Bee Propolis Powder
How to Take Bee Propolis: Everything You Need To Know
Honey bees are those gritty and resilient manufacturers who don’t like to give up! Want to know how? Look at their products— Honey and Propolis. Like who on earth would make two products that never get out of the market?
But bee propolis— the lesser-known gem— needs some dissection, especially when immune health is the hot topic, and you need to know it.
Bee propolis is a silent guardian, a watchful protector, & a powerful caretaker of bees’ houses. It’s the reason why honey exists!
We all use sealants to cover up chinks in our places to minimize the wrath of rain and sun god!
Similarly, bees naturally produce gooey-glue like sealants to cover up the open spaces in their hives.
It gives them protection against water, fungus, virus, bacteria, and wood decay.
You might not believe it, but honey exists because propolis exists. Propolis safeguards bees in their homes while they yield honey when fit and fine. If it were not for propolis— bees would find a tough time making honey.
Manufacturing propolis is no less than laborious work! But never underestimate the artistry of bees.
Honey bees love evergreen or needle-leaved trees. They like to linger around conifer and poplar buds, sap, and other botanical sources.
While hovering around, they often mix their own discharges and beeswax with the exudate gathered from sap and buds.
The combination results in a gooey-brown item that’s nothing but the external coating to build and shield the hives.
The tree immune system combines with the bee hive’s immune system to present a strong case for the human immune system.
Bee propolis possesses powerful germicidal and antioxidant properties; the very reason bees rely so much on these protective coatings. But bees’ propolis has also shown high potency in strengthening the human immune system.
Bee glue has fancy flavonoids with antioxidant activities and phenolics with anti-stress responses that not only help bees boost their health but allow humans to take profound use of its health benefits.
Natural propolis is really challenging to administer. Go for infused propolis for safety and effectiveness.
While you can have raw propolis— trust us— it could be a daunting experience— mainly because of its impact on your teeth.
Infused-propolis supplements such as tinctures, chunks, capsules, & powders built by trusted companies will mean safer and effective doses for your body.
Each supplement has a proper way to ingest, and you need to take care of it before gulping any dose of it.
How to take propolis tincture (propolis drop)
It depends on what you get from the market— the alcohol-based or water-based propolis tincture.
The alcohol-dominant tincture has 1:1 of alcohol and propolis, 50-50% of each! Whereas the water-propolis is a bit diluted form with only 20% of propolis strength.
If you have picked the former one— third-to-one-half of a dropper full (which is roughly equal to 6 drops) should be sufficient for a strong effect. Squirt it directly into the back of the mouth rather than dropping it on the back of the throat.
Squeeze off the entire dropper when you are having the milder version of propolis. Don’t overdo as it’s less waxy and has a muted taste.
How to take propolis chunks
If you are mulling over what propolis chunks are, here’s the deal— they’re the raw form of bee propolis.
The large slates of propolis are chopped off in small raw pieces that give an unprocessed and natural genuinity.
You can have them orally— by merely swallowing or chewing them up. Having a piece or two should do for the day. You wouldn’t want to chomp more of them because the greenish-brown ones would stain off your teeth.
It gives you the luxury of fighting the cold. Increase your dose if you are eyeing to alleviate a specific health condition with the bee glue.
How to take propolis capsules
Propolis capsules easily cut in the most-convenient supplements bracket. A few pills, here and there, and you build a robust antimicrobial immune against cold.
We recommend you to have two or three pills of 10g propolis capsules daily. For faster action against cold, you’d like to have 6 – 8 capsules per day.
Simply put, have two pills at any time of ingestion— repeat it thrice or four times a day. It’s quite safe to have more pills if you are trying to get hold of aggravated health conditions.
The best you could do is talk to the Naturopathic health professionals about the underlying issue and maintain a dose.
How to take propolis powder
This could make the best of the list. We get propolis powder by crushing and grinding the propolis raw slab.
The hint of a sweet and antiseptic taste might not compel you to have it in your Saturday night treat.
But a little more creative ones like to add the fine-powdery supplement for enhancing the flavor of their recipe meals and food-savories.
You can pull off the same thing by either sprinkling them on your meal or creating a propolis butter.
‘Sealing’ the deal— final words of caution
Now that you know the tidbits of bee propolis make sure that you’re embellishing your rack with trusted and guaranteed products. We @ Al-Malaky suggest you avoid cheap, counterfeited products and have your hands on the gem of the realm.
