Bee Propolis Benefits To The Immune
System
The immune system plays a critical
role in sustaining health and vitality. A healthy immune system protects us from
disease and infection and is key when considering longevity or "anti
aging" - propolis may help
boost the
immune system, lets take a look at how and why through an indepth review
of propolis extract benefits.
Various natural
ingredients purport to provide aid to a healthy immune system, one
of
these is nature's own propolis. The key to understanding the role
of the
immune system can be researched fully from the many medical studies which have
been conducted, most of which are available to you online. It is important to
know that as we age, approaching our mid thirties and beyond, the immune
system weakens. The weakening immunity which our
body provides can make us more susceptible to contracting illnesses, many of
which can develop into serious and life threatening conditions, such as
cancer.
Cell
degeneration is a product of a deteriorating immune system, yet we may be able
to slow the
process by introducing natural combatants, such as
propolis. Offering a range of active 'flavonoids', propolis may work to promote
cellular regeneration and actually support the immune system via its cell
building compounds.
Of course, there are very different grades of
bee propolis, and it is necessary to select your source with some care. We need
to ensure enzyme activity along with nutritionally active vitamins and minerals,
for the
power of propolis to be useful to us in a potential medicinal sense. A
nutritionally 'dead' product may have some benefit when applied to the skin
topically, but as an immune support agent it provides very little. The
integrity of the collected substance must
maintain flavonoids in their original combination for it
to provide some benefits.
It is possible to get quite
technical at this point, but rather than do that we'll focus
on the
substance itself, the propolis extract benefits and
sources, and provide links to more detailed medical resources towards the end of
this review.
In a nutshell, it is understood that the
flavonoids in propolis may work to block the release of histamine which
works to develop the efficacy of the immune
system and obstruct the formation of many common
illnesses.
It's interesting to understand how
propolis is used around the hive, as a clue to what it
might do to us humans. Understanding that propolis is collected by bees from
trees such as pine/poplar, horse chestnut willow and birch, we need to look what
role the
sap plays in protecting the trees from the
natural contaminants to which it is
exposed in the plant and animal kingdom. In
doing so we find that sap has antibiotic properties which work to protect the trees
from viral and bacterial types of infection. So it isn't just by chance
that the
bees chose to work with sap and natural plant resins in
constructing the hive complex. In fact,
utilizing
the saps and resins in the construction process is a small
part of the
selection process - the saps,
mingled with
the natural bee secretions, form an
extremely powerful anti-viral, anti-biotic, anti fungal agent
which sanitizes the interior of the hive
and protects its many residents.
How Propolis Might Benefit Your
Health
For many years, Propolis
was looked upon as being just a material
bees used to repair their
hives. Subsequent research has shown that the benefits
of Propolis reach much
further than being merely a glue or
cement.
Propolisis formed from a
residue of plant material that bees have gathered.
Usually,
they choose sap from a tree, buds, or resin from tree bark, and
return to the hive
whereupon it is put to good use. Once in
place, the
sap or resin is mixed with pollen, wax, bee
bread, and nectar to form
Propolis.
It is odd that the
ancient Romans and Greeks understood some of the
valuable properties of this substance, but knowledge of
its benefits seem to
have been lost for many
centuries. Fortunately, interest in natural healing substances has brought about
a renewal in
the interest of Propolis as a healing
agent.
Far
from being only a cementing agent, Propolis performs a number
of valuable functions for the hive. Fungal infections can
destroy a colony, as can bacterial ones, but Propolis
helps to prevent these
infections and keep the hive clean and sanitary. Simply
by rubbing against the
Propolis, the bees
help to
protect themselves against infection
from the
external elements, but also help to spread the
inhibitory qualities throughout the
hive.
Propolis
has long been valued for
treating burns and minor skin wounds and infections. In this case, it would be
applied
topically and not only will it act as a bactericide, but its anti
inflammatory properties help to reduce
swelling and irritation. Even more healing power from Propolis
may be obtained by taking it as an oral supplement, as it contains
many vitamins and minerals which may help with the efficiency of the
immune
system.
