Hi, we're here from curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough.

And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today you learn about whether Bee Venom therapy is safe,

how people clean their teeth throughout history,

and how you can use the fog method to change your bad habits.

Let's satisfy some curiosity.

Sometimes alternative remedies are harmless,

but other times not so much. And since's a thing we thought we'd help you

stay safe by talking about bee venom therapy yes it exists in fact people have

been stinging themselves with bees to treat arthritis and joint pain as far back as ancient Egypt, China, and Greece.

Even Hippocrates was a fan.

Nowadays, anecdotal accounts show people using bee venom therapy to treat Lyme disease.

Users either self-inject the bee venom by needle or, yes, actually sting themselves with live bees. But is it safe?

Well, it certainly doesn't sound pleasant. Here's the science.

Bee venom contains lots of different chemical compounds, but the most important one might be melatonin.

Honeybee venom is more than 50% melatonin,

which is the reason why bee stings are so painful.

That compound activates a channel in the body's sensory neurons called TRPV1, which is usually

there to sound the alarm when the body is exposed to high temperatures.

That's right, Melitan tricks your body into thinking it's on fire. Jellyfish venom contains a similar chemical, which is why their stings and bee stings both burn.

But that's not all. A low dose of melatonin will also activate enzymes that trigger

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