更晚近引進另類醫學的療程則歸於匈牙利裔貝克醫生(英语:Bodog F. Beck),於1935年他創造了“蜂毒療法”一詞,把蜂毒用在治療關節炎和類風濕病[6]。貝克醫生說他發現關節炎是血液缺氧引起的,而蜜蜂的毒液進入血液後會釋放紫外線,可為患處提供氧氣。他自己培育蜜蜂,每次在患者身上使用幾十到一百個蜂刺[11][12][13]。當代對貝克醫生著作的評論則是:『書中收錄了大量有關蜜蜂的有趣知識,但缺乏對蜂毒療法決定性的內涵,不夠健全,對醫學沒有貢獻。[14][15]』
蜂蜜長期以來一直被傳統醫學和草藥醫生用於外用抗菌[24][25]。1892 年,荷蘭科學家 Bernardus Adrianus van Ketel 首次證實蜂蜜的抗菌作用[26][27]。此後的研究,蜂蜜對革蘭氏陽性菌和革蘭氏陰性菌具有廣譜抗菌活性,但不同種的蜂蜜的抗菌效力差異很大[28][27][29][30]。
臨床使用蜂蜜用於治療傷口的相關證據,則效力品質太低[註 2],不能得到確切的支持結論[31][32]。
^ 2.02.1Barry R., Cassileth. Chapter 36: Apitherapy. The Complete Guide to Complementary Therapies in Cancer Care: Essential Information for Patients, Survivors and Health Professionals. World Scientific. 2011: 221–224. ISBN 978-981-4335-66-9.
^ 6.06.1Kim, Christpher M.H. Chapter 4: Apitherapy — Bee Venom Therapy. Grassberger, Martin; Sherman, Ronald A.; Gileva, Olga S.; Kim, Christopher M.H.; Mumcuoglu, Kosta (编). Biotherapy – History, principles and practice: A practical guide to the diagnosis and treatment of disease using living organisms. Springer. 4 June 2013: 77–78. ISBN 978-94-007-6585-6.
^Glass, Bentley. (1945). Reviewed Work: Honey and Your Health. A Nutrimental, Medicinal and Historical Commentary by Bodog F. Beck, Doree Smedley. The Quarterly Review of Biology]' 20 (3): 295-296.
^Liu CC, Hao DJ, Zhang Q, An J, Zhao JJ, Chen B, Zhang LL, Yang H. Application of bee venom and its main constituent melittin for cancer treatment. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology. 2016, 78 (6): 1113–1130. PMID 27677623. S2CID 12596298. doi:10.1007/s00280-016-3160-1.
^Molan, P.; Rhodes, T. Honey: A Biologic Wound Dressing.. Wounds. June 2015, 27 (6): 141–51. PMID 26061489.
^Maddocks, Sarah E; Jenkins, Rowena E. Honey: a sweet solution to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance?. Future Microbiology. 2013, 8 (11): 1419–1429. PMID 24199801. doi:10.2217/fmb.13.105.
^Jull, Andrew B.; Cullum, Nicky; Dumville, Jo C.; Westby, Maggie J.; Deshpande, Sohan; Walker, Natalie. Honey as a topical treatment for wounds. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015, 2015 (3): CD005083. PMC 9719456. PMID 25742878. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd005083.pub4. Honey appears to heal partial thickness burns more quickly than conventional treatment (which included polyurethane film, paraffin gauze, soframycin-impregnated gauze, sterile linen and leaving the burns exposed) and infected post-operative wounds more quickly than antiseptics and gauze.