bee propolis

7 Health Benefits of Bee Propolis

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Bees make more than honey.  They also make a waxy substance called propolis. And this “bee glue” is a powerful health balm.  In fact, studies show it has anti-cancer properties.

Dr. Seema Patel of the Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics Research Center, San Diego State University conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on propolis and cancer.  Dr. Patel found laboratory and animal studies supporting propolis efficacy against cancers of the:

  • Brain
  • Pancreas
  • Head and neck
  • Kidney and bladder
  • Skin
  • Prostate
  • Breast
  • Colon
  • Liver
  • Blood

Propolis is astoundingly complex and contains as many as 300 active compounds.  These components were found to fight cancer in a variety of ways including:

In addition, propolis was found to mitigate the side effects or toxicity of chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of cancer.

Bees make propolis by gathering resin from pine and other cone-producing evergreen trees.  They blend the resin with wax flakes and pollen, and take it back to the hive. There they use the sticky mess to patch holes, seal cracks and build panels in the hive.

But propolis does more than architectural duty.  It also acts as an antiseptic barrier protecting the hive from contamination and from external invaders like mice, snakes, and lizards. In fact, the name propolis comes from the Greek meaning “defense of the city.”

The antimicrobial properties of propolis protect the hive from viruses and bacteria. Researchers found that bees living in hives coated with propolis have lower bacteria in their body and also ‘quieter’ immune systems.[i]

And propolis doesn’t just benefit bees. For thousands of years folk medicine practitioners have used bee glue to treat abscesses, heal wounds, and fight infection.  In fact, propolis was listed as an official drug in the London pharmacopoeias of the 17th century.

Modern studies confirm a long list of health benefits offered by propolis.  A search of PubMed shows over 2,000 studies on bee propolis.  Here are just a few of its health benefits.

1. Anti-Microbial Action

Propolis has a wide range of antibacterial properties.[ii]  It is also has anti-fungal and anti-viral powers.  In one animal study, applying a propolis solution to wounds helped speed healing in diabetic rats.[iii]

In children, propolis has been found to:

2. Heals Burns

A 2002 study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that propolis may promote the healing of minor burns.[iv] The researchers compared a propolis skin cream with silver sulfadiazine, a drug used to treat burns.  Study results showed propolis was just as effective as the drug in treating second-degree burns.

3. Prevents Dental Cavities

Greek and Roman physicians used propolis as mouth disinfectant. Modern studies show it may be effective in the treatment of periodontitis and gingivitis.

Many studies have also found that extracts from bee glue limit bacterial plaque and reduce tooth caries.[v]

Other studies show that propolis may even help regenerate dental pulp,[vi] as well as bone tissue,[vii] and cartilage.[viii]

4. Treats Parasites

Preliminary trials show propolis may eliminate parasites.  In one study people who took propolis had a 52 to 60% success rate in eliminating the parasite giardiasis.[ix]

5. Wart Removal

In a single-blind, randomized, 3-month trial, 135 patients with different types of warts received oral propolis, echinacea, or a placebo.  The results were reported in the International Journal of Dermatology. Patients with plane and common warts achieved a cure rate of 75% and 73%, respectively. The results were significantly better than those associated with echinacea or placebo.[x]

6. Beats Drug for Genital Herpes

Propolis is more effective than a common drug for treating genital herpes according to a study published in Phytomedicine.[xi]

For 10 days, 90 men and women with genital herpes applied either an ointment containing propolis flavonoids, or acyclovir (a drug used to treat herpes sores), or a placebo ointment.  The patients applied the ointment four times a day.

By the study’s end, 24 out of the 30 patients in the propolis group had healed.  Only 14 of 30 in the drug group, and 12 of 30 in the placebo group were cured.

Like honey, the composition and health benefits of propolis will vary depending on the trees and flowers and the location where it is produced. You can find propolis in its raw form directly from a local beekeeper.  It’s also in the “cappings” of honey – a crunchy mixture of pollen, propolis, and bees wax.

Propolis is also available without the honey. But extracts or tinctures of propolis are more convenient to use.  They are popular for boosting the immune system, and for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-microbial properties.

You can also find propolis formulations for colds and flu-like symptoms, wound healing, acne, cold sores, genital herpes, and dermatitis.  They are available as creams, ointments, lotions, toothpastes, and mouth washes.

Oral propolis formulations can be found as pastes, lozenges, liquid extracts, tablets, and capsules.

