Honeybees make some amazing things in their hives. One of them is Bee Propolis. Trees excrete a sticky substance called resin when they are damaged to help fight off infection at the wound site. Bees collect resin from these trees and mix it with their bee saliva and bee’s wax turning it into Bee Propolis. They use the Bee Propolis in many ways in their hives. Bee Propolis along with Bee’s Wax is used in the construction of their hives. It is used to seal unwanted holes and cracks in the hive. Bees are exceptionally clean and carry waste out and away from their hives, but sometimes an unwanted visitor, like a mouse or lizard, gets into the hive and dies. These creatures are too large for the bees to carry out of the hive, so instead they encase the intruder in Bee Propolis, thus mummifying it.
Bee Propolis is naturally antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial so one of the most important things it does for the hive is to inhibit fungal growth and prevent disease and parasites from entering the hive - and as an antibacterial agent, bee propolis is commonly used for its benefits to human health*
Bee Propolis has been used by humans since ancient times. You can find many references in ancient Greek texts referring to the definition of Bee Propolis, the health benefits of using Bee Propolis, and actual preparations of the Propolis to be used internally and externally, especially for ulcers and skin wounds.
Aristotle (384-322 BC), and physicians Pedanius Dioscorides (40-90 AD), Galen (129-217 AD), and Hippocrates (460-370 BC), all wrote about and used Bee Propolis to promote their health.
Ancient Roman naturalist and Author Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) was a big fan and user of Bee Propolis. In his famous work Natural History, he wrote that “propolis is produced from the sweet gum of the vine or the Poplar, and is of denser consistency, the juices of flowers being added to it. Still, however, it cannot properly be termed wax, but rather the foundation of the honey-combs; by means of it all inlets are stopped up, which might, otherwise, serve for the admission of cold or other injurious influences.” Pliny goes on to write that Propolis “has the property of extracting stings and all foreign bodies from the flesh, dispersing tumors, ripening indurations, allaying the pains of the sinews, and cicatrizing ulcers of the most obstinate nature.”
Ancient Egyptians were great beekeepers and used all the “hive” ingredients including Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly, Honey, and Bee Propolis. Bee Propolis was used in wound care and because of its antiseptic properties was used in the embalming process as well. The Hebrew word for Propolis is torzi and was used as medicine by the ancient Jews. The word torzi appears throughout the Old Testament.
Scientific research on Bee Propolis started in the early 19th century by the French pharmacist and chemist Nicolas Louis Vauquelin. He presented a report on his study to the Society of Agriculture in which he described the components of the Bee Propolis and how he prepared it for oral use. Most of the studies done in the 1800’s and early 1900’s were done by chemists and focused on studying the chemical composition of Bee Propolis.
As with all products produced in the beehive the exact composition of Bee Propolis can vary in different locations and even in different hives depending on what plant sources are available to the bees.
The basic composition of Bee Propolis is:
• Resins (50-70%)
• Beeswax (30-50%)
• Pollen (5-10%)
• Essential oils (depends on the region, usually basil, thyme, and geranium) (5-10%)
• Other compounds such as acids, sugars, and vitamins (B, C, and E) (5%-7%)
The active ingredient in Bee Propolis is Flavonoids which are powerful antioxidants. The number of antioxidants in Bee Propolis along with other bioactive compounds may explain its wide range of potential benefits to humans*.
Studies of Bee Propolis suggest that it has the following properties:
Antiseptic
Antiseptics are antimicrobial material. When applied to living tissue they reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, and putrefaction.
Anti-Inflammatory
Anti-Inflammatory is the property of a substance that reduces inflammation or swelling.
Antioxidant
Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals, thereby leading to a chain reaction that can damage the cells of an organism. Antioxidants terminate these damaging chain reactions.
Antibacterial
Antibacterial substances destroy bacteria or suppress their growth or ability to reproduce.
Antimycotic/Antifungal
Antimycotic is another word for antifungal. Antifungal medications are used to treat and prevent mycosis such as yeast, ringworm, athlete’s foot, and systematic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis.
Antiulcer
Antiulcer refers to a substance that tends to prevent ulcers, especially ulcers in the walls of the stomach.
Immunomodulatory
Immunomodulatory properties refer to the self-regulation of the immune system. Helping to adjust the immune system to adaptive rather than maladaptive levels.
The Health Benefits of Bee Propolis
Because Bee Propolis has the above properties it may benefit human health in many ways including:
- Protect the liver from toxins, injury, and disease.*
- Speed up wound healing.*
- Keep your mouth healthy by reducing gum swelling and may neutralize cavities by killing bacteria.*
- Lower your blood sugar thus help with diabetes.*
- Strengthen bone density which would help heal bone fractures.*
- Block the growth of yeast and fungus thus helping with yeast infections.*
- Kill bacteria and viruses thus stopping their growth and spread.*
Propolis is just one of the amazing things bees produce in their hives and why bees are such an important part of our ecosystem.
Lisa Seeber - 2020
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872021/ Propolis: A Wonder Bees Product and Its Pharmacological Potentials
https://www.apidologie.org/articles/apido/abs/2000/01/M0105/M0105.html Propolis: recent advances in chemistry and plant origin
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691597001452?via%3Dihub Review of the biological properties and toxicity of bee propolis (propolis)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359870/ Propolis Is an Efficient Fungicide and Inhibitor of Biofilm Production by Vaginal Candida albicans
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037887410700284X?via%3Dihub Chemical composition and biological activity of a new type of Brazilian propolis: Red propolis
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19874242/ Effect of Brazilian propolis on sneezing and nasal rubbing in experimental allergic rhinitis of mice
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22471835/ Role of propolis on tyrosine hydroxylase activity and blood pressure in nitric oxide synthase-inhibited hypertensive rats
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21425375/ Effects of propolis of fracture healing: an experimental study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3985046/ Review of the anticancer activities of bee products
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25723108/ Emerging Adjuvant Therapy for Cancer: Propolis and its constituents
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5768961/ Propolis: A natural biomaterial for dental and oral healthcare
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24625297/ Taiwanese Green Propolis and Propolin G Protect the Liver from Pathogenesis of Fibrosis via Eliminating TGF-B- Induced Smad 2/3 Phosphorylation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3237204/ Propolis and its direct and indirect hypoglycemic effect
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The KJV Bible
The Natural History Book XI and Book XXII, Pliny the Elder