# Is Anyone Consuming Propolis?



## Apuuli (May 17, 2006)

Yes.
Yes.
I use it for sore throats and the like. I can't use it topically as it causes a rash for me, however, my girlfriend does. Most recently she used it on an infected ear piercing.
I process it into a tincture.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Cool...thanks!


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## John Smith (Jan 31, 2006)

Yes, I use propolis as often and as generously as required, but not as a matter of habit like one's daily vitamin pill. I commenced using it in 1975 when a booklet arrived in my hand describing how useful it was, and how the Russians (very bad people in those days!) were singing its praises. Not a month thereafter, a daughter was born and came home from hospital with a staff infection. 

OK, we used propolis straight from my hives. We chewed it like gum, especially the nursing mother. Several of us also broke out in lesions, but within days the propolis kicked in and eventually all were well and clean again. We rubbed the propolis rich saliva on the skin too. No proprietary drugs were used during that time. 

Nowadays, I find it simply all too easy to get it from the health food store, as it comes in myriad forms. I like the atomiser pack that one simply sprays on a burn, cut or lesion and it stops any infection in its tracks, actually forming a thin skin-like protective coating on the sprayed area. The capsules of granulated propolis I use for colds, flu and sore throat, but seldom get those maladies anyway. I use the propolis salve on sunburn and skin lesions of every description including those that smack of skin cancers, or would probably develop into such. I haven't tried the propolis toothpaste, but find the lemon, honey and propolis lozenges pretty easy to hand out to friends with a sore throat. Yes, I am aware that precious little to no honey goes into them.

In 1975 I mixed it with gluten and powdered sugar, rubbing it together when it was warm. I rolled this thin, cut it in little discs about the size of my thumbnail, maybe 2 or 3 mm thick. All wrapped like Life Savers, and in the fridge, the kids found them and seeing as we deprived them of chewing gum, they used the propolis tabs for the pleasure thereof. I do believe they overdid it, and I quite making it available, but can't just remember what symptoms made me think they were getting too much. They certainly were not poisoned by it, nor did they have allergic reactions or require hospitalisation. It is potent stuff, though, so I suspect overdosing or constant use could lead to some sterilization of the gut, which would not be a good thing. Used topically, I don’t think one would ever be at a risk of over exposure, but everyone is different, so just ease into it.

I have not had oral antibiotics except propolis since then either, and now that daughter is rearing her children by the same methods.

Propolis is like the honey Joe Traynor mentioned in his book, "HONEY - The Gourmet Medicine," it is a medicine without a profit.

So what is the worst case scenario that might eventuate if you run the risk and us the propolis? Well, you might die. But then, what is the worst case scenario if you run the risk and take proprietary anti-biotics? You might die. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are going to die anyway, it is just the timing thereof that is uncertain. 

Grab any propolis you can find, start using it, and keep a level head about it. I have saved a fortune in medical cost and enjoy better health than my peers. Once you have learned how to use propolis you will have a whole new fascination for honey, royal jelly, beeswax and bee venom. Everything from the bee hive is a wondrous product!

Propolis enhances the immune system development, encouraging and helping one's own natural defences to develop. People are alarmed when I say I have no fear of Swine Flu and ask me what makes me think I am immune. I tell them I have a strong immune system. I have faith in my body's ability to deal with it.

Cheers,

JohnS


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## chandler (May 28, 2009)

Wife and I use Tom's Natural toothpaste that contains Propolis. Wasn't one of the things that made us decide to use it, it's what it didn't have. I was surprised when I saw that it contained Propolis. Made me even more interested in their products. Never used my own. Hate it when I get it all over my hands as it's a pain to get it off.


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## nc checkers (Apr 4, 2006)

Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bed post overnight?

I use my own propolis for chewing gum but don't know if I consume very much. Mine gets hard as a rock in cool weather so I never would put it in the fridge.


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## Maine_Beekeeper (Mar 19, 2006)

I collect and dissolve it in cognac for use against sore throat. 
A SMALL "shot" of cognac infused with propolis with a honey/lemon/hot water chaser is all I need to get me right again if I'm feeling a little flu-ish. 

Maybe the healing results are psychosomatic, but I don't believe it for a second.


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## Wee3Bees Apiary (Feb 21, 2006)

Aaaah, cognac and propolis mixture. This sounds like my kind of medicine.


