What on earth is bee propolis?
- Dark, sticky glue-like substance.
- Plant resins blended with honeybee secretions
Well, it’s actually a dark colored sticky glue-like substance that’s made from a combination of plant resin and honeybee secretions. Sounds nice eh? Well not really….in fact, in its raw state, it looks, smells and tastes pretty awful.
Now the question is, why do bees go to all the trouble of collecting and making this stuff, surely they have better things to do?
Well, no actually they don’t, propolis is one of 4 substances which is absolutely essential to the survival of the hive. Bees take the propolis and they use it to repair small cracks and holes in the hive, where it’s applied like cement glue and it actually sets quite hard after a while. But as they spread this stuff around the hive walls, what they’re actually doing is creating one of Nature’s most perfect sanitary environments. You see propolis has incredible anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is Mother Nature’s only real anti-septic substance.
Uses in the hive –
- Used to repair small cracks in the hive wall
- Creates a sterile environment inside the hive
- Essential to the existence of the hive colony
The interesting thing about propolis is that it comes from tree bark and other resinous plant materials. Trees and plants are constantly exposed to the environment, so they’re a constant barometer for what’s going on in terms of air toxicity, and soil toxicity. They’re constantly measuring and changing their natural defense mechanisms, inventing defenses against what we, the human species are using against them. Think about air pollution, pesticides, chemicals etc. We’re constantly introducing new ways to pollute the environment, so Mother Nature has empowered the plant world with the ability to evolve and continue to protect itself from harmful humans, as they evolve!
The bees are smart, they’re tapping into this science by collecting the plant resins and combining them with their own secretions to form very powerful drugs. Drugs which are constantly being upgraded to provide the latest method of defense.
Our bees are kind enough to produce enough of these substances to share with us.
- Propolis is removed from the hive
- An extraction process is used to separate debris from active compounds
- Substance is freeze-dried to remove water
- Powder is ground then capsulated and bottled for a typical 3 year shelf-life.
We take the surplus propolis from the hive and we use a natural extraction process to separate the active phenolic compounds from waste and debris. We then concentrate the active material by removing the water, and we’re left with a potent extract of bee propolis which we then grind into a fine powder.
The powder is then capsulated and delivered to your door, typically with a 2-3 year shelf-life.
So what is it good for?
Well, I’ve given you some clues already by talking about it anti-bacterial, anti-viral properties. It’s often used as a natural alternative to antibiotic medication. This actually leads to another piece of information that’s very important to understand. Prescription antibiotics are being over-prescribed at an alarming rate. Any time we catch a cold or a sniffle or get a mild toothache, we’re prescribed an antibiotic. But what happens is that our bodies start to build a resistance against the chemical intrusion. It starts to defend itself against the antibiotic, so that each time we use one it becomes a little less effective. Not so with propolis. Since it’s a natural substance we assimilate it into our system and our body thrives on the nutritional benefits it provides.
- Mother Nature’s natural antibiotic
- Anti-bacterial
- Anti-viral
- High amino acid content
In fact, in some parts of the world propolis is being prescribed alongside pharma products to improve their usefulness and effectiveness in treating some fairly critical illnesses.
Take cancer as one example, there are studies going on in labs which are indicating that propolis might be effective in reducing cancerous cells and tumors.
Health associations of Propolis Include –
- treat ulcers
- cankers
- anti-oxidant properties
- maintain immune system health.
- Cardiovascular health
Propolis is also used internally and topically to treat ulcers, cankers, sores, cuts and wounds.
It is taken for its high anti-oxidant properties to help maintain immune system health.
So this really is an exciting substance. But like anything, you need to make sure that when it arrives at your home it still has its active ingredients and nutritional benefits intact. Which means you need to buy it from a company who specializes in processing this substance, and not from some unknown entity with its roots somewhere in Asia.
There’s so much more you can learn about propolis at our website, www.TheNaturalShopper.com
- Combine it with royal jelly, bee pollen and honey for best results
- Try Total Bee Plus – a combination product containing all 4 products from the hive.
And remember – to get the full benefit from propolis you need to combine it with royal jelly, bee pollen and honey.
We’ve done that job for you, and the result is ‘Total Bee Plus’, the world’s first combination beehive supplement made from nutritionally intact ingredients and brought to you in just the right doses of all 4 bee products in one convenient capsule.
Grab a bottle today from a retailer near you.
Thanks for reading and stay healthy!