A heart for a hive this Valentine’s Day is a fair trade when you consider the love honeybees put into their communities to keep them going.

It’s the worker bees that fascinate us most with their relentless pursuit, and one of the by-products of their work is propolis, a resinous substance that keeps the hive holding together.

What we’re looking at here is a type of social immunity from a substance the bees make from sap, beeswax, and, somewhat grossly, saliva. An extrusion it is, and quite possibly, one of the most fascinating natural ones for your daily wellbeing.

A sticky, protective labour of love

For a honeybee, there is no free time, and its life is completely cooked within around 60 days, provided it survives that long. But its work helps tens of thousands of others survive and leaves several things behind to continue doing so:

·       Honey, the bees use it as their primary energy source. Also delicious on toast, great on porridge, an unmissable token from the bees.

·       Beeswax gives the hive its structure and pockets for the honey, and a handy polish, lubricant, and candle maker in human lives.

·       Propolis, it sticks the hive together and keeps invaders out. Now found in supplements and used throughout history for wellbeing purposes.

Bee-made propolis is the most interesting of these leftovers, not only because it protects the hive from pathogens, but because it’s an area of study for modern supplements.

That’s not to say it is a cure, healing aid, or immunity improver, but rather a fascinating and potentially helpful supplement for your daily wellbeing.

Daily wellbeing with propolis

Propolis is an exciting supplement, but let’s not pretend it’s something new. People have been using propolis for a very long time, with the ancient Egyptians embalming with it and the ancient Greeks naming it.

We modern folks consume it, with propolis found in capsules, liquids, moisturisers, lozenges, and many more formats.

Some of the ways you can use propolis for daily wellbeing include:

Skincare

The best product is our propolis cream with established skin-soothing and conditioning ingredients, such as glycerine, a humectant that draws moisture to your skin and helps it stay there. The propolis adds some bioactive compounds.

Throat care

You can get aniseed, honey and eucalyptus, and turmeric and ginger propolis lozenges that feel great on a scratchy throat in winter. Also handy for consuming propolis in a non-tablet/capsule form. They’re delicious and perfect for wintertime.

Also, check out propolis throat spray and propolis winter mixture.

Immunity

Some people take propolis with vitamin C and zinc tablets for their immunity. Vitamin C is proven in that respect, as is zinc citrate. Propolis adds interesting trace compounds that are the subject of scientific study for their potential health properties.

Digestion

Propolis Gut Combo is the product you want for digestive wellbeing for its probiotic blend with five bacteria strains at high CFUs, plus bee propolis 3:1 extract. Its combo of well-studied probiotics and propolis makes it a genuinely unique approach to gut support.

General wellness

Propolis capsules 1,000mg have one active ingredient, so they won’t skew your other supplements (if you take them). Adding it to your routine is a simple way to explore what propolis can do for you.

Approaching propolis the right way

The way to approach adding bee-made propolis to your daily routine is to use it as a supplement in addition to any others you take. It isn’t a replacement for anything because it is unique, and it’s available in multiple formats.

You can make the most of propolis and your wellbeing with these tips:

·       You only need one oral product for the day. Be it a capsule, tablet, throat spray, liquid, or lozenge. Doubling up will likely take you over the recommended daily dose, which only wastes product.

·       Changes occur over months, not days. Of course, that’s what we would say when we sell it, but the same applies to most supplements.

·       Check ingredient lists. This isn’t a case of undisclosed ingredients, but rather, knowing the potency of the propolis, and additional vitamins/minerals added.

·       Work on your wellbeing in multiple ways. Maintaining a decent state of physical and mental health is your goal. If propolis helps take you there, then amazing, but don’t use it as a miracle for anything.

·       Don’t read into any product hype. We’ll say it again, propolis is not a medicine, healing aid, or proven supplement for anything. However, you can take it for your wellbeing and it is worth exploring.

Browse our complete propolis range to get started.