Have you ever heard the phrase, you are what you eat?  Meaning what you put into your body will determine your health? This popular phrase can also apply to bees and the type of honey they produce. This blog explores the exciting work of the Jessamine Eden apitherapy garden, the only one of its kind in the Caribbean and the potentially lifesaving honey produced by its bees.

Let’s begin by defining apitherapy. It is the use of honeybee produced substances for health and healing. These substances include honey, pollen and beeswax, which are used by people for nutrition, immune system support and treatment of a variety of ailments. Honey is especially precious in the healing and wellness industry due to its antibacterial properties.

However, not all honeys are created equal. According to honeybeecentre.com (2013) all honey has anti-microbial properties, however, the attributes of one honey can be 100 times higher (ie. more effective) than another. These properties are directly related to what the bees consume to produce their honey. As Engineer at the Department of Bioengineering, Canada, Emdad Khan (2021) puts it, “The floral source employed by bees is the main variable that determines the composition of the honey they produce, and thus the chemical composition of honey is often associated with the geographic area of production.”

Apitherapy at Jessamine Eden……..

Resident Beekeeper at Jessamine Eden Dr. Valma Jessamy affectionately recalls, “My life changed and came into sharp focus in May 2009 when a swarm of bees came to rest in my garden. I became the accidental beekeeper, scientist and chemist.” Since then, Dr. Jessamy has observed the bees and the plants they rely on for their food, deliberately planting 135 species of medicinal herbs all over the Jessamine Eden Botanical Garden.

This unique garden profile has allowed the bees to amplify the chemicals from these carefully chosen plants to significantly boost the anti-microbial properties of Eden honey. Hence the birth of Phytomed honey®. Dr. Jessamy and team of medical experts have tested the properties of this honey and have had their research peer reviewed. The findings are extraordinary.

They tested and verified the bactericidal (kills bacteria) and bacteriostatic (prevents the growth of bacteria) activity of twelve honey samples out of Eden against drug-resistant strains of bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus etc. While all honey samples inhibited bacteria at the concentration range of 10-15%, four stood out with respect to their bacteria inhibiting ability. What is exciting is that three honey samples were found to have a higher bactericidal activity compared to Manuka honey, which is considered the world leader in medical honey production.

The honey samples were also found to have a diverse groups of phytochemicals (plant chemicals) present in them, proven to be beneficial to human health with the potential to provide cures for diseases of the 21st century.

COVID-19 Applications………….

PhytoMed Honey® is raw, unpasteurized, unfiltered and 100% PURE containing 35 antiviral plant chemicals that bind to SARS CoV-2 proteins and stops replication of the Covid-19 virus. It also possesses excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The next question that one may ask is, how has PhytoMed Honey® been tested? 3^rd season PhytoMed Honey® was used in Harvard University human Covid-19 trials.

PCR positive patients were treated with 1 gram of honey per day and symptom improvement was recorded after 72 hours. Patients also tested negative on their second PCR test. PhytoMed Honey® represents a revolutionary innovation in apitherapy which provides a natural alternative to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Jessamy and her team are currently working to offer this quality product to the world soon.

Works Cited

Centre, H. B. (2013). honeybeecenntre.com. Retrieved from http://www.honeybeecentre.com/apitherapy#.YR1AX45KhPY

Khan, E. (2021, June 30). japitherapy.com. Retrieved from Journal of Apitherapy: https://www.japitherapy.com/japitherapy-articles/apitherapy-honeys-for-medical-applications-72649.html