How to Use Raw Propolis
Have you ever seen that sticky, brown paste all over the inside of a beehive? That is called propolis, and it’s more important than you think. While propolis has many uses for bees, it is also beneficial to humans. Just like beeswax and honey, propolis has long been harvested and used medicinally.
If you’d like to learn how to use raw propolis, read on. But first let’s cover the basics.
What Is Propolis?
Commonly called bee glue, propolis is a resin like substance used by bees to seal small open spaces in the hive. While the color or propolis can vary depending on it’s source, most propolis is dark brown. It’s texture is quite sticky, but it does harden in colder temperatures.
By user:Abalg – Own work, Public Domain,
Honeybees have several uses for propolis. It is often used to fill small gaps and cracks in their hive, line nest cavities, and reduce the hive opening, making it easier to defend. Propolis is important to bees because it provides both stability and insulation to the hive.
Amazingly, propolis is antibacterial, and it does a great job of inhibiting the growth of bacteria and fungus. An important function of propolis is to sterilize and disinfect the hive.
If a bee dies in the hive it’s body gets carried out. But sometimes intruders such as mice or lizards die in the hive and the bees are not able to get the body out. In order to halt decay and putrefaction the bees will encase the carcass in propolis, mummifying it to prevent contamination.
How is Propolis Made?
Bees make propolis from tree resins and sap. Worker bees collect the materials when they are out foraging. Once back at the hive the resins are unloaded with the help of other bees. They then mix the resin with wax, stomach enzymes, and honey to create propolis. Bees tend to keep a stock of propolis available for emergency patches and other jobs.
Propolis Benefits
While propolis is extremely useful, and necessary for bees, it also has benefits to humans too. In fact, people have known how to use raw propolis medicinally as far back as 30 BC. It has multiple uses and is and all around natural health care remedy.
Propolis is antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti fungal.
Propolis can be used for the following ailments:
Inflammation – Propolis contains compounds that reduce the chronic inflammatory response.
Immune System – Propolis boosts the immune system. Used during cold season, it has been found that propolis decreases and even suppresses the viral-microbial flora carriage of the upper airways. The antimicrobial properties of propolis stifles harmful bacterial and infections, while also increasing the body’s natural resistance.
Allergies – A study showed that propolis reduce histamine release, which makes it an all natural antihistamine.
Wounds – Assists healing of cuts and burns and speeds up healthy new cell growth.
Eczema and Psoriasis – Anti-inflammatory properties of propolis helps relieve symptoms of eczema and psoriasis.
Cold Sores and Genital Herpes – Reduces the amount of herpes virus while also protecting the body from future breakouts.
Cancer – Research shows that propolis causes certain cancer cells to die by necrosis, but did not harm healthy cells. This suggests that propolis would be a great complementary therapy for cancer.
How to Use Raw Propolis
With so many different benefits many people want to know how to use raw propolis. It’s simple, raw propolis can be taken orally, just as it is. The taste is sweet, similar to molasses. There is currently no medically recommended dose, but in general people take 1 teaspoon daily. As always, consult your doctor before starting new supplements. Using raw propolis this way is also beneficial to your dental health, as propolis reduces cavities by impairing the enzyme that causes dental plaque.
Other ways to use raw propolis is to take it in tablet, capsule, or liquid extract form. This way you would still get the health benefits of propolis without having to taste it. You may find that propolis is these forms are easier to take and store.
For skin and wounds you need to learn how to use raw propolis topically. Propolis can be applied directly to the skin, however that may get a little messy. Luckily, propolis also comes in ointment, cream, and lotion form. Apply propolis topically for skin issues such as wounds, burns, eczema, and even acne.
Now that you know how to use raw propolis, let’s take a look at how beekeepers get propolis.
How to Harvest and Process Propolis
Just like honey and beeswax, propolis is harvested by beekeepers. There are 2 ways to harvest propolis. You can scrape the propolis from the hive during an inspection or honey harvest, or you can use a propolis trap.
Hive Scraping
A hive tool is used to scrape propolis
Hive scraping is a quick and easy way to harvest propolis, but the downside is that it will likely contain bits of wood, wax and bee parts. Propolis harvested this way will require soaking to remove such contaminants. Placing propolis in a large bucket of water will cause the propolis to sink to the bottom while the impurities will rise to the top.
