Propolis
Propolis does not act outside our own immune system, but strengthens and stimulates it.
Propolis or “Bee glue” has been used by people since ancient times for its powerful effect of reducing inflammation and antiviral/antibacterial properties.
Thousands of years ago, the Greeks used it to treat abscesses. Assyrians put it on wounds and tumors to fight infection and help the healing process and the Egyptians used it to embalm mummies.
Propolis is as old as honey, and people have used it for ages. Today, the long history of the use of propolis continues with beekeepers, home remedies and personal products.
Honeybees collect resin from different types of trees and plants and then mix it with their saliva, this creates the sticky colorful propolis we know.
So if you were to see a beehive you would think that the wood protects them but actually they make a balloon of propolis around the entire nest to seal the hive against wind,bacteria, predators and viruses.
The color of the propolis depends on the botanical area where the bees are placed but can contain resin of over 25 and more different plants and trees.
There are already 16 different kinds of Propolis, each with their own color and taste. Because the bees take it from so many different trees and plants, it is sometimes difficult to say exactly where each Propolis comes from.
Researchers have identified more than 300 compounds in propolis. The majority of these compounds are forms of polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants that fight disease and damage in the body. “Polyphenols might even be useful even in affecting neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases … anything involving inflammation.”
Specifically, propolis contains the polyphenols called flavonoids. Flavonoids are produced in plants as a form of protection. They’re commonly found in foods thought to have antioxidant properties, including:
- fruits
- green tea
- vegetables
- red wine
- roots
- flowers
- grains
- bark
Due to its variety of active substances, propolis has a wide range of properties and has a number of advantages as a natural antibiotic.
Propolis is therefore effective in diseases that seem to have nothing to do with each other and there are no strains of bacteria that develop resistance to propolis.
Here are some interesting facts what researchers say about Propolis:
- One study found that propolis can help people who have had traumatic burns heal faster by speeding up new healthy cell growth.
- Another study found that a propolis tincture was more effective than a steroid cream in reducing inflammation in oral surgery wounds.
- One more study has also shown Propolis promises as an aid in the treatment in COVID-19 patients, including respiratory diseases.
- And according to this study Propolis could be a complementary therapy but not a sole treatment, for cancer because Propolis keeps cancerous cells from multiplying or from becoming cancerous in the first place.