins rich in polyphenols and flavonoids.
Pollen Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and vitamins.
Royal jelly Its own proteins and the fatty acid 10-HDA.
Beeswax Fatty acid esters and hydrocarbons.
Bee venom Peptides such as melittin and enzymes such as phospholipase A2.

Main components according to the review by Bava et al., 2024 [F02].

Slide 3 of 12

This level gives you the judgment to read the evidence, without doses or promises

You will learn what each product is, what research says, how quality is recognized, and how to respond to an allergic reaction.

This level does not teach doses or techniques that penetrate the skin, and it does not promise results.

Slide 4 of 12

Each statement may rest on a different kind of evidence

A statement about honey and a statement about venom can sound equally certain.

What changes is the evidence behind them.

The program's three labels

Sourced fact It comes from a peer-reviewed publication or a public standard, which we cite.
Inference A reasoned conclusion drawn from sources, which you can judge.
No solid evidence No studies in people and no mechanism described in the lab or in animals.

Slide 5 of 12

A sourced fact rests on a publication you can check

                    Sourced fact: the statement comes from a peer-reviewed publication or a public technical standard, which we cite. 
                    
                    Example: honey probably relieves acute cough in children over one year of age more than a placebo, with moderate certainty. Sourced fact human
                    [F13]
                  
                    Never give honey to a baby under one year of age. Sourced fact human
                    [F12]

Slide 6 of 12

An inference is a reasoned conclusion that you can judge for yourself

Inference: a conclusion reasoned from sources, which none of them states in those words.

Example: honey is mostly sugar, so someone living with diabetes should count it within their carbohydrates and decide with their doctor whether to include it. Inference [F05]

Slide 7 of 12

The third label is reserved for ideas with neither studies nor a mechanism

                    No solid evidence: the idea circulates, but it has neither studies in people nor a mechanism described in the lab or in animals to support it. 
                    
                    It is also used for safety myths. 
                    
                    A finding in cells or in animals is a sourced fact, with its level: lab or animal.

Slide 8 of 12

Not all evidence carries the same weight

Evidence moves from the lab and animals to trials in people, and from there to systematic reviews. Inference [F01]

Where trials in people are lacking, we start with the mechanism.

How evidence is ranked

↑ more weight for decisions in people

          Systematic reviews: the lens

          Randomized clinical trials

          Cohort and case-control studies

          Case series and case reports

          Laboratory and animals: the mechanism

Adapted from the pyramid by Murad et al., 2016 [F01], where systematic reviews are a lens for reading the other studies. We added the laboratory and animal base.

Slide 9 of 12

Propolis shows how each link in the chain is read

In the lab and in animals, propolis inhibits the NF-κB pathway and reduces inflammatory cytokines. Sourced fact lab and animal [F49]
In mice with arthritis, Brazilian propolis reduced disease activity. Sourced fact animal [F31]
In people who took propolis, a decrease in those cytokines in the blood has been observed. Sourced fact human [F17][F47]
In 80 women with moderately active rheumatoid arthritis who continued their usual treatment, a specific preparation taken for 24 weeks did not change disease activity. Sourced fact human [F31]
A null result answers a precise question: that preparation, that population, and that duration. Inference [F31]
The authors propose testing it in people with higher cytokine levels. Sourced fact [F31]

The trial in people at a glance

80women

24weeks

Who: Women with moderately active rheumatoid arthritis
Design: Randomized and double-blind
Treatment: They kept their usual treatment
Result: No change in disease activity

Matsumoto et al., 2021 [F31].

Slide 10 of 12 Safety

Safety comes first

                    Allergic reactions are the most frequently reported adverse effect, especially in people with existing allergies. Sourced fact human
                    [F03]
                  
                    Bee venom can cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be fatal. Sourced fact human
                    [F04]
                  
                    Having tolerated stings before does not protect you. Sourced fact human
                    [F04]
                  
                    If a reaction spreads or makes breathing difficult, call emergency services.

