Falling leaves, greying skies, thicker jackets, and propolis. The odd one out for autumn is obvious, but propolis is worth exploring for your wellness routine.

Propolis is a bee-made product. Bees build and seal their hives with it, but unlike nectar, pollen, and the honey they make from nectar, they don’t eat propolis. Instead, it’s something you take as a supplement or apply to your skin in creams.

Only a handful of honeybees in a colony collect resins from plants. These are chewed to soften them and then carried back to the hive in pollen baskets, where they are mixed with beeswax, saliva, and pollen.

The job of propolis in the hive is not singular -- it insulates and seals, narrows entrances, and can embalm dead insects to prevent infection.

Scientists have since discovered that propolis is antimicrobial, and there are currently additional studies researching its effects. That doesn’t make it a medicine, but it is an interesting supplement with a history going back thousands of years.

A history of propolis

What makes propolis interesting without even taking it as a supplement is its history. Texts reveal that it was used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

The Egyptians used it for embalming, a wise use case given that that’s one of the ways bees use it. There’s evidence that shows propolis was used as a traditional healing aid in these cultures too. Clearly, there’s something about propolis.

What’s in it?

Honeybees make propolis with different variations across colonies and locations. A good rule of thumb is that it contains roughly 50% resin and 30% wax. Oils, pollen, and compounds make up the rest.

A scientific deep dive into propolis shows it has essential oils, amino acids, polyphenols, and many more organic constituents in trace amounts.

Propolis supplements and products

The propolis supplements and products you can consume use a refined propolis version with impurities removed to make the product safe.

Bee Health Propolis tests propolis for potency and quality and combines it with high-quality non-synthetic ingredients. We guarantee that the bioflavonoids remain intact -- these are where the potential wellness benefits come from.

Get ready for autumn

It’s probably the case that you already take some supplements. It could be a morning multivitamin or magnesium with your lunch. Propolis is not known to interact negatively with any supplements.

You can safely add propolis to your routine provided you are not allergic to bee products, and if you’re pregnant, you should consult a healthcare professional first.

Propolis capsules

These are 1,000mg capsules available in quantities of 90 or 365 capsules. One capsule per day makes these a three-month or year-long supply.

Propolis gut combo capsules are one of our unique formulations, combining propolis with bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Propolis tablets

A capsule alternative with a 1,000mg dose. Again, available in quantities of 90 or 365 tablets, with a dosage of one per day.

Another tablet is propolis with vitamin C & zinc, ideal when you’re considering taking those supplements or want to consolidate and take fewer tablets.

Propolis liquids

Two products are available: propolis liquid suitable for adding to drinks, shakes, and wet foods, and propolis winter mixture.

Propolis throat spray is also a liquid, but not a pourable one. It’s easier to carry around and use. You can spray it into your throat as and when required.

Propolis creams

You can buy propolis cream in a 30ml or 60ml tub. It moisturises dry skin, with propolis alongside organic ingredients.

Autumn is tough on skin, so it’s good to keep propolis cream with you. You can use it on your hands, arms, and face, but take care around your eyes.

Make propolis a part of your autumn routine

Propolis is worth taking for autumn wellness. It will fit into your routine alongside other supplements and is available in multiple formats.

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

Propolis is made by the western honeybee and some other stingless bee species as a hive sealant and embalming agent. It doesn’t sound like a wellness supplement when you say it that way, but more people than ever are taking it as one.

Supplementing with propolis in late summer makes sense for your wellness. Now’s the time that you can enjoy being outdoors more than at any other time of the year. A capsule, tablet, or other delivery format that keeps you well is worth it.

Late summer and wellness

It’s late summer now, but it’ll be autumn before you know it. Feeling as well as you can between now and then should be your priority.

Working on your wellness takes a few things: eating well, exercising within your limits, and using supplements that complement your health goals.

