The buzz among medical circles is a natural remedy called the bee sting treatment, now offered by the Herbal Medicine Centre, to cure a number of ailments, including hepatitis, infertility and hypertension.
A fee of Dh500 is being charged for 26 bee stings. The Herbal Medicine Centre recently published an advertisement in a bulletin, claiming it had successfully treated people suffering from 18 diseases.
Herbal medicine centres have been known to deceive the public by concocting new herbal medicines and persuading them that they are effective alternatives to conventional medicine.
Quoted by the Arabic Daily Al Ittihad, Sheikh Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Director of the Sharjah Medical Zone, said strict rules are needed to control the work of the herbal centres.
There is no scientific proof that bee stings cure chronic ailments. Some Egyptian doctors have proved their efficacy in treating knee pain, but no illnesses were known to be cured by it, said Sheikh Mohammed.
Licences for these centres should be issued by the Ministry of Health, he added. A schedule of exams was set many times for people dealing in herbal medicines, but they have yet to attend these exams.
Abdul Ra'ouf Younis, an official at the centre, said it has obtained its licence from the Ministry of Health, and it has successfully treated several chronic ailments. The centre is run by a doctor who has more than 10 years experience and a bachelor's in pharmaceutical sciences from Ajman University, he said.
Sheikh Doctor Moustafa Abdul Salaam, Imam at the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf, said honey was mentioned in the Holy Quran and has been effective in treating several illnesses.
Dr Ali Al Sayed, Internal Consultant, stands by the bee-sting treatment, saying an Egyptian doctor had used it 10 years ago to treat hepatitis by strengthening the body's immunity.
However, it is yet to be proven that the bee sting can destroy the virus, he added.
Gulf News 2003