Slide 11 of 12

The level continues with the products, the evidence, and safety

                    In lessons 2 to 9, you will get to know each product. 
                    
                    In lesson 10, you will practice reading the evidence. 
                    
                    In lessons 11 to 13, you will cover quality, precautions, and allergic reactions.

Your path through the Fundamentals Level

Lesson 1 · how to read the evidence (you are here)
Lessons 2 to 9 · each hive product
Lesson 10 · practice reading the evidence
Lessons 11 to 13 · quality, precautions and allergic reactions

Slide 12 of 12

Two questions can guide your reading throughout the level

The first question is: what kind of evidence lies behind this statement?

The second, where trials in people are lacking, is: what mechanism makes it plausible?

Speed

Your browser has no voice for this language: the lesson advances at reading pace, with captions.

Keyboard shortcuts: K or Space plays and pauses · J or ← previous · L or → next · F full screen · T theater mode · C captions · M mute · Shift + > or < changes the speed · 0 to 9 jump within the lesson.

Key points

Apitherapy is the use of substances from bees, such as honey, propolis, royal jelly, or venom, to relieve a range of health problems. Sourced fact [F02]
Each hive product has its own chemical composition. Sourced fact [F02]
That is why what is known about one product does not automatically carry over to another. Inference [F02]
Evidence is ranked by its risk of bias, and the certainty of a result depends on its quality and not only on its design. Sourced fact [F01]
Studies in cells and in animals reveal mechanisms and make an effect plausible, and trials in people and their systematic reviews make it possible to confirm and measure it. Inference [F01]
A null result answers a precise question about that preparation, that population, and that duration, and it does not generalize to other preparations or other diseases. Inference [F31]
Hive products are not risk-free, and allergic reactions are the most frequently reported adverse effect, especially in people with existing allergies. Sourced fact [F03]
Bee venom can cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be fatal, even in someone who had tolerated it before. Sourced fact [F04]
A baby under one year of age should never be given honey, because of the risk of infant botulism. Sourced fact [F12]

Practice quiz

It doesn't count toward your grade. It shows you the correct answer and why.

1. You read that honey probably relieves acute cough in children over one year of age more than a placebo, and the statement cites a Cochrane review. Which label does it carry? Inference, because the review pools several studies. Sourced fact, with the moderate certainty the authors assign to it. No solid evidence, because it was studied only in children. Sourced fact, with high certainty.

2. The Codex standard sets a minimum content of fructose and glucose for blossom honey. If you conclude from this that a person with diabetes should count honey within their carbohydrates and decide with their doctor whether to include it, what type of statement is that conclusion? Sourced fact, because the standard is public. No solid evidence, because no one has studied it. Inference, because it is a reasoned conclusion that the standard does not state in those words. A promise of results.

3. The authors of a trial report that Brazilian propolis had reduced arthritis activity in mice. How is that finding labeled in this program? No solid evidence, because it does not come from studies in people. Inference, because mice are not people. It is not mentioned, because animal studies do not count. Sourced fact, with its level: animal.

4. In a double-blind trial with eighty women with moderately active rheumatoid arthritis who continued their usual drug treatment, a specific Brazilian propolis preparation taken for twenty-four weeks did not change disease activity compared with placebo. What is the correct reading? The result answers a precise question: that preparation, in that population, and for that duration. Propolis does not work for any inflammatory disease. The result in mice was wrong. If something works in mice, that is enough to recommend it for people.

5. A person has been receiving sessions with live bees for two years without any problems. Which statement is correct? They are now protected against a severe reaction. Having tolerated stings before does not protect them from anaphylaxis. If a reaction appears, the first thing to do is wait and see whether it goes away on its own. Only someone who has never been stung is at risk.

Full transcript

1. Apitherapy is best studied when you know what kind of evidence you are looking at

Hello, and welcome to the Fundamentals Level of the Apitherapy Program of the World Apitherapy Organization. Before we begin, a note on transparency: the voice you are hearing is synthetic, generated by a computer. The content is prepared by the World Apitherapy Organization, and every statement you will hear is backed by a source you can check.