Everyone eats, and everyone moves, so really, the optional part is supplements. Most people take supplements to top-up their nutrition from their diet, and as an attempt to improve a health concern, such as a lack of energy or being prone to colds.

Propolis is growing as a supplement of choice because it’s natural and complements additional supplements, such as vitamin C and zinc, with no overall downside. It’s effectively an extra product you can take and monitor for wellness improvements.

Propolis and wellness -- what it offers

Bees make propolis and use it in the hive as a protective product. It’s a smart move; hives are prone to disease, invaders, and destruction from the elements when unsealed. Propolis is that sealant, and it offers promising wellness benefits.

There are trace amounts of antibacterial agents in propolis. That’s why it’s effective at keeping infection out of hives. Taking propolis for the same carries no risk and provides an additional angle to keep you feeling well.

Other trace compounds in propolis include polyphenols and flavonoids. In large enough quantities, these are helpful for minor wound healing and immune support, although one standard propolis supplement dose doesn’t provide a significant amount.

Taking propolis does provide some health-beneficial elements, then. It takes time for these to take effect in your body, and results vary.

When to start taking propolis for wellness

There are a few situations when taking propolis makes sense. It is not a cure-all or magic supplement for your health, but it can assist you with these goals:

• Feeling more energetic. Propolis with Vitamin C & Zinc tablets is your go-to product here. Propolis is popular as a morning supplement for energy. Vitamin C is also authorised in the EU register of health claims to contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
• Improving skin and nail health. Propolis cream is a popular product for dry skin, and the zinc in the tablets we mentioned above has authorised claims for contributing to healthy skin, nails, and hair.
• Cutting down on unhealthy sweets. Pick Propolis Lozenges in Honey & Eucalyptus, Aniseed, or Turmeric & Ginger as a replacement for boiled sweets and lozenges that don’t contain any helpful ingredients.

How to start taking propolis

You can take propolis as a solid (capsule, tablet) or a liquid -- propolis liquid pulls double duty in drinks and wet foods or as a topical product for your skin.

The daily dose with capsules and tablets is 1,000mg. It’s best to take it for around 60 days before deciding if it has any summer wellness benefits.

Related: Five simple ways to incorporate propolis into your wellness routine

Propolis’s place in your late summer wellness routine

Don’t treat propolis as a replacement for your multivitamins or other supplements. Its compounds are different and carry their own potential benefits.

Taking propolis alongside your regular supplements is best, and there are no reasons to reduce the dose of those supplements or switch things around.

Propolis is not known to react with or affect other supplements. Something to consider, though, is any other additional ingredients, such as vitamin C. These additions could push your daily intake above normal if you're already taking the vitamin separately.

Starting your propolis journey

Propolis is worth taking for late summer wellness. It works with your current routine, and there are multiple formats to try.

The place most people start is a daily capsule or tablet because it’s convenient. You can then move on to throat sprays and other products as needed.

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

Propolis is a natural resinous product made by the western honeybee. It has centuries of history behind it for health and wellness in traditional medicine.

Adding propolis to your wellness routine can be done as a standalone supplement or in a combo supplement with other ingredients, like vitamin C and zinc. There are also lozenges, creams, and sprays in addition to tablets and capsules.

Here’s how you can add propolis to your routine:

1. Propolis capsules and tablets - take them with your other supplements

The obvious oral delivery for propolis. Propolis tablets/capsules are suitable for most, with no known problems taken alongside other supplements.

A 1,000mg tablet/capsule provides your daily recommended allowance of propolis. The standard timeframe to assess how it improves your wellness is 90 days. We sell 90 capsules and 365 capsules, plus 30 capsules to top up.

Take your tablet/capsule in the morning with your warm drink or breakfast, or at lunchtime or dinner. It absorbs better with food.

2. Combo vitamin tablets - consolidate your wellness with propolis

Should you be dead-set on taking propolis, then you can also cover your vitamin C and zinc requirements with Propolis with Vitamin C & Zinc Tablets.

