Propolis and It's Many Uses

Versatility of nature pesonified. Propolis is a name for a bee product made from tree and flower saps further digested by bees. It is composed from resins (40-50%), bees wax (ca. 30%), essential oils (ca. 10%) and minute quantities of pollen and minerals (up to 5% each). The exact composition differs from one region to another due to the differences in locally growing trees. It is a sticky substance that hardens when dry and is very effective against bacteria and fungus. The original purposes of propolis are based precisely on its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, but there are many more uses for propolis as we shall see.

Bees use it first of all to cover the inside walls of the hive and plug up smaller holes or cracks in the hive itself thus making their dwelling safer and healthier. Propolis used as a building material helps prevent too much draft in the hive and protects from the invasion of insects or even smaller rodents like mice. If, however, a mice or some other animal should nibble its way into the hive, the bees of course attack the invader with all means necessary. After being stung by an army of angry bees, the invader usually perishes, which presents the bees with a huge sanitary issue in need of immediate action. That is where propolis comes in. A decaying corpse would very soon infest the whole hive and threaten the life of the entire bee family. And since a mouse is much too big for the bees to carry and throw out of the hive, as they would do with an insect or some other smaller creature, they cover its remains with propolis from head to toe. A propolis-covered mouse corpse is thus tantamount to a mummy at its best.

That is how the bees use it. The intelligent beekeeper, however, many centuries ago decided to try it out and use propolis for his own benefit. Maybe it was the extremely pleasant aroma of propolis that compelled him or maybe he was fascinated by the mouse-mummy his bees kept in their living quarters. Whatever the reason, humans began to explore the possibilities of this almost magic nature product and to this day, there are still questions left unanswered regarding the specific ways in which propolis affects our body and health.

Antibacterial, fungicidal and antiviral characteristics have been confirmed by popular use and also medical tests in recent decades. Faster healing of smaller wounds, like cuts and bruises, is also one of the most widely known effects of propolis. There is also some evidence that regular use of propolis helps heal stomach ulcers. Research has shown an antioxidative and also immunostimulative effect of propolis, which means that use of propolis can help your body to establish a better imune system thus being better equipped to fight illnesses. Today there is a large variety of products that consist also of propolis, such as toothpastes, creams, lotions, mouth sprays etc., whereas products used for treatment are in the form of sprays, tablets and alcohol solutions.