A veritable scourge of modern
society is herpes. This is a viral infection for which there is
no recognized cure – once you have herpes it will be with you throughout your
life. This is a painful and sometimes debilitating disease that often does not
respond to conventional
medicines. Propolis has
been shown to have a powerful antiviral
effect both in the petri dish and in the test
subject. Propolis seems to
interfere with the ability of the Herpes
virus
to enter the cell in order to
infect it. These properties
of Propolis seem to operate
both before a Herpes infection has occurred and
afterwards.
Yeast
infections can be persistent and recurring. They can be almost
impossible to extinguish,
especially if your immune system is not functioning
well. Most yeast infections occur in the mouth or vagina, although they can
be systems-wide or occur on the skin surface. While many
of
these infections resist a conventional course of treatment,
Propolishas
qualities that might work to help stop most
yeast infections naturally. As Propolis works to
protect the bee
colony from fungi, so it might help to eliminate yeast infections
in humans and prevent their recurrence. It has
also been found to
be very effective against the oral yeast infections which
haunt denture wearers
Endometriosis is an autoimmune
disease affecting up to 30% of women. The
symptoms of this condition can range
from mild pain during menstruation to infertility. While there are
drugs designed to treat endometriosis
available,
their side effects can be serious. However, it has been
proven that some endometriosis caused infertility can be corrected by using
a Propolis
supplement. Happily, there were no side effects reported
from the
study, so the women participating experienced
no problems with high blood pressure or depression associated with hormonal
treatments. And, perhaps the best result of all was that 60%
of the
women with endometriosis - associated infertility were able to become
pregnant after taking Propolis regularly.
This compared most favorably with the 20% pregnancy rate of the
control group that took a
placebo.
Propolis
has also shown its worth in treating that most dreaded of
diseases – cancer. Both in the laboratory and in
clinical trials, Propolis has shown
anti-cancer abilities that may hold out hope for those suffering from this
condition. While human testing is just beginning, patients have had the blood
supply to the tumor
restricted and the growth of the tumor
has been stopped. Besides acting
directly on
the tumor, Propolis may also help to
rally the immune
system so that the body can more effectively fight
against this life-threatening disease.
Total Bee
Plus - Is our best selling product containing a
potent dose of propolis
extract. We use a patented extraction process to obtain
pure raw ingredients which are nutritionally intact.
Learn more about
the benefits of propolis
and other bee
products around our website. Here are some shortcuts to get
you to
the information quickly
Propolis
When looking at the products from the beehive it's hard to ignore the power
of
propolis.
This substance may provide us with a range of benefits both when ingested and
used topically, but where does this “bee glue” come from, just what exactly
is
Propolis?
Bees collect resins from tree bark, leaves and plant life including
tree buds, sap flows, and various other botanical sources, and combine them with
their own secretions to create propolis. The biological role of
resin in trees is to defend against bacteria and fungi and also insects and
other living organisms. So the bees, in collecting these resins, inherit their
medicinal properties for use around their own hive.
Its primary function around the hive includes improving the structure
of the actual beehive and closing certain gaps and openings. Beeswax is also
used to seal larger cracks in the hive wall but propolis benefits
the environment in important ways that beeswax cannot. The most important use of
this substance in the beehive is as an anti-viral anti-biotic agent. It is used
to create a sterile environment and stop the spread of disease in the bee
colony. Various small animals and insects find their way into the hive during
the course of its life cycle, and invariably cannot find their way out – they
die within the confines of the hive walls. In the case of smaller insects, the
bees can actually remove their carcases from the hive, but with larger animals
and rodents, a field mouse for example, the bees use propolis
to coat the carcass and and basically seal it, preventing the growth and
spread of viruses and fungi.
