# Issues with Adding Honey to Propolis Tincture?



## LetsBeeColorado

This is the second year that I have made a propolis tincture. The first year I used everclear to make a 30% tincture, but many complained that it was too strong (alcohol burning sensation) when they ingested it. This year I made a new 20% batch with vodka to made it easier to ingest. I have more one week of shaking, but some preliminary taste tests seem pretty good to me. Still, I'm wondering what else I can do to make it more appealing for others. 

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried adding some honey to their tinctures to make them sweeter. I've searched the forum posts and I have never seen a post with someone trying this method. Does anyone see any issues with this or thing that it might alter the tincture in an adverse way?


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## JohnBruceLeonard

I, too, would be very curious about this. In Taos, New Mexico I used to buy, not a tincture, but a kind of solid propolis cream you could scoop out with a spoon. It was really quite delicious, and I am certain it was mixed with honey. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the company that produced it, but I seem to remember that it came from your neck of the woods, LetsBeeColorado...

Again, it was not a tincture, but something of the sort might be a valid alternative.

John


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## FlowerPlanter

I would say honey makes everything better


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## Tenbears

Remember what Marry Poppins said. Just a spoon full of honey makes the medicine go down. Or was that sugar? Same difference. :banana:


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## Eikel

I'm seriously curious, what is the tincture or cream used for; moisturizing, nasal drip, snake bite ?. Tongue in cheek, I'd worry about propolis gluing my innards together.


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## LetsBeeColorado

JohnBruceLeonard said:


> I, too, would be very curious about this. In Taos, New Mexico I used to buy, not a tincture, but a kind of solid propolis cream you could scoop out with a spoon. It was really quite delicious, and I am certain it was mixed with honey. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the company that produced it, but I seem to remember that it came from your neck of the woods, LetsBeeColorado...
> 
> Again, it was not a tincture, but something of the sort might be a valid alternative.
> 
> John


Hey, John! My father lives down in Taos and I visit there often. Do you remember the location where you bought that propolis cream (or general area of town)? I'd be interested to see if I can track it down.

Erik


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## ruthiesbees

Propolis is good for all sorts of stuff from colds to helping arthritis due to it's anti-inflammatory properties. I haven't figured out how to attach a pdf to beesource so it will just have to be a link to the apitherapy page of FB where there are some downloadable articles on it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/apitherapy/files/


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## JohnBruceLeonard

LetsBeeColorado said:


> Hey, John! My father lives down in Taos and I visit there often. Do you remember the location where you bought that propolis cream (or general area of town)? I'd be interested to see if I can track it down.
> 
> Erik


Yes indeed, Erik... It's a grocery store called Cid's Food Market, and it's at the north end of town. If you are coming from Denver, you would likely be entering Taos from the other end. You drive all the way through Taos, and it's almost at the edge of town, on the right side of the main road. But if your father lives in Toas he certainly knows Cid's. What is his name, by the way?

Keep in mind, it was some five years ago I used to purchase this propolis there. Who knows if they are still producing it. In any case, it came in a white and yellow plastic canister, and if I am not mistaken it had a hand-drawn picture of a bee on it. The royal jelly, which I never tried, had a rather corpulent bee with a crown, or some such thing.

Such, at least, my most fallible memory tells me.

John


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## Eikel

I've never had the urge to pop a chuck of propolis in my mouth, does it have a describable flavor? I have a hive that is a propolis factory and there's a "wad" of propolis that I scraped off the top bars still sitting in a corner. Do I dare sample it the next time I open the hive? (I'm trusting this isn't one of the proverbial "smart pills").


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## JohnBruceLeonard

Eikel, have you ever tried Indian chewing gum? If not, find yourself a likely pine tree, and take a bite out of a chunk of crystalized sap. It should be the solid stuff, not anything you can compress with your fingers. (Warning, however: it sticks to your teeth like the devil.)

This is something much similar to the flavor of raw propolis.

However, in tincture form you taste the alcohol almost more than the propolis. There is still a distinctive flavor that many find to be too strong. Personally, I like it. And I find that it does wonders for the common cold.

