Apis mellifica

Latin name: Apis mellifica

Short name: Apis

Common name: Honeybee | Domestic bee | European honeybee | Apis | Bee venom

Primary miasm: Psoric Secondary miasm(s): Sycotic

Kingdom: Animals

Family: Apidae

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Symptomatology
Remedy Information
Differentiation & Application

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Head

Headaches in Apis are congestive and stinging, with fullness and pressure from within outward. The sensation is as if the brain were too large for the skull. Clarke noted pain around and behind the eyes, especially in the right side. The scalp may be sensitive and swollen, and hair may fall out in patches. Headaches are worse from heat, during menses, and in warm rooms, but better from cold applications and open air.

Eyes

Redness, burning, and stinging are classic. Conjunctivae are oedematous and glassy, with chemosis (fluid swelling around the eye). Clarke mentioned lids swollen like bags of water, especially the upper lids. Eyelids may droop (ptosis), and vision is blurred due to swelling. Photophobia is intense. Kent included Apis for post-traumatic or allergic eye swelling, with intense burning, smarting, and a need to rub or keep the eyes closed.

Ears

Sensation of fullness and burning inside the ears. External ear may swell and become red, hot, and sensitive to touch. Clarke noted neuralgic pain extending from the ears to the jaw or throat. Ear symptoms often occur after suppressed skin eruptions.

Nose

Dryness or acrid watery coryza, with swelling of the nostrils and upper lip. Clarke recorded red, inflamed mucosa and soreness at the septum. Sneezing with smarting and puffiness of the face, especially under the eyes, is common.

Face

Swelling is prominent: lips, eyelids, cheeks—often asymmetrical. The face is red or pale, with puffy under-eyes and a hot, burning sensation. Kent referred to “the classic Apis face” as swollen, waxy, and sore to the touch. Clarke noted urticarial rashes or erysipelas-like eruptions that come and go quickly.

Mouth

Tongue is swollen, red, and may have vesicles or ulcers. Clarke noted difficulty speaking or swallowing. The mouth feels dry and burning, especially on the tongue and roof. Saliva may be profuse or absent. Taste is bitter or metallic.

Teeth

Toothache with swelling of the gums and face. Pain is sharp, stinging, or shooting, worse from heat and touch. Gums may appear spongy and bleed easily.

Throat

A remedy of choice in acute tonsillitis or angina, especially when the uvula is swollen, translucent, and hanging like a bag of water. The throat is red, shiny, glazed, and burning, worse on the right side. Clarke and Boericke both highlighted the classic burning-stinging pain on swallowing, worse for warm drinks and better for cold. There may be oedema of the glottis or larynx, with a sense of impending suffocation.

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Apis mellifica is prepared from the whole live honeybee, including its venom, organs, and fluids, triturated and potentised in accordance with homeopathic pharmacy standards. The venom contains multiple biologically active compounds, including melittin, hyaluronidase, and histamine-like substances, which provoke an intense local and systemic reaction in sensitive individuals. Its action centres around swelling, inflammation, burning, and stinging sensations.

In conventional medicine, purified bee venom is sometimes used in desensitisation therapy for bee sting allergies. In apitherapy and traditional medicine, bee venom is occasionally employed for conditions like arthritis or nerve pain. Honey, propolis, wax, and royal jelly from Apis mellifera are widely used in nutrition and skincare.

First proved by Dr. Drury and Dr. Marcy in the mid-1800s, with Hering systematising the proving and publishing results. The proving was based on actual bee stings and ingestion of triturated whole bees.

Skin and cellular tissue (oedema, urticaria)
Mucous membranes
Kidneys and urinary system
Throat and larynx
Serous membranes (especially pleura, meninges)
Right ovary
Pericardium and synovial linings
Mind (especially irritability, jealousy, hysteria)

Cold applications; open air; uncovering; motion; washing in cold water.

Heat; touch; pressure; afternoon (especially 3–5 PM); suppressed eruptions; sleeping in a warm room; menstruation; right side.

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Cantharis: Burning urine, but with more tenesmus and rawness.
Belladonna: Sudden and red, but more throbbing, congestive heat, and delirium.
Lachesis: Also right-sided and worse for heat, but more congested, loquacious, and purple.
Urtica urens: Urticaria with more itching and less oedema.
Sulphur: Burning, red, itchy skin—more chronic, worse for heat in general.

Complementary: Natrum mur., Apis follows Belladonna
Antidotes: Camphor, Ledum, Vinegar
Inimical: Rhustox (some authors)
Follows well: Belladonna, Cantharis
Precedes well: Sulphur, Arsenicum album

The Apis patient reacts instinctively—hot, swollen, stinging, and overreactive. It is a remedy of fluid imbalance, inflammatory sensitivity, and defensiveness, both physical and emotional. Their wounds are red, raised, and painful—just like their hearts. The core state is one of irritated vulnerability, with hyperalertness, fear, and emotional or physical oedema. They defend against violation and suppress emotion until it explodes—like the sting of the bee.

Indicated in acute oedematous states, nephritis, cystitis, meningitis, hives, anaphylaxis, and ovarian inflammation. Always think Apis when you see sudden swelling, burning, and worse from heat. Start with 30C or 200C in acute cases. In constitutional states, 1M or LM may be used cautiously, especially in hypersensitive constitutions.

Mind

MIND – Jealousy
MIND – Shrieking with pain
MIND – Ailments from suppressed eruptions

Urinary Organs

URINE – Scanty
URINE – Albuminous
URINE – Burning during micturition

Female Genitalia

OVARIES – Inflammation, right
OVARIES – Pain, stinging, burning

Skin

SKIN – Urticaria
SKIN – Oedema
SKIN – Erysipelas

Generalities

GENERALITIES – Heat, aggravates
GENERALITIES – Worse 3–5 PM
GENERALITIES – Touch, aggravates
GENERALITIES – Dropsy, serous effusions

Constantine Hering, Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica
John Henry Clarke, A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica
James Tyler Kent, Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica
William Boericke, Pocket Manual of Materia Medica
Henry C. Allen, Keynotes and Characteristics
Dr. C. Wesselhoeft & Dr. Marcy, early provings

Apis mellifica

Mind

Sleep

Dreams

Generalities

Fever

Chill Heat Sweat

Head

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Face

Mouth

Teeth

Throat

Chest

Heart

Respiration

Stomach

Abdomen

Rectum

Urinary

Food

Male

Female

Back

Extremities

Skin

Mind

Sleep

Dreams

Generalities

Fever

Chill Heat Sweat

Head

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Face

Mouth

Teeth

Throat

Chest

Heart

Respiration

Stomach

Abdomen

Rectum

Urinary

Food

Male

Female

Back

Extremities

Skin

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