Obviously it becomes easy to see why bee
propolismay have benefits
to man. Its potent anti viral and antibiotic properties are of great interest in
the medical community, where it is being examined as a possible alternative to
chemical antibiotics or in some cases a partner to make them more
effective.The substance appears most commonly as a dark brown
color but it is also found in other colors such as red and green. As with other
substances extracted from the hive, propolis exhibits regional and
seasonal variations, making it difficult to provide a specific list of
nutritional elements. Since we've discussed its
topical
benefits - relief of various conditions, including inflammations, viral
diseases, ulcers, burns etc - it should also be noted that the core constituent
of
propolis, mainly resin, is an abundant source of flavonoids. As
such it is taken as a dietary supplement and associated with treating a range of
conditions and promoting specific types of health. Propolis
is believed to promote heart health, strengthen the immune
system and reduce the chances of cataracts, as examples of the benefits
of
propolis.
These claims have various
levels of support, not all of which are of the highest integrity. But some of
the
health benefit claims are being or have
been clinically investigated, with studies published in biomedical literature.
One area where there seems to be little contention into the possibility of real
tangible
benefits is in the area of dental hygiene and the treatment of mouth
sores, ulcers and cankers. Various companies offer propolis
toothpaste and others offer various forms of canker sore treatments,
usually a liquid propolis blend in some form of
spray.
In a
reference article found
here the following information was published -
“Propolis
is bee-produced substance with pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.
It is an ingredient of many drugs; it is added to toothpastes as a prophylactic
component for periodontal diseases. The plaque-cleaning, plaque-inhibiting and
anti-inflammatory actions of the silicate paste were studied. The study included
42 individuals in good clinical health and a minimum of 20 intact
teeth. Control exams were performed on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28. The baseline
values gradually decreased after each control tooth brushing with a
statistically significant difference between them. The toothpaste
shows very good plaque-cleaning,
plaque-inhibiting and anti-inflammatory effect”.
So clearly, there are some health benefits
to using bee propolis, at least insofar
as its use in dental hygiene. But it is not difficult to find other forms of
clinical research into using the substance to benefit health in
other ways too, so it seems that these benefits, though not fully
explored, not fully corroborated, do have some basis in medical
fact.
Antibiotic Prescriptions and Natural Alternatives
It was interesting to read the
release of 'new' research into the use and effect of prescription
antibiotics today, found first on the BBC (.co.uk)
website.
The studies, reported to be 'new'
are basically only adding weight to something the medical community has known
about for years, and we have written about countless times - over-prescribing
antibiotics can lead to the body developing a resistance
against
their effects/benefits. It actually goes deeper than that. It
turns out that around 25% of people wrongly
believe that
antibiotics work on viral infections like colds and flu, when
in fact they have no effect on viruses,
which happen to be the cause of most
respiratory tract infections manifesting
as coughs/colds etc.
So not only are we
over-prescribing, we are also taking antibiotics for the wrong
type of ailments. Now it could be that doctors are not directly
prescribing AB's to treat coughs and the common
cold, the
problem is that they are
prescribing
them for just about everything else, and the public invariably end up with a
medicine cabinet of partially used antibiotics which they
later self-prescribe for any 'cold'
like ailments which occur. This practice is clearly unsafe and could fuel drug
resistance.
"The HPA poll of 1,800 people in
England also found one in 10 people keep leftover antibiotics - and many would
self-medicate next time they got
ill"
In addition to the problem of
self-medication is the
intense pressure placed on Doctors to prescribe a medication
which has been heavily advertised on TV and other media outlets such as the
internet. This phenomenon is particularly rife in the
USA where billions of dollars are spent each year to promote
pharmaceutical products to the
public. This is a potentially damaging practice, since it's placing power
in the
hands of people who are not qualified to use it.
The upshot of this situation is
that
we are seeing the potential for a significant
rise in untreatable infections. The
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that
antimicrobial resistance "is one of the most serious public health
challenges that we face in the EU"
and could cost at least 1.5bn
euros.
But 70% were aware of the problem of antibiotic
resistance in hospitals, and a similar number were aware that
they or their
family could be affected.
Health professionals must
learn to resist demands from the public for treatments they know
have little or no effect on coughs and colds. In a recent European study by the HPA it
was found that 97% of people questioned said
that
the last time they had
asked
their healthcare practitioner for an antibiotic, they were
prescribed one.