2. Apitherapy works with six hive products, each with its own chemistry

Apitherapy is the use of substances produced by bees to relieve a range of health problems. We are talking about six products: honey, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, and bee venom, which is also known as apitoxin. Although they all come from the same hive, each one has its own chemical composition. That is why what is known about one cannot simply be carried over to another.

3. This level gives you the judgment to read the evidence, without doses or promises

In this level, you will learn what each product is, what research has found in each area, how quality is recognized, and how to spot an allergic reaction in time. And to be clear: you will not find doses here, or instructions for applying stings, injections, or any technique that penetrates the skin, or promises of results. The World Apitherapy Organization is an educational organization, and nothing you learn here replaces a consultation with a doctor.

4. Each statement may rest on a different kind of evidence

Why do we insist so much on sources? Because on social media and on many product labels, a statement about honey and a statement about venom sound equally certain. But behind either one there may be a very different kind of evidence: anything from a finding in cells or in animals, which is one of the first links in the chain of evidence, to trials with hundreds of people. So that you can notice that difference, every statement in the program carries one of three labels.

5. A sourced fact rests on a publication you can check

The first label is sourced fact. It means that the statement comes from a peer-reviewed publication, or from a public technical standard, which we have read and which we cite alongside it. One example: a Cochrane review concluded that honey probably relieves acute cough in children over one year of age more than giving them nothing or a placebo, and that it probably shortens the cough more than a placebo does. Notice the word “probably”: that is how the authors themselves express moderate certainty, and that is how we repeat it. And one limit that is not negotiable: a baby under one year of age should never be given honey, because of the risk of infant botulism.

6. An inference is a reasoned conclusion that you can judge for yourself

The second label is inference. It is a conclusion we draw by reasoning from sources, but that none of them states in those words. For example, the international Codex standard requires blossom honey to contain at least sixty grams of fructose and glucose per hundred grams. From this we infer that a person with diabetes should count it within their carbohydrates and decide with their doctor whether to include it. In lesson three, you will see what studies in people with diabetes have observed. We mark it as an inference so that you can judge it for yourself.

7. The third label is reserved for ideas with neither studies nor a mechanism

The third label is no solid evidence. We use it when an idea circulates but has neither studies in people nor a mechanism described in the lab or in animals to support it. We also use it for safety myths. One case you will see later is the belief that hive products, used for health purposes, are safe during pregnancy because they are natural: neither studies nor mechanisms support it. By contrast, a published finding in cells or in animals does not carry this label: it is a sourced fact, and next to it you will see its level, lab or animal.

8. Not all evidence carries the same weight

There is a deeper reason for these labels: not all studies carry the same weight. Evidence is ranked by its risk of bias, the certainty of a result depends on its quality and not only on its design, and systematic reviews gather and appraise the trials. From this we infer a division of roles: experiments in cells and in animals reveal the mechanisms and make an effect plausible, and randomized trials in people make it possible to confirm and measure it. That is why, where trials in people are still lacking, we do not stop at that absence: we show you the molecule, its target, and what has been observed in cells or in animals, and we explain what makes that mechanism biologically plausible. That gap is the frontier of research, not a verdict.

9. Propolis shows how each link in the chain is read

A real example shows how each link is read. In the lab and in animals, propolis inhibits the NF-κB pathway and reduces inflammatory cytokines. And in a mouse model of arthritis, Brazilian propolis reduced disease activity, as the authors of a trial report. That mechanism makes an effect in people plausible, and the next link has already been observed: those cytokines have fallen in the blood of people who took propolis in several trials, especially those conducted in Asia, and, for interleukin 6, with moderate certainty. In a double-blind trial with eighty women with moderately active rheumatoid arthritis, who continued their usual drug treatment, a specific preparation taken for twenty-four weeks did not change disease activity compared with placebo. That null result answers a precise question, about that preparation, that population, and that duration, and it neither erases the mechanism nor generalizes to other preparations or diseases. In those participants, interleukin 6 started out lower than in another study with the same disease activity, and it did not fall significantly with propolis. The authors note that the usual treatment may explain the result, and they propose testing it in people with higher cytokine levels: that is the next link.