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## John Smith (Jan 31, 2006)

Ironically, it is the act of 'believing' in any medicine that swings it away from being poisonous to being medicinal!

So if it works, it is certainly inexpensive, and side effects are rare, and it's natural, and it's abundant, and local and and and and.

Cheers,

Johns


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## SSmithers (Jul 2, 2009)

I'd been buying it and using , for mold/yeast issues and it helps. And I don't get sick with that and other herbs. I got bees mostly for the propolis and pollen. 

I did try chewing some like gum, and it was great for about 5 minutes. And then it turned into this horrid gummy stuff that I could not get off my teeth. I tried wiping it off with my finger and then nothing would get it off my finger either. Yikes!

Lately I mix it with vodka, drink the liquid and throw the gummy stuff out. Scared of that.


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

Yes. I chew my own occasionally. Sometimes it is too gummy, other times it is just right.
I also take propolis capsules daily. They are available from the same companies that will buy your propolis scrapings: Bee Botanicals and C.C. Pollen to name two. They advertise in ABJ Maybe BC also, but I don't remember.


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

I think I would like to see some tests on propolis only because of the speaker I heard at the North Carolina state Bee Meeting on pollen


Roger Simonds Gastonia testing lab 
The Gastonia lab was / is a lab that tests fruits and vegetables and has started doing testing on everything from the bee world. They are government run and therefore the rates are lower then a private lab and anyone can send samples in to be tested. It was still over a $100 for one sample to be tested, but one test covered over 100 pesticides. This lab has been doing a lot of testing for the studies being done by the universities and he received permission to release data on a summarized basis. One note he mentioned twice is that if you are taking pollen as a dietary supplement you may want to have your source tested as that was the most contaminated product he had ever seen.


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## John Smith (Jan 31, 2006)

Yeah, SKI, that is the way of it when you deal with governmental agencies. They have no programs for being positive, they only focus on problems, yesterday's, at that.

So it is the pollen that is bad aye? It isn't the pesticide they themselves are promoting?

The only forward focus governmental types have is that one day (if they kowtow long enough) they too may be able to rule the world.

Anything that comes out of governments is coming out of the wrong end of them.

Cheers, and good luck with your swine flu injections,

JohnS


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## kwest (May 16, 2009)

I agree with John Smith. it cant be as bad as the junk they put in all those shots. my family doesn't take flue shots. We are using the honey we harvested to help with colds. It scares me to think about all the junk it the shots i had to take this year. My wife and i are adopting a baby boy from ethiopia and we had to get a bunch of shots for the trip over there.


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## Ski (Jan 18, 2007)

I for one will trust a lab geek when he says something is bad, no politics involved.
However, yes its most likely bad because of the chemicals that the bees are collecting from the plants that have been treated by the chemicals that the humans put there, the government does not make us do anything other then pay taxes.
As I understand it the swine flu is world wide and its up to each individual to get a flu shot IF we want one.


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## PA Pete (Feb 2, 2005)

I drop all of mine into a tall, narrow jar filled with grain alcohol. Once it settles, I skim off the clear tincture and put it into dropper bottles I buy at the local health food store. 

I buy demerara (natural) sugar cubes online, which I line up on aluminum foil, thoroughly drench with the above propolis tincture, then let them sit for a few days for the alcohol to evaporate. Once they're dry, I pop them in my mouth every morning for a solid dose of (very tasty) propolis.

Try it. I think you'll like it!

-Pete


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## chillardbee (May 26, 2005)

I use a propolis tenture which is made by grinding up propolis in a coffee grinder after being stored in the freezer (to make it brittle) then with a container fill 1/3 full with propolis powder I add 100%ethyl alcohol to 3/4 full (151 bacardi rum will work too). I allow it to steep for at least 2 weeks but the longer the better. 5 drops of tinture in a glass of water and down it.

I have also sucked on gobs of raw propolis from gobs of prop I collected in the fall. I'm talking about those glissening red almost pure gobs that bees keep adding to the inner cover hole. Raw prop is good at getting rid of a cold or flu and tooth aches.

The tinture can be added to a beeswax/olive oil based ointment to make propolis ointment which is good for cuts, burns, bites, to just about anything else that happens to skin.


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## Tara (Jun 17, 2010)

Are there any scientific studies out there on WHY propolis helps colds, flu, and skin irritations?


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## southeastflorida (May 23, 2010)

Don't eat propolis, but I smoke it.
Resin insence that is.
Jar is propolis, bag is frankinsence.
Charcoal discs are cheap.
I found some cheap ceramic ramikins, so
this is my cheap gifts this holiday.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Propolis (and honey) is anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Propolis is rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It is anti-inflammatory and promotes healing, tissue regeneration, excellent source of energy in addition to fighting infections, *cancer*, mouth/dental issues, flu, ulcers, *pneumonia*, arthritis, Parkinson's, sclerosis, burns, acne, sunburn, shingles, respiratory, wounds, etc. etc.

Good for internal or external use. Using propolis helps prevent/treat flu and other viral issues (herpes). Taken orally, propolis enters the blood stream and travels throughout the body. 

It is said to take royal jelly, propolis and pollen together to receive the benefits of these three things and also, cause a fourth healing factor to be activated. In other words, the benefit is more than the sum of its parts. 

Gleanings from the book: Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly, Propolis and Honey by Rita Elkins, M.H.........
This booklet is 58 pages and the size of a Reader's Digest but thinner. Inexpensive.

For health, take bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis and honey. It does a body good.


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## Adam Foster Collins (Nov 4, 2009)

I chewed some of mine this summer, and really liked the flavor of it. It was almost like a spicy pine tar. However it made my teeth a bright yellow that was REALLY hard to get off.

Adam


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## SERGE (Sep 14, 2010)

Anyone with experience on how to make water based propolis extract?


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

I get Sotol from the Tarahumara Indians at the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua Mexico. Sotol is like tequila; its alcohol that is made from the lechugilla cactus. We dilute the propolis with Sotol and after 3 weeks, its filtered and mixed with a strong tea made of Tascate and Ocote. Tascate is an aromatic Juniper that only grows there and ocote is a sap of a certain type of pine tree. Then, it is all mixed with wild flower honey we collect where agriculture is still being done with minimum equipment and no pesticides. 
The mix, is a strong remedy for respiratory infections, sore throat and persistent cough. We also use it for skin infections. 
This is a formula my grandfather got from some Indian Shaman and we still use.


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## Risky Beesness (Dec 29, 2010)

I would trade a bottle of single malt for a jar of it, right now. Can't shake this cold, soar throat, cough thing. Checking out this thread with great interest.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Risky, send me your address and I will send you some. No cost, merry Xmas.


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## Risky Beesness (Dec 29, 2010)

Sweet. PM sent. I owe you something in return.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Do not worry, just get better. I will send it tomorrow.


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## the kid (Nov 26, 2006)

Maybe the healing results are psychosomatic, but I don't believe it for a second.

I do not care if its in my mind or not as long as does what I want it to do ,, thats all that I care ,, if its in my mind good ,, then my mind must be real strong ..


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Risky; I sent it this morning, knowing how inefficient the post office is, you should get it by the time you do not need it anymore!


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## Beeboy01 (May 20, 2008)

I'll collect propolis while working my hives and roll it up in small balls, put it in the fridge and eat it broken up as powder. Sometimes I'll chew a piece and swallow it after a few minutes while in the bee yard. I don't know if it helps my health or not but it is there, free and is supposed to be good for me. I have a couple of friends who are always taking any extra I have for thier own use. I have one hive that came from a swarm that really glues everything together with propolis. The propolis from that hive tastes a little like Juicy Fruit chewing gum.


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## John Smith (Jan 31, 2006)

Propolis seems to be last thing to slowly float out of honey, so the tanks you store clean honey in for a long time will have a fine skin of debris on them (stuff that didn't float out in the first week so to speak). A tank you might use for back door sales is the ideal place to find this fine material. 

I have a shop tank from which we fill bottles for the customer, so the honey in there has all the time in the world to settle out. After many refillings, the walls are coated in the fine debris. 

When I finally do empty the tank and clean it out, I carefully salvage all the debris I can scrape off the tank walls. When washed and dried, it is a fine granule, almost like sand.

It is in this form very easy to store and can be sprinkled on foodstuffs of any sort to make it easy to ingest. I sprinkle it on hay, sometimes with honey to feed a sick cow or horse. It works for the dog, probably for most animals, as they all tend to enjoy chewing on something out of the beehive.

So why be sick?

Cheers,

JohnS


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Suppose someone specifically wanted their bees to generate propolis what would they do. My guess would bee leave big gaps between the hives for them to fill but wonder if there's another strategy. This thread has me really interested. I would really appreciate any tips on this. Thanks, VW


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## oblib (Oct 28, 2011)

Make an inner cover out of window screen. they will cover it all up


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks for the tip. I'm interested in trying some of it as a supplement... Much Appreciated , VW


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

A propolis trap. Not sure who sells them anymore.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Mann Lake sells them. I want to try the mosquito screen used everywhere, they seem to have good results.


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

O.K.
I have been saving propolis from just general cleaning up of boxes etc. The propolis market interests me. SSooooo, I bought a 5th of ever clear and am dissolving //making a tinture,,,, as ,,I write. 
Rule # 1 do not sip the EC. Rule # 1 do not sip the EC,,,Rule # 1 do not sip the EC,,,, O.K. rule # one is in place. (thanks for spell checker)
Mixed and warmed in the microwave .,,,,gently. Working well so far,,,,,the mix my friends, well, me too.
By the the end of the evening,,,there will not be a germ or virus alive in my body.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Rick,

I make a tincture the same way except I call the clear fluid white lightening (WL) rather than ever clear. Once I grind the frozen propolis with a (retired) electric coffee grinder I mix it with the WL in a bottle, put it on top of the water heater and shake it for the next 4-6 weeks. I end up with a fully saturated solution (high percentage.) I have several customers who want it for TOPICAL APPLICATIONS with a Q-tip. I caution customers not to take it orally.

From my experience when used topically it leaves an orangish stain or coating on the skin. I do not think that that would be good in the mouth or throat.

Regards,
Steve


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

I have thought of the WL solvent. My experiences suggests it would be a better "product". All natural. 
I have a call in to Jr. Johnson
In the meantime ,,,,I'm looking for some copper coil

I'm out of smiley faces.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2010)

Serge -- Propolis is insoluble in water, so it's going to be pretty tough to make a water-based propolis extract.


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

Steve,
Is your WL solvent high percentage as well?  
I haven't have any trouble getting the Propolis to dissolve in the EC with a few quick bursts on the micro wave and a lot of agitation.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Rick,

WL and EC are the same fluid, just my local jargon. Longer time period just insures higher concentration of final product.

Steve


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## DC Bees (Sep 24, 2009)

While on the subject of propolis,how do you seperate the wax pieces from the propolis.I have a container mixed with both.I was thinking of boiling the whole batch.The wax would rise to the top while the propolis settles to the bottom.Will this work or will i have a big mess,thanks.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

DC,

If you are using alchol to dissolve the propolis, heat will evaporate the alchol and I'm sure you will have a big mess. The easy thing to do with the propolis and wax particles dissolved in alchol is to make a cone out of fly screen and line it with a dry coffee filter and pour the mix through. Be aware that you will never be able to get the solidified propolis off of the catching container. I use the bottom three inches of an empty milk carton and then after botteling the tincture throw the carton away.

Bear Creek Steve


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2010)

To DC and Bear ... 

Don't heat this stuff! The heat may affect the propolis in ways that are not good. Heating a concentrated alcohol solution is also a great way to start a fire. And heat is really not necessary.

Mix the propolis/wax/scrapings with ethyl alcohol (ever clear, vodka, moonshine, whatever, just make sure the alcohol is high-proof, food-grade stuff) in a clean food-grade container that can be sealed tight. A wide-mouth canning jar works good. Pour enough alcohol to cover the propolis by several inches. Cap tightly so the alcohol doesn't evaporate. Gently shake the mess once or twice a day for several weeks. 

Put a coffee filter in a funnel. Put the funnel onto another container that can be sealed tightly (another wide-mouth canning jar works good). Pour the liquid in the first jar through the filter. If you go slow, you will be able to pour most of the clean liquid through the filter before you get to the solids. That will save a lot of mess. 

Discard the coffee filter and the left-over solids -- the wax bits, wood scrapings, bee parts, etc. Don't chuck it all in the trash right away to prevent a fire hazard. I put this stuff outside in a safe place so the alcohol can evaporate first.

To clean the sticky propolis residue off your containers, funnel, hands, etc., you can rinse them off with more alcohol to dissolve most of the propolis residue, then wash with hot water and plenty of soap. You can also use Simple Green cleaner, full strength, and a little elbow grease. It's not that hard to clean up, really.


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## Danleaf (Dec 14, 2020)

i have had tonsillitis a lot until i started taking propolis tincture every day. and i have to say my tonsillitis has never returned.


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