What is propolis?
Propolis is a magical, medicinal part of the bee hive that has been known to help fight seasonal allergies and boost your immune system against colds and flus! But what exactly is propolis? Does it actually work? And if so, how does it work? We explore some of these answers here, including linking full scientific studies on propolis for you to read so you can come to your own educated conclusions. Check out our YouTube video and blog post about how to make your own propolis tincture.
What is propolis made out of and where can you find it in the bee hive?
Propolis is also known as "bee glue," and is a resin that the worker bees build on the exterior parts of the hive to seal against weather, dirt, and pathogens. Propolis is made primarily from tree saps (which are a tree's immune system), bees wax, and bee pollen. According to this study, "Characteristically, [propolis'] composition is 50% resin, 30% wax, 10% essential oils, 5% pollen, and 5% other substances." The health properties and composition of propolis are highly variable, dependent on many factors including season, what plant species are available in the local area, and bee species making the propolis. Propolis has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral properties and ranges in color from dark brown, orange, grey, etc, depending on where your hives are located. Here on the front range of Colorado near Denver, the propolis in the hives we have been around are typically dark brown in color.
Propolis isn't typically found in great concentrations where you find the honey and beeswax in the hive. If you can imagine a bee hive, each box contains nine to ten frames filled with honey and beeswax. The worker bees build the propolis on the outside of the frames around the outer parts of the bee hive.
The Historical Uses of Propolis
The health effects of propolis have also been known by many cultures over the past few thousand years. In fact, ancient Egyptians used the antibacterial properties of propolis to help embalm dead bodies, which is a technique they learned from the bees themselves. Bees would cover the carcasses of other insects that had invaded their hive with propolis and beeswax in order to protect the hive from disease contamination.
4 Scientific Health Benefits of Propolis
[Scientific studies linked here]
1. Propolis Boosts your Immune System Against Colds and Flus
Propolis has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. We recommend diving into the studies we have linked below, but to give you an overview, propolis has the ability to prevent and fight off different viruses and bacteria. According to one of these studies, "compounds within propolis appear to prevent bacterial cell division and cause dysfunction within the cytoplasm, thereby inactivating bacterial activity and growth," which can be attributed to the presence of flavonoids in propolis. There are so many cool academic studies done on propolis on different bacteria and viruses, including staph, HSV-2, gram positive and gram negative bacteria, and more, so don't forget to check out those studies!
In our personal experience, we have experienced far less sickness since using propolis on a daily basis.
2. Propolis helps fight seasonal allergies
Have you ever heard that local honey helps with local allergies? Propolis is the active ingredient in the honey that helps alleviate allergies because it contains bee pollen. There is, however, a caveat to this- the propolis must come from local bee hives located within 15-30 miles from where you live and are suffering symptoms. This means you can't use propolis from just anywhere to effectively treat your allergies. Typically, you can find local propolis and honey at your local farmers market.
While neither of the two of us suffer from allergies ourselves, we both have anecdotal evidence from customers (we work for a honey company selling honey products at farmers markets) who come back and tell us how effective propolis has been for them in alleviating allergy symptoms. When selling honey containing propolis, I have had multiple customers come back the next week and tell me that they have switched from over the counter allergy medicines like allegra to a teaspoon of propolis honey every day and had their symptoms begin dissipating within 3 to 4 days.
3. Propolis helps cuts, scrapes, bug bites, bee stings, and other skin conditions heal.
Propolis, when applied topically to the skin, is known to help heal cuts and scrapes since it is anti-fungal and antibacterial in nature. Propolis applied topically can also alleviate pain caused by bug bites and bee stings. Propolis balm can be described as a natural alternative to neosporin!
Some more anecdotal evidence from two honey salespeople- both of us have been stung by wasps during our farmers markets throughout the summer season selling honey. Our company offers propolis balm samples, so when we got stung, we both immediately applied the propolis balm liberally around the area of our sting. We were both shocked when within 2 or 3 minutes of applying the propolis balm, the pain from the sting was nearly completely gone and no swelling followed!
I have also personally used propolis on acne, and I have noticed that not only does it clear up my breakouts quickly, but I have also been finding that my skin has been far clearer and is preventing breakouts.
4. Propolis is high in polyphenols- anti-cancer and anti-aging properties
Another amazing benefit of propolis it has been found to be extremely high in polyphenols. Polyphenols are known to reduce inflammation and reduce oxidative stress associated with cancers! Since it is known to reduce free radicals and oxidative stress, polyphenols are known to be anti-aging and reduce chances of wide range chronic diseases, like heart disease. Other sources of food high in polyphenols include blueberries, dark chocolate, green tea, and vegetables, just don't forget to add propolis to this list!
Here is a list of just a few scientific articles about propolis! We've even included a brief summary of each article so you can read which ones you are interested in most:
This scientific article provides an overview of propolis in relation to bees and its benefits for humans. This study also drills down into the chemical compounds found in propolis.
This study is a general overview of the findings of 63 propolis studies conducted between 1990 and 2018; studies included in this summary were of "original empirical data" and stated that "all research design types were considered, including randomized control trials, case studies and cell study investigations... all data sources were required to be peer reviewed published journal articles." This article has a balanced view, discussing benefits of propolis while also noting the drawbacks of studies and the lack of studies on proper dosage and its potential adverse affects. This study does a great job of dissecting propolis by biological, chemical, and cellular/medical explanations.
This study outlines the historical uses of propolis and gives a brief, general rundown of its medicinal benefits.
This study drills down on the details of the effectiveness of propolis on various, specific infectious diseases (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths, and viruses), including HSV-2, staph infections, various gastrointestinal infections, and more. It also mentions how propolis from different areas in the world are more effective at fighting some viruses/bacterias more effectively than propolis from other areas in the world!
Final Thoughts
Hogan and I both joked around when we took our month-long roadtrip over the summer how we forgot to take propolis with us. Midway through the trip, I was seriously regretting not taking propolis with us between feeling under the weather and bug bites.
I'm not sure if I will never have any on hand from here on out in my life, and we believe in its health benefits between reading academic research, anecdotal evidence from customers, and personal experience using propolis products. At the end of the day, we are all free thinkers and it is important to do your own research!
Looking for more propolis and bee content?
The finished product: a jar of propolis tincture!
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