Apis mellifera as medicines.More recently, scientists have discovered that honeybee venom and its active component, melittin, are toxic to a wide range of tumors — including melanoma, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers — in laboratory tests.Melittin is the molecule that creates the painful sensation of a bee’s sting.
Scientists do not fully understand how it kills cancer cells, however.For the first time, researchers have investigated the effect of melittin and honeybee venom on a range of breast cancers, including two of the most aggressive and hard-to-treat types.Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.