9 Key Health Benefits of Propolis

Propolis - What It Is And What It Has To Offer You In Terms Of Health Benefits?

Bees have a lot to offer us from honey to beeswax with every product having its own awesome set of benefits. One of the most underrated of these products is a precious compound known as propolis.

Like honey, it possesses numerous unique properties that can be harnessed for health purposes. Below is a little more about this compound and what you can expect from it.

What is propolis?

Propolis is also commonly referred to as bee glue. As the name suggests, the substance is used by the insects as an adhesive for different hive activities, seals cracks in the hive, emergency food, at the entrance of the hive as an anti bactirial to clean the legs of the foragers entering the hive, mummify dead bugs or pests in the hive that are too hard to remove by covering them in it, It consists of a mixture of components including bee saliva, honey, beeswax and plant extracts like sap. It also contains numerous compounds with health benefits. These include a variety of amino acids, coumarines and polyphenols.

9 Key Health Benefits of Propolis you have to look forward to:

Lower Blood Pressure

It is a scientifically demonstrated fact that propolis can help reduce blood pressure. It works by inhibiting the quantity and function of a body enzyme known as tyrosine hydroxylase. The enzyme contributes to high blood pressure by reducing vessel dilation mediated by Nitric Oxide. Consuming propolis reverses this promoting vessel dilation and reducing peripheral resistance which in turn lowers blood pressure.

Anti-Microbial Activity

Propolis has also been shown to have an anti-microbial effect. This is commonly applied in home remedies for things like wound healing and throat infections. Like honey, it works both indirectly through desiccation and directly through anti-bacterial compounds.

Improved Dental Health

Propolis also helps promote dental health especially in trauma cases. It does this mainly by reducing inflammation to affected areas. The anti-microbial effects are also applied in this case with propolis being used as an infection prevention measure. When used in dental health, it is usually applied on open mouth wounds after tooth extractions or trauma of any kind to the teeth or gums.

Control of Hypersensitivity Reactions

This one is for those who suffer from allergies especially respiratory ones. Propolis contains compounds that reduce the release and action of histamines which are central to hypersensitivity reactions. By inhibiting this part of the chain reaction, the product limits allergic flare-ups.

Mitigation of Food Poisoning

If you are having an upset tummy then propolis might also come in handy. In this case, the effects are as a result of two main activities as with the dental health benefits. The product’s ability to reduce inflammation reduces the discomfort and pain associated with an irritated gut. The antimicrobial activity on the other hand gets rid of all the culprits responsible for the upset.

Improved Dermatological Health

Propolis is very effective when it comes to getting rid of skin warts. In fact it has been marketed as a formidable source of competition to ordinary wart treatments. In order to enjoy this effect, all you need to do is to apply a paste made from the propolis onto the wart at least once or twice a day. Repeat this until the wart completely disappears. It will restore your skin to its former wart-free glory in no time.

Improves Athletic Performance

In this case, a compound in propolis known as caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is to thank. It has powerful antioxidant activities that are particularly useful to athletes. The antioxidant effect helps clear out by-products of intense muscle activities. This junk if left in the muscles could lead to increased fatigue. Using propolis therefore promotes athletic performance by increasing overall endurance and resilience.

Reverses Bone Disease

CAPE is also responsible for this effect. The compound has been shown to stop and sometimes even completely reverse death of bone cells. This is commonly seen in conditions such as bone density loss with propolis being a great natural remedy to consider.

Control of Some Forms of Cancer

Propolis isn’t a magical cancer cure but it is effective in promoting destruction of tumor cells in some forms of cancer. The most notable in this case are colonic and prostate cancer. Studies even show that the product has the potential to prevent prostate cancer however this is yet to be applied in practical medicine.

With so much to offer in terms of health benefits, propolis can without a doubt easily give honey a run for its money. So whether you are a bee keeper or a bee product enthusiast, it is important for you to recognize and appreciate the power and potential of this underrated product.