While honey is known for its many benefits, propolis, another substance produced by bees to protect their hive, is more beneficial. This “bee glue” is known to be effective in calming the flu, soothing skin conditions, and fighting cancer.
Compared to honey, propolis is harder to take when raw. Fortunately, propolis capsules are available to harness its health benefits.
What exactly is propolis?
The propolis is the brown sticky substance that bees make from botanical compounds, sap, resin, beeswax, and saliva. Propolis came from Greek “pro,” which means “in defense of” and “polis” means “city.” So, it means “in defense of the city,” or in their case, the beehive.
Propolis is vital to the honey bees’ survival. It protects their hive from outside elements, fortifies their hive’s structure, and keeps them safe from parasites and disease. Moreover, they also use this substance to mummify other insects who get into their hive that they cannot take out. Propolis is essential for the hive’s survival and poses a lot of benefits to humans.
You already know that propolis can boost the immune system. However, it is also found that this humble substance can do more for your health.
It fights inflammation
Brazilian propolis, according to recent studies, can block serine/threonine-protein kinase or PAK-1. Propolis contains caffeic acid, quercetin, flavonoids, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, and naringenin. These compounds lessen the chronic inflammatory response, according to tests conducted on fruit flies and mice. However, the evidence says that these effects apply to humans as well.
It fights cancer
While its cancer-fighting ability is still controversial, there are studies to back it up. According to research, propolis can help people with colon and prostate cancer. The substance can cause cancer cells to die through necrosis. It interrupts the blood supply to the cell, killing the harmful cells without harming the healthy ones.
It protects and soothes skin
In a study, propolis was able to stop warts in 75 percent of participants with plane warts and 73 percent of participants with common warts. Researchers, therefore, concluded that the substance is safe and effective in immunomodulating therapy for warts.
Moreover, it is also found that propolis can treat ulcers or cold sores. Herpes simplex virus or HSV is one of the common causes of cold sores, which affects the lips or mouth and causes genital herpes. According to research, propolis can fight both HSV-1 and HSV-2. It shows that propolis reduces the duration and the pain of fever blisters and cold sores and enhances the effects of conventional medical treatments.
Furthermore, propolis’s anti-inflammatory effects can also be beneficial for people with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
It calms allergies
A study found that propolis decreased the release of histamine when they tested it to rats. It shows that the substance can be a natural antihistamine and a good defense against seasonal allergies. However, you have to ensure that you are not allergic to bee products before you take it.
Like other bee products, propolis is a wonderful gift of nature with huge benefits. Moreover, propolis is readily available in the market in forms like propolis capsules.
While some of the propolis benefits are still under investigation, this fantastic bee product still shows promising effects on human health, aside from being an effective immune booster.
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