However, if you have an allergy to honey or bees, you may also have a reaction to products containing propolis.

7 Health Benefits of Bee Propolis

Posted by

0


Propolis.jpg

Bees make more than honey.  They also make gunk called propolis. And this “bee glue” is a powerful health balm.  In fact, studies show it has anti-cancer properties.

Dr. Seema Patel of the Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics Research Center, San Diego State University conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on propolis and cancer.  Dr. Patel found laboratory and animal studies supporting propolis efficacy against cancers of the:

  • Brain
  • Pancreas
  • Head and neck
  • Kidney and bladder
  • Skin
  • Prostate
  • Breast
  • Colon
  • Liver
  • Blood

Propolis contains as many as 300 active compounds.  These components were found to fight cancer in a variety of ways including:

  • Preventing the growth of new blood vessels to feed cancer cells (anti-angiogenesis)
  • Preventing the spread or metastasis of cancer from one organ to another
  • Halting cancer cell division
  • Inducing apoptosis or programmed cell death

In addition, propolis was found to mitigate the side effects or toxicity of chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of cancer.

Bees make propolis by gathering resin from pine and other cone-producing evergreen trees.  They blend the resin with wax flakes and pollen, and take it back to the hive. There they use the sticky mess to patch holes, seal cracks and build panels in the hive.

But propolis does more than architectural duty.  It also acts as an antiseptic barrier protecting the hive from contamination and from external invaders like mice, snakes, and lizards. In fact, the name propolis comes from the Greek meaning “defense of the city.”

The antimicrobial properties of propolis protect the hive from viruses and bacteria. Researchers found that bees living in hives coated with propolis have lower bacteria in their body and also ‘quieter’ immune systems.[i]

And propolis doesn’t just benefit bees. For thousands of years folk medicine practitioners have used bee glue to treat abscesses, heal wounds, and fight infection.  In fact, propolis was listed as an official drug in the London pharmacopoeias of the 17th century.

Modern studies confirm a long list of health benefits offered by propolis.  A search of PubMed shows over 2,000 studies on bee propolis.  Here are just a few of its health benefits.

1. Anti-Microbial Action

Propolis has a wide range of antibacterial properties.[ii]  It is also has anti-fungal and anti-viral powers.  In one animal study, applying a propolis solution to wounds helped speed healing in diabetic rats.[iii]

In children, propolis has been found to:

2. Heals Burns

A 2002 study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that propolis may promote the healing of minor burns.[iv] The researchers compared a propolis skin cream with silver sulfadiazine, a drug used to treat burns.  Study results showed propolis was just as effective as the drug in treating second-degree burns.

3. Prevents Dental Cavities

Greek and Roman physicians used propolis as mouth disinfectant. Modern studies show it may be effective in the treatment of periodontitis and gingivitis.

Many studies have also found that extracts from bee glue limit bacterial plaque and reduce tooth caries.[v]

Other studies show that propolis may even help regenerate dental pulp,[vi] as well as bone tissue,[vii] and cartilage.[viii]

4. Treats Parasites

Preliminary trials show propolis may eliminate parasites.  In one study people who took propolis had a 52 to 60% success rate in eliminating the parasite giardiasis.[ix]

5. Wart Removal

In a single-blind, randomized, 3-month trial, 135 patients with different types of warts received oral propolis, echinacea, or a placebo.  The results were reported in the International Journal of Dermatology. Patients with plane and common warts achieved a cure rate of 75% and 73%, respectively. The results were significantly better than those associated with echinacea or placebo.[x]

6. Beats Drug for Genital Herpes

Propolis is more effective than a common drug for treating genital herpes according to a study published in Phytomedicine.[xi]

For 10 days, 90 men and women with genital herpes applied either an ointment containing propolis flavonoids, or acyclovir (a drug used to treat herpes sores), or a placebo ointment.  The patients applied the ointment four times a day.

By the study’s end, 24 out of the 30 patients in the propolis group had healed.  Only 14 of 30 in the drug group, and 12 of 30 in the placebo group were cured.

Like honey, the composition and health benefits of propolis will vary depending on the trees and flowers and the location where it is produced. You can find propolis in its raw form directly from a local beekeeper.  It’s also in the “cappings” of honey – a crunchy mixture of pollen, propolis, and bees wax.

Propolis is also available without the honey. But extracts or tinctures of propolis are more convenient to use.  They are popular for boosting the immune system, and for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-microbial properties.