Vitamin C and zinc are proven to benefit your joint care and immunity as per the EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims, with zinc also contributing to healthy skin and nails.

3. Propolis liquid - add a few drops to wet foods and drinks

Propolis liquid is worthwhile having in your cabinet to add to smoothies, protein shakes, and any other goodies you make.

A few drops are all you need to make up your daily dose. Also, rather than treat liquid as an alternative to a propolis capsule/tablet, you can alternate between them as suited to whatever routine you’re doing that day.

4. Propolis throat spray - keep it in your bag to soothe soreness

Sore throats nearly always go away on their own, but there’s no harm in trying propolis throat spray to relieve some of that irritation.

The spray uses a water carrier and glycerine for the sweetener, with honey powder and propolis extract as the health ingredients.

It’s suitable for use all year and can complement any capsules/tablets or liquids you take without making you go over the daily dose.

5. Propolis cream - a daily product for your skin health

A little goes a long way with propolis cream. Add it to your unbroken skin to soothe soreness and relieve some of the dryness that leads to irritation.

As with throat spray, this is a complementary propolis delivery format; you can use it with a capsule, only in this case, for topical application.

Nothing is stopping you from using propolis cream as a first or second layer in addition to any other moisturisers or lotions you use.

What’s all the buzz about propolis?

Among other natural supplements, propolis is one of the most interesting. A small number of bees from the hive collect resins from trees and plants, such as conifers, and are tasked with producing propolis from those resins.

You might see the resins sitting in a bee’s pollen basket as it crawls and flies around. Bees store the resin in pollen baskets after chewing it up to make it workable. That softened resin is what gets used back in the hive.

There it gets interesting. The resin is mixed with beeswax, saliva, and pollen, at which point it becomes propolis. The bees don’t consume it like nectar or pollen, instead using it for hive reinforcement, insulation, and defence.

Immunity is another core offering of propolis to bees -- and it is why humans have largely been so interested in it for centuries. Bees use propolis for immunity extension because we now know it has antimicrobial properties, among others.

People take propolis to:

• Try a natural bee-derived product
• For specialist treatments, such as dry skin
• Complement other supplements
• Test its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

It’s all very interesting for your health and wellness. You can find out more about propolis in our what can propolis do for you article.

Summer’s the time for doing. It makes absolute sense to kick your health efforts into overdrive around now, and bee propolis is an intriguing supplement because it’s relatively new for us modern folks, yet it has roots in tradition.

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used propolis for practical and health purposes. Verifying the health benefits that those now old-timers realised is impossible, but we do know that many of those who take it today do so for wellness.

Bees use propolis to seal their hives, cover up dead things that can disrupt the colony’s health, and in the opening of the hive entrance to keep it as small as possible.

It’s useful stuff for them. We now know, thanks to science, that it is antibacterial and antiseptic. The bees know that propolis is a wonderful concoction. The question, then, is whether it’s worth taking for yourself this summer.

A natural companion

Propolis is harvested responsibly using traps which bees fill with propolis separately from the hive. The product is completely natural. A production plant then receives the product, where any impurities are taken out.

Bee Health Propolis products contain no cheap fillers, and we guarantee the bioflavonoids are naturally occurring, not additives.

Summer and immunity reality checks

Winter is about colds. Summer brings bugs and allergies to your life. Neither is preferable, but the put-downs in summer are the worst for us for the obvious reason that you want to be outdoors. Being unable to do that is incredibly annoying.

Propolis is not a miracle supplement for immunity. There are no scientific studies that verify that it makes you less likely to get sick or recover faster.

What we can say with certainty is that people take it anyway, and there are some among those who pin their good health, and streak of trouble-free days and weeks, on propolis, as well as other supplements, such as vitamins.

Propolis is in beehives for its sealant quality and its infection-reducing effects. Bees only survive viruses and bacteria because of propolis. Using it as a supplement leans on the bees and their knowledge of what’s good for them.

