Bee Propolis Benefits To The Immune System and human consumption

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.

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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.