You can also find propolis formulations for colds and flu-like symptoms, wound healing, acne, cold sores, genital herpes, and dermatitis.  They are available as creams, ointments, lotions, toothpastes, and mouth washes.

Oral propolis formulations can be found as pastes, lozenges, liquid extracts, tablets, and capsules.

However, if you have an allergy to honey or bees, you may also have a reaction to products containing propolis.

Propolis Has Enormous Benefits for Your Health

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Various products derived from the beehive have been studied and propolis has proved to be a product having beneficial results for human health.

Propolis (Pro-before, Polis-city = defense of the city), is the resinous substance that bees gather from the leaf buds of trees and certain vegetables.

The bee gathers this and transforms it in order to disinfect the beehive, seal cracks, build panels, as well as using it as a microbiocidal agent, disinfectant and also for embalming intruders otherwise difficult to expel due to their size.

Propolis, thus, is directly responsible for guaranteeing the asepsis of the beehives, locations prone to developing viruses and bacteria, given their conditions of temperature and humidity.

Due to the great number of active ingredients present, tincture (alcoholic extract) of propolis is well known and used for its therapeutic properties, principally for its stimulant action on the organism’s defense system. Notable amongst its properties are its antioxidant and anti-microbial action, its activity as a stimulant and its healing, analgesic, anesthetic and anti-inflammatory activity.

To date, in the literature consulted, no antioxidant capacity values have been found greater than those obtained for propolis, for any of the products/foods analyzed, using this type of methodology.

bee, bees, bee products, honey, propolis, bee propolis, manuka, raw honey


The Many Uses of Bee PropolisBees, by pollinating trees and crops, are true sustainers of life on earth. Without their tireless service, we simply would not be able to feed ourselves. At the same time, they also create a wide variety of other useful products, including:

As described above, propolis extract has a number of well known therapeutic properties, including potent antioxidant and anti-microbial action, and healing, analgesic, anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s been used for thousands of years in folk medicine.

Previously, bee propolis has been found to prevent the formation of dental plaque by inhibiting the activity of certain enzymes that synthesize glucans from sucrose. Propolis, along with other bee products, has also been studied for its potential to control tumor growth, with some success.

Bee pollen, on the other hand, is often referred to as a Superfood – one of nature’s most completely nourishing foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by your body. About half of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be used directly by your body and can therefore contribute significantly to your protein needs.

And raw honey, another potent anti-infection/anti-inflammatory bee product, is a natural option to antibiotics.

This is important to remember, considering the fact that traditional antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective against certain microbes. Meanwhile the solution may be as close as your kitchen cabinet…

What You Need to Know About Honey

The main thing to remember when it comes to honey is that not all honey is created equal. The antibacterial activity in some honeys is 100 times more powerful than in others!

Processed, refined honey is NOT appropriate for use in wound care. In fact, your average domestic “Grade A” type honey found in the grocery store will likely increase infection. It also will not offer you the same health benefits as raw honey when consumed.

Manuka honey is a specific type of honey that has actually been approved for use as a medical device – it’s that potent! But you could use raw honey to treat a mild burn, sunburn, or small wound at home if you don’t happen to have a jar of Manuka around.

Good quality honey offers several topical wound-care benefits:

  • It draws fluid away from your wound
  • The high sugar content suppresses microorganism growth
  • Worker bees secrete an enzyme (glucose oxidase) into the nectar, which then releases low levels of hydrogen peroxide when the honey makes contact with your wound
  • A chemical reaction between the honey and tissue also makes healing wounds smell good

Manuka honey, however, is in a class of its own.

Clinical trials have found that Manuka honey from New Zealand, made with pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush (a medicinal plant), can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including resistant varieties such as:

  • MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
  • MSSA (methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus)
  • VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci)
  • Helicobacter Pylori (which can cause stomach ulcers)  

With the increasing threat of antibiotic-resistant infections and drug over-use, the return to honey as a natural, multi-purpose healing therapy makes all the sense in the world.

Honey was in fact a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished as penicillin took center stage. Using raw honey instead of topical antibiotics and cough medicines, for example, is a simple way to decrease your over-dependence on drugs.

As long as it’s used in moderation, eating raw honey is likely to promote health. One caveat is if you suffer from signs of elevated insulin such as:

  • Overweight
  • High blood pressure
  • High blood cholesterol
  • Diabetes

If you have elevated insulin levels, you’ll want to limit consumption of honey just like you would sugar and grains, as it will raise your insulin levels.