Similarly, beekeepers also will bake their propolis scrapings in a few inches of water. Doing so causes the wax to melt and float to the top of the water. The propolis, meanwhile will stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the water is drained the propolis is frozen and chipped in pieces out of the pan. The beekeeper carefully dries each piece before storing them.
Propolis Trap
Another way to harvest propolis is by using a propolis trap. A propolis trap is a thin piece of plastic with many small, narrow slits. The trap is placed where the inner cover would normally go. The bees then will fill the slits with propolis in an effort to plug up the holes.
To harvest the propolis the beekeeper will place the trap in a freezer for several hours. Once the propolis is frozen the now brittle propolis can be cracked off of the tray.
Other than cleaning the propolis (in the case of propolis scraping), no further processing is necessary unless you want to turn it into powder or extracts. This propolis can now be eaten or applied topically.
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Propolis Powder, Extract, and Oil
Propolis powder is made by grinding frozen chunks of propolis, either by hand or electric grinder. This can be somewhat tricky because the propolis can become sticky and difficult to grind. The powder can also be made into propolis tablets.
Propolis extracts involve dissolving propolis with a solvent, such as food grade alcohol. Place propolis into a jar of alcohol. Shake the jar to mix at least once a day. The process takes 1-2 weeks and it should be strained before using. Propolis oil is made in a similar fashion. Propolis and oil is gently heated on a stovetop until well combined and strained.
How to Store Raw Propolis
Raw propolis should be kept in an airtight container, at room temperature. Propolis that will not be used for a while can also be stored in the freezer.
Where to Buy Propolis
If you are not a beekeeper, but would still like to use raw propolis, you can also purchase it. Pharmacies and health food stores would be your best bet to buy propolis supplements. However, depending on your location, it may be difficult to find propolis for sale in a physical store. Luckily, it’s easy to buy propolis online. Amazon sells propolis in many different forms.
Propolis Capsules
Durham’s Bee Propolis comes in 500 mg capsules. 120 capsules are in each jar. This proplis comes directly from a beekeeper in the USA. Take 1 capsule daily for help in caring for minor wounds, boosting immunity and softening the skin.
Propolis Extract
Nature’s Answer Propolis Resin Extract is an alcohol free concentrated extract. One serving is 500 mg of propolis. Nature’s Answer’s liquid extracts are made using their exclusive Bio-Chelation cold process method which eliminates alcohol in the finished product. As a supplement, take 2-3 mL 3 times a day.
Propolis Ointment
This homeopathic propolis ointment by Mos Pharma is a 100% organic natural ointment. This ointment is used to heal and soothe skin, including rashes, bug bites, burns, and cold sores. This product is made in Russia, and has russian writing on the box, but don’t let that deter you, as many reviewers say that this propolis ointment works well and fast.
Propolis Spray
Beekeeper’s Naturals Propolis Throat Spray is 95% bee propolis extract. Use this supplement for sore throats and natural immune system support. This natural remedy is alcohol free, sustainably sourced, and certified paleo. The propolis used to make this spray is from remote apiaries in the mountainous regions of Canada.
Propolis Chunks
Raw propolis chunks can also be bought online. Goshen Honey offers raw, natural bee propolis for sale. This is 100% pure bee propolis that can be eaten as is, or made into other products.
Conclusion
Propolis is an amazing resin like substance made by bees. Bees use propolis to seal open spaces in their hive. Humans have learned how to use raw propolis for it’s antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti fungal properties.
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Bee Propolis Powder
What Is Bee Propolis?
Bee propolis, also known as bee glue, is a product bees produce to seal cracks in their hives. It consists mostly of resin, wax, essential oils, pollen, and other organic compounds.
Bee propolis is used in apitherapy, the use of bee products such as honey propolis, pollen, and venom for therapeutic purposes. Substances made by bees are believed to have unique and potent health benefits.
Not all bee propolis is alike. Because bees pollinate many different types of plants all over the world, factors such as geographic location, season, and type of pollen collected by the bees impact the exact composition of the propolis.
Bee Propolis Benefits †
Bee propolis contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. It’s also rich in vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, and E, as well as minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, copper, zinc, manganese and iron. It may help settle the stomach and support digestive health. It may also help reduce dental plaque and support dental health, as well as support healthy skin.
