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Conrad Bérubé |
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Conrad Bérubé |
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The word "propolis" comes from the Greek, meaning "before the city". It is so-called because of bees' habit of placing the substance around the entrance of their hive and at the junction between combs and the surface from which they depend. Bees will also use it to patch up any cracks in their hive, to deter invaders and to seal off drafts. Also, because of the sticky nature of propolis and its positioning at the entrance as a "welcome mat" returning foragers must, in effect, wipe their feet as they enter the hive. In this way dust and debris brought back to the hive that might harbor pathogenic bacteria are left behind rather than spread to the brood combs where microorganisms might infect the larval bees with one of numerous diseases the to which developing insects are prone. In addition, the substance may serve to deter raiding by ants because of its stickiness and perhaps because the odor of the propolis masks the attractive odors of the nest.
Propolis is usually a combination of plant waxes and resins
collected from buds and tree wounds. Bees have also been known to
collect drying paint, caulking and other adhesive materials to
incorporate into the sticky mass. They transport the propolis
back to the hive in the same way that they do pollen-- in pellets
carried on the "pollen baskets", or corbiculae, found on their
hindmost legs. The propolis is applied where needed by the bees
chewing the stuff and manipulating it with their mouth-parts.
The medicinal properties of propolis, of course, depend on the
source of resins and waxes that make it up. Some degree of
antibiotic properties have been attributed to all propolis thus
far studied and some of the chemicals responsible for this action
have been isolated. Although there is no ailment for which
propolis is specifically recommended many people take
encapsulated propolis on a regular basis as a prophylaxis against
disease, especially of the intestinal tract. It is advised that a
hearty caveat emptor be associated with any claims
regarding the efficacy of this practice. It probably can't hurt--
which nowadays might amount to a substantial endorsement-- but it
is impossible to make accurate statements regarding the
characteristics of propolis without definitive knowledge
regarding the plant sources from which it has been derived. With
that disclaimer, a recipe for a burn ointment is hereafter
reproduced. At least one commercially available product,
toothpaste (of several brands), lists propolis as one of its
ingredients.
BEESWAX AND PROPOLIS BURN OINTMENT
This ointment for burns was originally intended to be used with
propolis and wax from a stingless bee colony ( Melipona
sp) as it is a variant of a formula used by the Mayan indians.
Equally satisfactory results can be obtained using the bee
products available more commonly.
Grate and melt together the beeswax and propolis. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Store in a jar.
Following are portions of a related exchange on Bee-L list
serve (my responses follow those followed by the '> ':
> Four years ago I, my wife, and my son were plagued by ear,
> throat and sinus infections...
> Antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, both the good and the bad...
> ...not only does propolis seal holes and cracks, it's a
> natural germicide.
If propolis is a "natural germicide" then it is, by definition,
an antibiotic. Many (most?) drugs used as antibiotics are
derivatives or synthetic analogs from natural sources (plants or
other microbes-- remember the penicillin from moldy bread?). One
must distinguish between wide-spectrum antibiotics and those that
are more specific. Likewise one should also remember that the
properties of propolis will vary with the sources of plant resins
(and other sources such as wet paint, tar, and insect-trapping
adhesive) which bees will collect and incorporate into that
catch-all propolis.
One really can't make accurate broad, unqualified generalizations
like "propolis is good for you"-- just as one really can't even
say that about honey (as we all know some honeys are actually
poisonous) or fruit (some fruits are poisonous)
Not that I'm disputing (questioning isn't the same as disputing
is it? ;-) your experience with propolis as a more specific
antibiotic for what ailed you but the source of the propolis is
probably more important than that it contained bee secretions.
(It is my understanding that propolis from alder trees is,
supposedly, the most desirable). So as not to appear a total
"nay-sayer" I have seen clinical documentation for positive
results in the application of some kind of propolis in veterinary
medicine.
> it's my understanding that the inside of a bee hive is
> one of the most sterile places on the earth (more sterile than
> an operating room).
As far as a beehive being more sterile than an operating room-- any beekeeper who has had experience with brood diseases such as chalkbrood, foulbrood, nosema, etc will tell you that it just ain't so-- the antibiotic properties of propolis, wax and honey are what make the place livable at all ;-).
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