For all our advancements over the years in medicine, cancer is still the one to beat. By 2025, approximately 2.04 million individuals in the US are projected to be diagnosed with cancer, with an estimated 618,120 people dying from the illness. Due to the global increase in cancer cases, biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions have been developing and testing new ways to curb cancer. One such study involves bee venom and thymoquinone to stop cancer cells from growing and to make them self-destruct.
Combining discoveries
For years, people have used bee venom from honeybees for medicinal purposes. From there, it has expanded its use from traditional medicine into modern medicine and biotechnology. Used for apitherapy, bee extract is used to prevent illnesses, pain, and inflammation. Even today, researchers continue to conduct numerous studies to demonstrate bee venom’s medicinal uses and anti-tumor capabilities.
Meanwhile, thymoquinone, a natural product derived from black cumin known mostly as a spice, is also a medicinal herb that possesses an anti-cancer property that induces apoptosis and prevents cancer progression. This element exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antineoplastic effects. Over the years, people have used it in various ways to help with health problems like asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, skin rashes, and the flu.
Natural healing capabilities
Before we can get excited, there are limitations to this particular cancer research. While there is an anti-cancer potential combining bee venom and thymoquinone in vitro, they have yet to publish results. Essentially, this means that researchers have yet to conduct clinical human trials to determine the actual benefits of this discovery.
Although there are certain constraints, this recent research lays important groundwork for opening the combination of bee venom and thymoquinone as a potential anti-cancer solution derived from natural sources. It’s clearly still in its early stages, but if the theory holds water, this compound could change the way we see cancer — and eliminate it for good.
Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been taken by Meggyn Pomerleau.
Sources: National Cancer Institute / World Health Organization / Basheer Shammari, et al. (Nature Portfolio) / Science Direct
