Propolis

Nature¹s Most Amazing Antibiotic
The beehive is one of nature¹s most remarkable laboratories, converting plant material into a range of extraordinarily complex foods and medicines that maintain the health and vitality of the bee colony. Propolis is a Greek word meaning literally "before the city." This product of the hive is occasionally used to restrict the entrance of the hive, strengthen the attachment of the wax comb and cocoon any intruders too large for the bees to remove. The propolis, a sticky resinous wax-like product, is created by a treatment including the addition of enzymes from the bees¹ glandular system. It is collected as the sap from many species of tree, especially the poplar, and is carried to the hive in the bees¹ pollen baskets.

It is believed the Egyptians were some of the first to use propolis medicinally, finding it effective for their mummification process. Early accounts of propolis recommend its use for problems related to the respiratory system, joints, infections, and skin diseases. Eastern Europe has continued to use propolis and has been conducting scientific validation since the 1930s. The Western world has in the past forty years caught on to the variety of benefits of which propolis is capable. Scientists have found it impossible to come close to the synthetic duplication of the chemical makeup.

The properties of propolis have, over its known existence, shown amazing antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anti viral, antiseptic, and antioxidant attributes. The effectiveness of the substance is due largely to the fact that it doesn¹t attack specific bacteria, fungi, or viruses but triggers the body¹s own protective devices into action. Among the many other benefits of propolis is that some of the components function as antioxidant free-radical scavengers in the body. Propolis is a storehouse of nutrients; 55% being resins and balms, 30% wax, 10% etheric (essential) oils, and 5% bee pollen (Bee Pollen is rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients, and is known to have extensive bacteria destroying benefits).

Propolis contains a local anesthetic that numbs mucus membranes and has a high concentration of bioflavonoids. Bioflavonoids enhance the effectiveness of Vitamin C, stimulate enzyme formation to strengthen the walls of the blood vessels, and aid in the body¹s production of the natural immune factor. Dr. Remy Chauvin, an authority on propolis states "The antibacterial and antiviral properties of propolis work to raise the body¹s natural resistance to disease by internally stimulating one¹s own immune system. In doing this, propolis also supplies added amounts of Vitamin B1, B2, C, and E, and all the essential minerals, including iron, calcium, maganese, and silicon."

Propolis differs from all other antibiotics in every way. It can be taken on an every day basis as a preventative or maintenance health care program. There are no known side effects or adverse reactions associated with propolis, the body can not build up immunity against propolis, and it does not endanger the body¹s good bacteria. While antibiotics do not work against viruses, propolis does. Several medical reports discuss the anti-inflammatory properties, citing effective trials against upper respiratory infections caused by common inflictions such as the common cold and influenza. Other more recent tests have found propolis to be the most effective remedy against the fungus Candida Albicans, which, in plague proportions, uses any normal antibiotics and the space the deterrent may create to its advantage. The British used propolis to treat stomach ulcers and Israeli physicians have been experimenting with its use in treatment of ear, nose, and throat inflammations, as well as viral infections, successfully.

Propolis is rich in fats, amino acids, organic acids, composite ethers of univalent alcohols, and trace elements such as iron, copper, manganese, zinc and others, tannic acid, phytoncides, and antibiotics. It also has a high vitamin content, especially that of the B group, also E, C, H, P, and provitamin A. A deeper analysis shows such strange-sounding ingredients as cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, vanillin, chrysin, galangin, acacetin, paempferid, rhammocitrin, pinostrobin, caffeic acid, tetochrysin, isalpinin, pinocembrin, and ferulic acid. In one recorded experiment, a virus was introduced into the living embryo in eggs. After propolis was introduced, the virus was destroyed, but the life of the embryo was unharmed, showing that propolis is non-toxic.

Any beekeeper would be able to tell you that bees are highly susceptible to bacteria and viral infections. Significant medical journals have revealed the many surprising levels of prevention propolis can offer for a variety of ailments. The caffeic acids in honey and propolis have shown to be specifically effective against colon cancer. The general complex has fought off Staphylococcus aureus, which is a bacteria causing surgical infections, blood poisoning, and a type of pneumonia. The substance works against bad germs by preventing bacterial cell division and breaking down bacteria walls and cytoplasm, which is exactly how some prescription antibiotics work. It is a great virtue that science is now recognizing these benefits from using such naturally occurring remedies.