Propolis, a natural product derived from plant resins collected by the honeybees, has been used for thousands of years in folk medicine for several purposes.
The extract that contains amino acids, phenolic acids, phenolic acid esters, flavonoids, cinnamic acid, terpenes and caffeic acid, possesses several biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory, anti-viral and anti-bacterial.
Propolis was first used as folk medicine during the days of Aristotle ( which is around 350 BC). Others believe it was first used by Egyptian priest doctors who used it as medicine after successfully using it for mummification.
Later on, propolis were also mentioned in Arabs, Greeks and Roman medical treatises during the late 19th century. Equivalent to today’s medical journals, these treatises talk about using propolis for treating infection, skin diseases, respiratory and joint problems. The Greeks were known to use it for abscesses while the Assyrians used it to heal wounds and possibly tumors.
In Europe and North Africa, propolis have been reported as a form of treatment for wound, caries and all forms of mouth or throat infections.
Did you know that Bee Propolis was sometimes called Russian Penicillin? It was found in every First Aid kit (and likely still is) in the Eastern European Countries where they did not have access to Pharmaceutical Drugs. It can be used for a variety of common applications and is very safe to take.
Bee Propolis (a natural anti-biotic) works against harmful bacteria without destroying the friendly bacteria which the body needs.
Applications of Propolis
• Respiratory tract infections
• Urinary Tract infection
• Sinus Congestion
• Colds
• Influenza
• Bronchitis
• Gastritis
• Ear Infections
• Intestinal Infections
• Ulcers
• Gout
• Arthritis
• Eczema
• Stomach Virus
• Headaches
• Warts
• Bile Infections
• Gum disease
• Cancer
• Can be used topically for Skin Disorders
• Much more!
How to Use Bee Propolis
It is best to take propolis every 8 hours for optimum effectiveness.
It can be taken in drops, raw granules, capsules and topically in a cream. I prefer the actual drops of the propolis extract. But the raw granules are also very potent.
Please note that some people have allergic reactions to bee products and caution is given to those on Blood thinning Medication.
To extract propolis, you need ethanol ( ethyl alcohol), ether, glycol and water.
Collecting propolis is an arduous task. Yes, you can scrap propolis from a hive. However, you would get an inferior propolis since you will also get other unwanted bee products during the process.
Tricking the Bees
The best way to get pure propolis is by tricking the bees. What breeders normally do is by inserting small insets into the hives.
Bees will fill the insets with propolis because they are tricked into thinking that the inset is a part of their home that needs repair.
The Color
Propolis has many colors. The color depends on the source of propolis and the season of the year. It ranges from yellow to dark brown, depending on the origin of the resins.
In fact, transparent colored propolis has also been reported. So don’t be surprised at two propolis that look very different.
The Characteristic
In warm weather, propolis is sticky and soft. But in cool weather it hardens and becomes brittle.
If you store your propolis at lower than 15 C or at a nearly freezing temperature, it will remain brittle, even after you heat it afterward.
At normal room temperature ( 25 – 45 C), propolis is a soft, sticky and pliable substance. As the temperature gets warmer (above 45 C), it will be more like a glue – gummy and increasingly sticky. And at less than 15 C or near freezing temperature, propolis will harden and becomes brittle.
To change propolis from from solid to liquid, you need to heat your propolis at around 60 to 70 C. Some propolis, however, will only melt at 100 C.
The main component of propolis are resins. The flavonoids and phenolic acids rich resins make around 40 % to 50 % of propolis.
Because propolis comes from variety of plants, availability of the plants sap and the type of bees, no two propolis are alike. They would be different in term of colors, odors and compositions.
Chemical Ingredients
Chemically, propolis is exceedingly complex. Apart from flavonoids, propolis is also rich in caffeic acid phenethyl ester. This is a substance that has been proven to inhibit cancer growth and reduce inflammation in animal studies.
Bee propolis also contains organic acids, their derivatives as well as terpenoids. These constituents contribute to it’s antibiotic, anti fungal and antiviral effects.
Apart from that you will also find…
• kaempferol
• apigenin
• pinocembrin
• galangin
• luteolin
• pinostrobin, and
• quercitin
All of which are anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antioxidant and/or antimutagenic.
Chemically complex
Scientifically, studies done on propolis had found that it actually contains more than 150 chemical components. Some researchers even found as much as 300 components in their sample propolis.
About Propolis Antibacterial and Antiviral Effects
There is an interesting difference between propolis’s antibacterial property compared to an antibiotics.
Antibiotics works by killing bacteria in our body. That includes “friendly” ones needed by the body. Among the good bacteria killed by antibiotics are ones responsible in helping the body produce vitamins like B and K. The more antibiotics you use, the more “friendly” bacteria will you kill.