When to use propolis for wellness

Let’s assume then that you want to support your health and wellness this summer.

Propolis works well alongside additional supplements, and we are, in fact, adding it to probiotics in our Propolis Gut Combo Capsules.

Other combinations to know about include our Propolis Vitamin C & Turmeric Tablets and our Propolis with Vitamin C & Zinc Tablets.

Taking propolis in a tablet, capsule, lozenge, or liquid (oral ingestion) will get it into your system for its potential immune and health effects. The standard dose is 1,000mg/day, and it’s most effective after daily consumption for at least four weeks.

There are no conflicts that we know of, so propolis is safe to take with your other supplements. The only exception to usage is if you are allergic to bees or bee products, then you should avoid propolis entirely.

The best delivery formats for bee propolis this summer

We very briefly pointed out our combination products above. Those are fantastic products if you don’t already take supplements and want to cover a few angles.

You should otherwise consider these formats:

• Propolis tablets. The simplest delivery format. Available in 90 and 365-quantity bottles to suit your supply needs.
• Propolis capsules. Same dose as the tablets, only in a capsule. Capsules are absorbed by the body faster than tablets, which some people prefer.
• Propolis liquid. Add a few drops to your drinks or wet foods. It’s tasteless and provides the recommended daily dose.
• Propolis lozenges. A tasty alternative to other oral formats. We also sell honey & eucalyptus and turmeric & ginger flavours.
• Propolis cream. For dry and irritated skin. The propolis works with glycerine and other proven skin health improvers.

Where to go next

The obvious point here is that propolis is worth considering for your supplement routine this summer to assist in your immunity and keep you doing what you love.

It is not a verified immunity improver, but you can take it to see how it goes, as so many people have done successfully.

Shop our complete range, and also look into bee pollen, which some people take to improve their various seasonal allergies.

Bee Health Propolis wouldn’t be here without the bees. Honeybees produce the propolis that we make supplements from. They also put honey on your toast and the wax in a tin that shows no equal as a natural polish.

There’s a day to celebrate all that on May 20^th, World Bee Day, and as a manufacturer, we have a duty to spread the positive word.

An origin story

Slovenian beekeeper Anton Janša was a remarkable person who spent four years as Empress Maria Theresa’s imperial beekeeping teacher.

His impact on beekeeping as a practice and on the education around bees was so great that the date for World Bee Day, May 20^th, is his birthday.

Anton grew up in a beekeeping family with hundreds of hives. He got the buzz during childhood, and it stuck with him.

Over the course of Anton’s life, he studied bees scientifically, discovered much, and wrote all about his findings in influential books on beekeeping.

Our favourite discovery of Anton’s, we’d call it more a teaching, is that colonies shouldn’t be killed when harvesting honey. He taught you could save the colony and harvest honey and other by-products sustainably and ethically.

Another discovery was drone mating in flight, a concept that some Upper Carniolan beekeepers might have known prior to Anton’s discovery, but he was the first to publish it in written works and teach others in that way.

A day just for the love of bees

World Bee Day is for celebrating bees and everything they do as pollinators. That’s the products they give to us, such as honey, propolis, and beeswax, and their role in maintaining the ecosystems they influence alongside others.

The day came about thanks to the UN General Assembly following three years of international campaigning from the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association.

As a backdrop to the big day, we’ll add that bees are culturally important from Ancient Egypt and in Greek mythology to today. It might be a new celebration, but the celebration of bees in general is nothing new for us humans.

Let’s celebrate what bees do for us

Bees give us wellness. It’s as clear as day. Honey that’s delicious, honeycomb that’s arguably even more delicious, then wax and propolis.

Pollination

Bees doing their pollinating work leads to all the propolis, honey, and wax we use today. Pollination keeps plants and ecosystems alive. Bees are not solely responsible for pollination but are key contributors.