John


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## Ravenseye

Years and years ago I had a beekeeper neighbor who made his own propolis tincture and would add ZaRex to it before drinking it down. I doubt many other people here remember ZaRex but it was a fruity, sweet syrup concentrate that you mixed with water to make a cool drink. He sometimes used maple syrup. There's a couple of ideas. A current friend of mine swears by this recipe when she has a cold. 

One cup of boiling hot water
One half lemon, squeezed into the hot water
Two tablespoons honey added
One tablespoon of propolis tincture (made with everclear or whatever) added

Stir and drink as quickly as the how drink will allow. 

I rarely drink mine but would probably add honey at the time I take it. Most of my propolis mixtures go towards healing bad wounds on me or my many other 4 legged critters.


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## JohnBruceLeonard

Ravenseye said:


> A current friend of mine swears by this recipe when she has a cold.
> 
> One cup of boiling hot water
> One half lemon, squeezed into the hot water
> Two tablespoons honey added
> One tablespoon of propolis tincture (made with everclear or whatever) added.


I have found precisely the same thing to be very effective.

Yet more effective, is propolis added to a mixture of garlic and onion. But the taste is a bit _strong, _to say the least.

John


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## Eikel

Lordy this curiosity thing is going to be the end of me eventually. Sorry Eric, I didn't mean to steal your thread. You mention making a 20% tincture, is that by weight or volume? How do you mix it? I use rubbing alcohol to remove propolis from my fingers in the out yards but still requires sufficient rubbing to remove it.

Ravenseye's recipe sounds like one my mother would give me but she used whiskey rather than a tincture. After a few you felt better or really didn't care anymore, good stuff.

John,
I have chewed pine sap, I can't say it was really enjoyable but the nor was it unpleasant.


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## Eikel

Ruth,
The FB articles are an interesting read.


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## hex0rz

I remember trying a ball of propolis from the hive. Boy was I in for it! It was very distinct and instantly reminded me of the dove soap I had shoved in my mouth for cursing or what have you as a kid. It burned quit well also. Don't chew the stuff like I did and you will be better off swallowing it like a capsule.

I've got a quart jar of propolis going myself. Once the vapor or the 151 proof ever clear dissipates it smells like good ol propolis.

I work at a nutraceutical company and they dissolve mushrooms in an alcohol for an immune support product. I usually take it straight from the dropper, but it will make your face twist.

So to remedy any of that I just put it in my protein shake and the flavor is gone but still retain the benefits.


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## Rader Sidetrack

>> I doubt many other people here remember ZaRex but it was a fruity, sweet syrup concentrate that you mixed with water to make a cool drink. 


Still available .... http://www.famousfoods.com/zafrpufldrco.html


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## Eikel

Something tells me I'm going to be reminded why I never had the urge to eat propolis. One of those, "Here, hold my beer" moments. Is the 20% by weight or volume?


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## clyderoad

Eikel said:


> Something tells me I'm going to be reminded why I never had the urge to eat propolis. One of those, "Here, hold my beer" moments. Is the 20% by weight or volume?


There are many ways to make tincture altering the solvent and concentrations. Here is one that may help.
The solutions are made by weight and give a weight to volume final product. Grain alcohol is used for internal and external use. (Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol is for external use only.)
for 20% tincture:
> grain alcohol 70% (140 proof vodka) 1000 grams. Equals approx 1000 ml.
> clean propolis 200 grams
makes a 1:5 tincture (1 part propolis to 5 parts menstruum (solvent)). Which results in a tincture dose or action of 20mg propolis/100ml tincture.

140 proof grain alcohol is used because propolis is difficult to dissolve in lower proof alcohol. 
this should get you started.


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## Eikel

thank you sir


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## clyderoad

LetsBeeColorado said:


> I was wondering if anyone has ever tried adding some honey to their tinctures to make them sweeter. I've searched the forum posts and I have never seen a post with someone trying this method. Does anyone see any issues with this or thing that it might alter the tincture in an adverse way?


If I were to add honey I would mix it/add it to the menstruum (solvent) before adding the propolis to avoid precipitation of
any components of the propolis. Addition of many ingredients, even water to dilute the alcohol content of the finished tincture,
can cause precipitation in the tincture.
In short add it to the menstruum before beginning the extraction process (soaking) of the propolis.


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