On the other hand, propolis raises your body’s natural resistance by stimulating your own immune system. It also adds vitamins like B1, B, C, E and essential minerals including iron, aluminum, manganese and silicon to the body.
When synthetic drugs were introduced and antibiotics was gaining popularity, the use of natural products like propolis plummeted.
It was only in China and Eastern Europe ( countries like Russia, Poland, Bulgaria and old Yugoslavia) that medical research were conducted on bee propolis.
Propolis brought to the West
The medical community in the West only took notice in the 1960s and 1970s after the works of Dr. Aagard Lund in Denmark and Dr. Remy Chauvin in France was published – outlining the benefits of propolis to health.
Starting from that, like any other useful natural plant or substance, scientists have been working hard to extract that special ingredients in propolis that is beneficial for our health.
But it appears that you need to take whole propolis to get it’s health benefits. The combined and synergistic effects of propolis are proved to be better than any single ingredients extracted from it.
Non-toxic
These scientific research have also concluded that propolis not toxic. In simple words this means it is safe for you to take propolis.
However, it has a few side effects, mainly affecting those who are already allergic to bees or bee products.
In order to see the health benefits of propolis, we dig scientific journals. Let’s see how modern medical science conforms with ancient folk wisdom.
Improving Immune System
Professor S. Scheller, the head of a team of four doctors at the Institute for Microbiology at the Medical Academy in Poland found that propolis is able to stimulate the immune system.
It stimulates the formation of antibodies to build body resistance to many diseases. It also helps the body in releasing substance against cellular deterioration.
He also concluded that other propolis health benefits may include improved physical, intellectual and sexual performance and makes injured tissue heal faster. The study also concluded that propolis is non toxic.
Treat Burns
Another benefit of propolis is in treating second degree burns. Research showed that propolis cream gave about the same result as normally prescribed cream.
However, propolis cream reduce patient’s inflammation and helped the skin heal faster.
Various studies have confirmed that propolis stimulates enzyme systems, cell metabolism, circulation, collagen formation and improved healing of burn wounds.
It is believe to be a result of a substance called arginine.
Increase Fertility
One isolated study had tested the benefit of propolis on women with infertility and endometriosis. The study indicated that consumption of 500mg of propolis twice daily resulted in pregnancy rate of 60% as opposed to 20% for women not given propolis.
It is still unclear how propolis would give this effect.
Potential Cancer Drug
A report published in the Cancer Research (Sep 15,93;53 1482-88) stated that caffeic acids in propolis might help prevent colon cancer. The article described how these caffeic acids were able to prevent the formation of pre cancerous tissues in rats after the animal were exposed to cancer causing chemicals.
Another study done in 1990 reported that propolis chemicals could act against ovary cancer in hamster and sarcoma-type tumors in mice.
Bowel Problems
Propolis can also help patients suffering from inflammatory bowel problems like Chron’s disease and ulceration colitis.
In June 2001, Dr. Ralph Golan reported how ulceration colitis responded well to propolis therapy. This was reported in his article published in Townsend Letters For Doctors.
Dental care
One useful application of bee propolis is in dental care. Propolis mouthwash used after an oral surgery appears to shorten the healing time. A study done in 1991 showed that rats given propolis in their drinking water got less caries compared to other rats.
Another study done in 1986 proposed propolis as a valuable subsidiary treatment for gum infection and plague.
It is also used in dental surgery as natural and safe disinfectant.
Protecting Liver
Two studies done in 1986 and 1987 showed that propolis may help in protecting our liver. In these studies, propolis was effective in protecting the liver against alcohol and tetrachloride.
Improve Antibiotic Effectiveness
Australian scientists, E.L Ghisalberti of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Western Australia showed that propolis increases the effectiveness of penicillin or other antibiotics from 10 to 100 folds.
This may help reduces the number of side effects associated with antibiotics and lower the over dependency on antibiotics by doctors.
Veterinary Applications
Propolis offers some benefits to breeders by improving weight gain and reduce diarrhea in their animals.
A study done in 1987 showed that 5 ml of propolis solution given to milk-fed calves can help achieve the above results.
Studies done to rabbits have also showed that propolis could help treat coccidiosis and eimeria. It is also beneficial at treating mastitis.
Other medical benefits of propolis
Studies done in rats and mice had shown that concentrated propolis given to the rodents reduced their blood pressure, produces sedative effect as well as protects the liver and stomach against tetrachloride and ulcers.
All these were achieved without any side effects.
Where to Get Bee Propolis and Start Enjoying All Its Health Benefits:
