You might not have heard of propolis, but the bees have been making it for millions of years, and humans have been using it for thousands of years.

Bees make propolis to seal their hives and seal away the things that die in it, such as predators and other bees. The sappy, resinous substance is now known to have antimicrobial properties, so that’s why it does a fantastic job at keeping bad stuff out.

The idea of taking propolis as a supplement, or applying it to your skin, is not new. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans have used it as such, even though they didn’t know why it had supposed healing and wellness qualities.

Propolis and you

Taking propolis as part of your wellness routine rather than as a cure-all or health improver is the right approach, just as it is with herbs and food groups. You can take a capsule or tablet in the morning with your vitamins and forget about it.

A few of the things people report after taking propolis for a few months:

  • Fewer seasonal allergies. Hay fever and the like. Remember that hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen is part of the bees’ lifecycle, as is propolis. The two interconnect in multiple ways.
  • More energy and desire to do stuff. Part of your overall health improvements, rather than propolis alone. But propolis is certainly something you can take to see if it helps.
  • Recovering from illness a bit faster than usual. There are trace compounds in propolis that your body can use in its defences.
  • Soothing effects on sore throats and skin (requires a liquid or cream), likely from the propolis plus additives in the products, such as glycerine.

Of course, propolis’ roles in these benefits are not proven. They are supplementary to your other health routines and supplements, but it is no doubt worth exploring propolis for its effects, just as so many others are doing.

Propolis is easy to supplement with

One of the reasons propolis is becoming so popular as a supplement is that it’s available in capsules, tablets, liquids, creams, and even sprays. Popping a tablet in the morning is now only one of the ways you can test its benefits.

Here are the formats you can use for propolis:

  • Capsules. Your best format for daily wellness. They absorb a bit faster than tablets, and you can open the two-piece capsule and pour the contents into a drink if you like.
  • Tablets. A smaller format than capsules, easier to swallow and also found in combination products, such as propolis with vitamin C & zinc.
  • Lozenges. The tastiest way to take propolis. Pitched for sore throats, but suitable for use even if you dislike tablets and capsules. Check out our aniseed, honey and eucalyptus, and turmeric and ginger flavours.
  • Sprays. An oral product and lozenge alternative, basically. The product clings to the back of your throat and helps relieve soreness.
  • Liquids. For adding to smoothies and other wet foods. The propolis is tasteless when added to other products and becomes a natural part of your consumption.
  • Creams. Your skin is the beneficiary here. It’s a secondary format you can use alongside the other oral ones.

Let’s buzz into the substance

So, raw propolis is roughly 50% resin, 30% wax, 10% essential oils, and 5% pollen, with the remainder made up of organic compounds. The refined propolis you get in supplements will remove some of these ingredients.

Regional differences also come into play, with the propolis’ composition changing depending on where the bees forage, which is why we’d say that nailing down its effects scientifically (and thus making claims about propolis) is so difficult.

Picking a high-quality propolis product

Whether propolis benefits your wellness depends on taking a good-quality product. The factors below determine whether what you’re taking is good enough:

  • Source. Where does the propolis come from? That fact isn’t always disclosed, and sometimes, there are multiple origins for one product. Still worth asking about, though. Most propolis products have origins from European bees.
  • Dosage. For capsules and tablets, 1,000mg is the norm for one daily intake. Anything below 1,000mg is a low dosage.
  • What else is in it? Such as bulking agents, fillers, other vitamins and minerals. There isn’t anything wrong with bulkers and fillers, provided they are necessary to carry the product.
  • The brand. How long they’ve been going, their reviews, and so on. If they have multiple touchpoints across social media and ecommerce, then that’s better than an eBay seller with some generic product.

Starting your propolis journey

Propolis is worth trying for your overall wellness. It leans on thousands of years of human use as a healing aid and a practical product for embalming, which you can remember in good faith during your health efforts.

Other people have success with propolis and swear by it for certain ailments. It’s definitely worth searching for whatever your health goals are right now and seeing if there’s any chatter about propolis and its positive effects.

Browse our complete propolis range to start your journey when you’re ready.