Propolis products

Propolis is what we make supplements with. It’s one of the most interesting natural products you can consume. People take propolis capsules and tablets for health and wellness, and the same goes for lozenges and sprays.

Cream is another popular application for propolis, acting as an additive alongside the likes of glycerine to keep your skin smooth and soft.

Pollen

Bee pollen is another supplement we make. It’s a nutritional supplement believed by some scientists to improve allergies and immunity with over 250 compounds in one dose. These are in trace amounts but are interesting, nonetheless.

Food products and edibles

Honey and honeycomb, basically. Honey’s a sugar substitute and one of the most delicious combos you can have with butter and warm bread. The honeycomb is the waxy structure that holds the honey, and it too is edible.

Livelihoods

Beekeeping is a profession that many people depend on. For Anton Janša, several hundred years ago, it was a lifestyle, and the same can be said for many now, too. It isn’t unheard of for hobbyist beekeepers to sell honey as a side gig from the surplus.

How will you celebrate World Bee Day?

Our favourite way to celebrate is by helping bees out. Here’s what we do:

·       We plant wildflowers wherever we can in between other flower species

·       We let the outer grass patches grow naturally without cutting

·       We never use insecticides on plants

·       We install bee hotels on walls and fences (these are also great for other pollinators)

You can do the same. None of those efforts cost much money.

Something else you can try is bee propolis supplements. Propolis is harvested sustainably from hives and has had wellness applications for thousands of years. Browse our products and see what propolis can do for you.

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.

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.

 

 

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.

Working on your fitness and health throughout this year is the best decision you’ll make for a happier and more able lifestyle. A critical factor is what you consume, and propolis, a natural bee product, has the makings to improve your results.

Propolis is a resinous liquid, with a gummy appearance, that some bee species (primarily the Western honeybee) make from thicker tree resins mixed with beeswax and saliva, to seal their hives and other things, such as dead intruders.

The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans harvested propolis for use in medicine, which we’re still doing, but more so in propolis supplements.

This article will prime you on the benefits of adding propolis to your routine in 2026.

Benefit #1: Improve your natural defences

Immunity and feeling well is a balancing act between how your immune system responds to infection and distress, so to say it’s complex is an understatement, and to claim that propolis or anything else can magically save you from illness is daft.

HOWEVER, people have used propolis for thousands of years as a healing aid via both topical application for cuts and other wounds, and ingestion, and it has stuck around long enough to still be used for those things today.

Some people swear by propolis in the winter and autumn to fend off illness, and that it’s available in lozenges, as a liquid, in creams, and in tablets and capsules makes it suitable for multiple problems you might be facing.

Benefit #2: Sore throats and coughs

Cough syrups and lozenges are the port of call when you’re groggy. Propolis is available in both forms as an alternative to the traditional stuff.

Propolis Winter Mixture is the syrup in question, a glycerine product with honey powder, propolis extract, and vitamin C. It’s more palatable than most cough medicines and provides a natural alternative that your body will appreciate.

Moving on to propolis lozenges, these come in three decent flavours: Aniseed, turmeric and ginger, and honey and eucalyptus.

The flavourings are unique between these lozenges, and the propolis content is the same, so picking them is literally a matter of taste.

Customers love these syrups and lozenges as part of their daily routine, but you can equally take them when you’re only feeling unwell for a touch of relief.

Benefit #3: Energy levels

It isn’t an uncommon thing to wake up with little energy, nor for your fantastic-in-the-morning energy levels to deplete by lunchtime. The crash happens, but you can stem the flow with the right supplements.

Propolis products containing glycerine provide energy from the sugar alcohol, which your body turns into glucose and metabolises for kicks.

As a standalone energy improver (without the glycerine), there are no guarantees, but there was an interesting study performed in 2022 on 18 men that found a high dose of propolis can reduce muscle fatigue.

Adding it to your routine as an energy enabler, rather than a solution for outright energy, is a good way to approach it.

