There is a time of year when we don't know what the weather will be like
from one minute to the next. so we don't know whether we'll be sick
or well from one minute to the next! On with the coat, off with the coat,
too hot, too cold, on with the air-conditioning, on with the heat - no
wonder our bodies say "enough already! I can't take it".
Kids begin that generous sharing of germs, not only with each other but also
with parents and teachers. Coworkers either leave their germs behind as they go
home to suffer, or bring them with them before they know that a prime-time cold
is developing.. Time to take steps to protect ourselves!
If you think of these situations as being like a hive, full of busy bees
going about their business, but differing from people in that they are
unable to clean their environment, then the relevance of the marvelous
substance called Propolis will become clear.
A
hive is an ideal environment for the breeding of germs: warm, moist and crowded.
Before the days of beekeepers, when hives were built in the wild, if an invader
were to enter the hive, it would be stung to death. The bees, however, would not
be able to remove the carcass and so they would literally varnish it with a
substancecalled Propolis, and thus sealed, it would
never decompose. They also used Propolis to seal gaps in the structure of their
hives, whence comes the name from the Latin roots "before the City".
Propolis is a highly effective natural antibiotic, with a special affinity
for the mucous membranes.
I
have read many studies on its various applications, from colon cancer to sinus
infections, and very impressive they are. What I use and recommend it for,
however, is as an antidote to the colds and flu that are so prevalent in
unsettled weather. Sore throats, influenza, bronchitis and head colds all are
helped by this supplement.
Propolis is available as a tincture or a capsule, and is also included in many
combination formulas specifically designed to support the immune system, with
Echinacea, vitamin C and goldenseal, for example, or with even more supportive
nutrients.
Recent research has found that Propolis is a rich source of bioflavonoids, a
word which is becoming increasingly familiar as more of them are isolated,
identified, tested and found valuable.
Here is a
sample of research published on the website of the American
Apitherapy Society: (http://www.apitherapy.org/determiningquality.html)
Since 1960, many investigations have
been carried out to identify the antibacterial and
anti-fungal substances of propolis.
The first results, published by Lavie
and his group, pointed to two flavonoid aglycones as
antibacterial agents in propolis: galangin and
pinocembrin (Villanueva et al., 1964; Villanueva et al.,
1970).
Further research on European
samples supported these results and added a few other
phenolics to the list: pinobanksin,
pinobanksin-3-O-acetate, benzyl-p-coumarate and caffeic
acid esters (Metzner et al., 1979).
Pinocembrin and the caffeate
mixture were found to be the main anti-fungal
substances in propolis, as well (Metzner et al.,
1979). Phenolic acids, such as caffeic and ferulic, were
also indicated as antibacterial constituents. In recent
studies, propolis and some of its cinnamic and flavonoid
components were found to uncouple the energy traducing
cytoplasmic membrane and to inhibit bacterial motility,
which may contribute to the anti-microbial action (Mirzoeva
et al., 1997).
Recent studies on tropical, especially
Brazilian, samples lead to the discovery of new antibacterial
compounds. A number of them are phenolics and their
derivatives, although completely different from those
found in European propolis. The most important ones are
carbon-prenylated derivatives of p-coumaric acid, the
3,5-diprenyl-p-coumaric acid being one of the major
antibacterial compounds in Brazilian propolis (Aga et
al., 1994).
In propolis from the Canary
Islands, antibacterial furofuran lignans were
found (Christov et al., 1999). Antibacterial substances
of non-phenolic nature were isolated from Brazilian
propolis, as well; these are diterpenic acids with a
labdane skeleton (Bankova et al., 1996). Obviously,
flavonoids are not by far the only antibacterial
constituents of propolis.
Anti-viral action is another
important biological property of propolis. Once again,
it is attributed to the phenolic compounds, mainly
esters of caffeic and ferulic acids (3- methylbut-2-enyl
caffeate, 3-methylbutyl ferulate), caffeic acid itself,
and some flavonoid aglycones (luteolin, quercetin) (Amoros
et al., 1992, Serkedjieva et al., 1992).