10. Safety comes first

Now, the most important part. Hive products are not risk-free, and allergic reactions are their most frequently reported adverse effect, especially in people who already have allergies. Bee venom, in addition, can cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be fatal. In Spain, a case was published of a woman who had been receiving sessions with live bees for two years without any problems. During one of them she went into anaphylaxis; there was no epinephrine on site, the ambulance took thirty minutes to arrive, and she died weeks later. Having tolerated stings before does not protect you. If you ever observe a reaction that spreads across the body or makes breathing difficult, call emergency services immediately. In lesson thirteen, you will learn to recognize those signs.

11. The level continues with the products, the evidence, and safety

From lesson two to lesson nine, you will get to know each product. In lesson ten, you will practice reading the evidence. And from lesson eleven to lesson thirteen, you will cover quality, the precautions for each product, and how to recognize an allergic reaction. At the end of each lesson, you will have a short quiz and a PDF guide with all the sources.

12. Two questions can guide your reading throughout the level

We leave you with two questions for every lesson, and for everything you read outside this program: what kind of evidence lies behind this statement? And, where trials in people are lacking, what mechanism makes it plausible? See you in lesson two.

Sources

[F01] Murad MH, Asi N, Alsawas M, Alahdab F. New evidence pyramid. Evid Based Med. 2016;21(4):125-7. · PMID 27339128 · DOI
[F02] Bava R, Castagna F, Lupia C, et al. Hive Products: Composition, Pharmacological Properties, and Therapeutic Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024;17(5):646. · PMID 38794216 · DOI
[F03] Rocha Filho LKA, Silva GI, Silva MS. Pharmacovigilance and toxicological risks associated with apitherapeutic products: a systematic overview. Arch Toxicol. 2026;100(2):425-436. · PMID 41071287 · DOI
[F04] Vazquez-Revuelta P, Madrigal-Burgaleta R. Death due to Live Bee Acupuncture Apitherapy. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2018;28(1):45-46. · PMID 29461208 · DOI
[F05] Codex Alimentarius. Norma para la miel, CXS 12-1981 (adoptada en 1981, revisiones de 1987 y 2001). FAO/OMS. · open
[F12] Aricò MO, Caselli D, Stefanizzi P, Tafuri S, Aricò M. Infant Botulism and Honey Exposure: Global Epidemiology, Prevention Policies, and Communication Strategies. Acta Paediatr. 2026;115(7):1429-1433. · PMID 41964486 · DOI
[F13] Oduwole O, Udoh EE, Oyo-Ita A, Meremikwu MM. Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;4:CD007094. · PMID 29633783 · DOI
[F17] Gholami A, Dinarvand N, Hariri M. Propolis supplementation can reduce serum level of interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α: an updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis on randomized clinical trials. J Health Popul Nutr. 2024;43(1):119. · PMID 39127756 · DOI
[F31] Matsumoto Y, Takahashi K, Sugioka Y, et al. Double-blinded randomized controlled trial to reveal the effects of Brazilian propolis intake on rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index; BeeDAI. PLoS One. 2021;16(5):e0252357. · PMID 34043719 · DOI
[F47] Norouzzadeh M, Barazandeh S, Hasan Rashedi M, et al. Dosage exploration of the effects of honey and its derivatives on cardiometabolic outcomes: an overview of systematic reviews and GRADE-assessed updated meta-analysis. Nutr Diabetes. 2025;15(1):48. · PMID 41261111 · DOI
[F49] Zulhendri F, Lesmana R, Tandean S, et al. Recent Update on the Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Propolis. Molecules. 2022;27(23):8473. · PMID 36500579 · DOI

The sources were opened and read for this program. The bracketed codes in the text refer to this list.

Ask the tutor

Here, members ask the artificial intelligence tutor, which knows all the course material and answers in your language.

Let me know when it opens Back to the program page