FROM THE HPA -
• The majority of coughs/colds get
better without medication - antibiotics do not speed
recovery
• Coughing up phlegm does not suggest a need for
antibiotics
• A sore throat plus runny nose with phlegm
suggests the
infection is less likely to respond to
antibiotics
• A high temperature, red
throat
and feeling ill suggests you may benefit from an
antibiotic
• If you feel able to stop taking them
early, you may well not have needed them
• Always take all
doses for as long as instructed
• Never keep any leftovers - what's
prescribed for one infection might not work for the next
• GPs
can give a delayed antibiotic prescription for you to take only if things get
worse
• In cases of severe illness, antibiotics can save
lives
Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:
"Antibiotics are a wonderful thing when used properly,
but
they are not a cure-all for every condition, and should not be seen, or
used, as such.
"The opposite is often true
and, when used excessively or
inappropriately, they can
actually do more harm than good - reducing a patient's
immunity to illnesses, or building up an immunity to antibiotics, both of which
can have negative consequences for good
health."
There is growing concern
amongst the
medical community that the drugs'
usefulness may be coming to an end. Antibiotic resistance has reached
"unprecedented levels", with more than 25,000 people dying (in Europe 2010) from
bacterial infections that were resistant to antibiotic
drugs.
As the director general of the World
Health Organization, Dr Margaret Chan, put
it: "The
world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era in which many common
infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, kill unabated."
So
are
there natural alternatives to these
drugs and is it possible that a natural alternative
might provide the type of resistance
that
the body does not develop immunity
toward?
There are substances which are of significant interest and
have
at least significant potential in the arena of
antibiotics. Propolis has been
discussed at
length through our website and is one such substance. But the cost
of taking a drug from discovery to market is estimated at around
£700m. And that is the cost
on Pounds GB and applicable to UK and European markets, in the USA it
is considerably higher. Then of course
there's the resistance from the drug
companies via their powerful lobbyists who act to
prevent the
progress of any naturally derived substances
from entering the
markets.
Colin McKay, from the
European Federation of the
Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, said: "It is very difficult
to make economically viable models for antibiotics."
"With heart
medication or anti-depressants a
lot of people take them for a long time so you can
make money back. An antibiotic that works is unlikely to be used for
more than a couple of weeks."
Now taking the step
from having a serious issue with the over-prescribing of antibiotics
and its associated consequences on the body
developing a lasting resistance, to suggesting that propolis
or any other substance for that matter, might be a solution, is
taking a very long step indeed. Clearly there are middle stages
that
must be explored and we haven't really made sufficient inroads
into the
necessary clinical research at this stage. But from what
has been researched, their is a clear indication of
'potential' and many deem it significant enough potential to warrant additional
stages of research.
Propolis and
its benefits have been under review by the World Health
Organization and they
consider it a 'natural cure'. Its popularity is ever
increasing, due to concentrations of flavonoids which
appear to be responsible for the antibiotic effects
of Propolis. Flavonoids
are not only antibacterial substances, they are also active for the
treatment of ulcers, rheumatism, flu
and cold symptoms along with respiratory ailments and other
breathing issues. In a sense this
gives us a broader range of uses than most prescription antibiotics can. We must
yet learn
the longer term impact of using propolis
and to see whether or not the body
creates a natural resistance to the
properties of the
substance.
Certain studies
pertaining to the above suggest that
this is not the case, that propolis
may be used in the longer term without the
negative impact of building
resistance to the treatment. These
claims have yet to be confirmed.
Bee products are unusual in the
way they are so different yet they contain quite similar properties. They're
different in the sense of how they come to be. Take bee pollen for example. A
nutritionally dense substance which is basically select pollens collected by
honeybees from plant life and bundled together into tiny pellets and transported
back to the hive. Mixed along the way with certain bee secretions the pollens
take on a wide range of nutrients, actually with quite an impressive nutritional
profile. Packed with proteins, usable carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals,
amino-acids – bee pollen is a complex substance which has the capacity to
provide us with all of the nutrition our body needs. That in itself is quite
remarkable, given the simplicity of its origins in the plant and insect
world.