According to the latest investigations, the anti-inflammatory
activity of propolis is connected to its radical
scavenging activity to a great extent. Natural phenolics
are among the substances known as potential radical
scavengers. In detailed studies on radical scavenging
action of individual components, caffeic acid phenethyl
ester, together with the flavonoids galangin, kaempferol,
and kaempferid, were identified as active components in
exerting propolis' renowned anti-inflammatory activity (Krol
et al., 1996). Phenolics were reported to affect the
activity of several systems known to be involved in the
inflammatory process.
During the last five years, a number of publications
appeared detailing the hepatoprotective effect of
propolis in different experimental systems. Remirez et
al. (1997) suggested that this effect could be because
of the anti-oxidative action of propolis extracts.
Caffeic and ferulic acids and their esters were found to
be the main anti-oxidative components of European
propolis; the activity of the flavonoid aglycones was
significantly lower (Marinova et al., 1989). From
Brazilian propolis, two dicaffeoylquinic acid
derivatives were isolated as hepatoprotective agents:
3,4--dicaffeoylquinic acid and its methyl ester (Basnet
et al., 1996).
Alcohol extracts of propolis possess local anaesthetic
action, according to German authors. The substances
responsible are again pinocembrin and a mixture of
caffeate esters (Paintz & Metzner, 1979).
Special attention has been directed toward the anti-tumor
effects of propolis. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester
(CAPE) is the anti-tumor substances from propolis that
has received the most attention. Its anti-tumor
properties were discovered in a bioassay-guided chemical
study of propolis by the research group of Koji
Nakanishi (Grundberger et al., 1988) and examined
thoroughly. CAPE was found to inhibit human breast
carcinoma and melanoma cell lines in culture. Human
tumor cells displayed a significantly greater
sensitivity to the action of CAPE than the analogous
normal lines of non-tumorous cells in that the CAPE was
more toxic to the tumor cells than to the normal ones.
Similar results were obtained using other propolis
constituents with similar structures: methyl caffeate
and phenethyl ester of dimethylcaffeic acid (Rao et al.,
1992). Brazilian propolis delivered structurally
different anti-tumor agents: carbon-prenylated
derivatives of p-coumaric acids, e.g.
3,5-diprenyl-p-coumaric acid and similar molecules
showed cytotoxic activity in vitro against human
tumor cell lines, as well as in vivo in mice
transplanted with human tumor cells (Kimoto et al.,
1998). Another group of anti-tumor propolis constituents
was isolated from Brazilian samples, too: clerodane
diterpenic acids, active against human hepatocelular
carcinoma (Matsuno et al., 1997). At present this field
is being studied extensively by several research group
in Japan.
Jack
Challem's definitive article on Propolis, honey and Royal Jelly, http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/bee_stuff.html
Some of the areas in which
bioflavonoids have greatest effect
are allergies, circulation and cell protection
so their relevance to flu and cold
season is clearly seen.
Propolis is also highly nutritious,
being (like bee pollen itself) an excellent source of amino acids,
vitamins and trace minerals. There is no downside to its use, though as a
precaution a person who is allergic to bee products or stings might want
to approach it with a degree of caution, but side effects have never been
recorded with its use.
I personally carry a spray of a herb and
Propolis mix, and use it immediately whenever I feel the little warning
tickle in my throat which, for me, is the inevitable warning of a pending
flu or cold attack; so far, I have had 100% success in avoiding any
further development of the problem , though occasionally I have had to
employ other weapons in the fight, such as extra vitamin C, homeopathics,
zinc and herbal teas!
Keywords:
propolis health benefits, propolis colon cancer, propolis sinus
infections, propolis colds, propolis bioflavonoids, propolis
natural anti-biotic, the vitamin lady writes about propolis health
benefits
Sinus
and propolis http://www.apitherapy.biz/pdfs/propolis.pdf
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