Moving Into Spring and Better Immunity With Bee Propolis
Moving Into Spring and Better Immunity With Bee Propolis
That welcome shift from greyness to blue skies and warmer and longer days is what springtime’s all about. A flurry of new life marked by the buzzing of bees around the place is our personal highlight.
Of course, it isn’t all perfect. Spring sees you exit the immunity-killer that is winter, only to face the beginning of allergy season. Throw in the kickstart of amping up your efforts to look your best for summer, and there’s lots of pressure.
Eating well, exercising, and making good life choices all play their part. Supplements are another angle for covering all the bases and feeling your best.
Bee propolis is one of the newer supplements you can try. The Ancient Egyptians were fascinated by bees and marked the start of propolis use. They noticed that honeybees were making a sticky resinous substance to stick their hives together and decided to extract it.
The Ancient Egyptians found that propolis was a fantastic barrier for the mummification process. Evidence then suggests they used propolis for traditional healing, something other ancient peoples followed into Ancient Rome.
Thought we’d grow out of propolis by 2026? Nope, not a chance, you can get it in creams, lozenges, capsules, and more to support wellness.
Your immunity, and spring
A few things you can bank on after 20 March are more vitamin D from the sun, more outdoor exercise, and a change in diet to lighter meals. All these elements affect how well you feel and your ability to fend off the ills your body takes in.
For instance, most of us feel better when the weather’s splendid because we can get outside without feeling frozen and longing for a jumper.
If you have kids, then it goes full circle. More time outdoors for them means more space for germs to dissipate, meaning less illness sharing that passes its way to you.
Honeybees know the value of space, too. They build out their hives and glue the different sections together with the sticky, resinous propolis. Something else they use propolis for is wrapping up the dead, so their stuff doesn’t impact the hive.
Using propolis this spring
We know that propolis protects beehives from infection, so the question is whether it has any benefit for humans if taken topically or orally.
There isn’t a consensus yet, but we can say that people use bee propolis all over the world as a health supplement, and spring is as good a time as any to start.
A search online shows people’s improvements in their immunity and overall health after taking propolis. Because it’s non-invasive and doesn’t contain anything harmful (except for those with bee allergies), it’s considered worth a go.
There are two ways to take propolis:
· As a secondary ingredient in something such as a cream or lozenge, where propolis is supplementary to glycol and other products.
· As a primary supplement in a capsule or tablet, these usually contain pure propolis and some form of anti-caking agent.
Quick note: pick one or the other. It’s best practice to take one oral propolis product per day only. A lozenge and a capsule would equal two.
Here’s the lowdown on the best propolis delivery formats:
Capsules
These break down faster than tablets and have a dual purpose; either swallow them whole or open the capsule and stir the contents into some water and drink it. A decent pick if you want a daily propolis product.
Bee Health Propolis 1000mg Capsules are available in 30, 90 and 365 bottles, with the dose being one per day, so the 365 bottle is good for one year.
Tablets
A propolis tablet offers up the same dose as a capsule but in pressed form, so naturally, these are smaller than capsules, which some find easier to swallow. Packs of 90 and 365 give you enough time to see if there are any benefits.
Another advantage to tablets is that they can be found with additional ingredients to improve your health in spring, such as Propolis with Vitamin C & Zinc Tablets.
Creams
Topical propolis is extremely popular, with creams containing a small amount of it plus occlusives that form a barrier on the skin to prevent moisture loss. That combination of propolis and the lock-in of moisture helps treat dry skin.
Other helpful ingredients in propolis cream include petrolatum and glycerine, proven for use as moisturisers on non-damaged skin.
Lozenges
Lozenges are ideal when you want some throat relief or even if you just want to turn propolis consumption into a treat.
The aniseed flavour has that sweet, medicinal taste common in syrups. Other popular choices include turmeric & ginger and honey & eucalyptus.
A healthier spring awaits you
Consider bee propolis as an additional supplement for your wellness routine rather than a cure-all or medicine. The bees make it to protect their hives as one element of protection. Your approach should be the same for every supplement.
Start with a daily tablet or capsule with a 1,000mg minimum dose, and take it for at least six weeks before making any split decisions about its effects.
Your spring immunity will also benefit from vitamin C and zinc, both of which are authorised as immunity regulators by the EU register, and are available in Propolis with Vitamin C & Zinc Tablets to support your overall health.
