A 3,000 year-old Chinese folk remedy has made a comeback of late in the Middle Kingdom. As Reuters reported Tuesday, bee sting therapy has become an increasingly popular treatment by Chinese alternative medicine practitioners to cure arthritis, back pain, rheumatism and even diabetes and cancer. There exists no scientific evidence affirming the healing properties of bee venom, however, in China, this does not stop doctors from using it in treating patients. While the Chinese government, in recent years, has restricted traditional Chinese medical practices in favor of Western medicine and foreign-trained doctors, what American doctors regard as “alternative medicine” represents an affordable medical option for China’s poor. Soaring healthcare prices in China have forced ailing patients to travel to places like the Xizhihe Traditional Medicine Hospital outside of Beijing offering bee treatment for 20 yuan ($2.50) a sting. Reuters reports that there are 3,000 traditional medicine clinics like Xizhihe in mainland China that, in 2005, treated 230 million people. These clinics generate close to USD$12 billion in annual revenue. Old habits die especially hard in China and as long as these ancient folk remedies provide cheap and quick relief to patients in need, practices like bee sting treatment will live on.

•Reuters: Bee Sting Treatment Buzzing in China

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