Benefit #4: Diet improvements

Whatever you’re eating provides most of the nutritional elements your body uses, either directly or via your body converting compounds into more useful ones. Supplements are for improving your intake, and propolis has some beneficial elements to note.

Propolis contains vitamins and minerals, plus antioxidants. The vitamins are B1, B2, B6, C, and E in quantities making up around 3% of the propolis, in what we’d class as trace amounts, meaning not enough to be of HUGE benefit.

But it all adds up. Propolis naturally contains small amounts of vitamins; you are getting a natural, pure source of them. The same goes for minerals.

The flavonoids are much more interesting for your diet because they are all plant-based compounds in concentrated amounts, circa 20% of the propolis. Pinocembrin and chrysin are superb for your health.

Summing up: A complex natural product containing “the good stuff”

Whatever you’re eating provides most of the nutritional elements your body uses, either directly or via your body converting compounds into more useful ones. Supplements are for improving your intake, and propolis has some beneficial elements to note.

Propolis contains trace vitamins and minerals, plus some antioxidants, and can form part of your healthy and varied diet.

The flavonoids in propolis are also interesting for your diet because they are all plant-based compounds in concentrated amounts and make up a larger part of propolis. Look up pinocembrin and chrysin for their potential effects on health. 

Way back in ancient times, someone, somewhere, found a beehive, cut it open, and found a sticky, resinous substance which we call propolis.

One reason or another led those distant people to go on to use it as a medicine and healing aid for all kinds of ailments over thousands of years.

The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans harvested propolis, and we’re still using it today as a traditional medicine and in supplements.

Of course, there are more claims about what propolis can do for your immunity than there are grounded scientific facts, such is the nature of a natural product, but we can confidently say it’s worth considering over the winter months.

Immunity, winter, and propolis

Winter peppers your body with nasties, even when you’re chugging through and feel alright despite that lower sunlight, shorter days, and colder temps.

Uphill battle? Bank on it, but propolis could give you an edge, just like it did our ancestors and continues to do for the bees.

Bees make propolis as a lining and additive for their hives for too many intricate reasons to list, but we’ll give it a fair go: seal it, ventilate it, provide structure, keep predators at bay.

Our buzzy friends know that propolis is fantastic for these things, but what they don’t know is what we know, and that’s a bit of science.

Multiple studies and research papers have shown that propolis is a complementary product to immunomodulation. There is no consensus, and no fact, but its antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects we do have confirmation about.

Propolis is shown in research to dampen viruses and reduce inflammation, so consuming propolis when these peak (ahem, winter) makes sense.

What could propolis do for you?

It honestly depends on how you take it, since a tablet or capsule is best for supporting your winter health in general, while a throat spray, liquid, or syrup is a tastier alternative that provides some relief for seasonal ailments.

A portion of people who use propolis products say it improves immunity and helps heal wounds. You’ll need to be the judge of that, but if there are so many people saying so, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be positive about it.

Here are some of the things people say propolis helps with:

·       Fending off the common cold

·       Recovering from illness faster

·       Feeling more energetic

·       Detoxing

Popular delivery formats for propolis

You can start your winter immunity journey with propolis with these products:

Propolis Winter Mixture

It’s a syrup that you take with a teaspoon (not a swig!) up to three times per day for coughs, sore throats, and winter wellness.

Some customers report experiencing less illness taking our Propolis Winter Mixture, and you could experience the same.

Capsules and tablets

A 1,000mg dose is typical across both supplements, the only difference being that capsules break down faster, but are slightly larger, which you might find more difficult to take.

Products:

·       Propolis Capsules (90)

·       Propolis Tablets (365)

Lozenges

A propolis lozenge will coat your throat in a soothing substance that eventually makes its way down into your tummy for absorption.

Our Aniseed, Honey & Eucalyptus, and Turmeric & Ginger lozenges taste fantastic and have additional soothing properties from their ingredients.

Propolis liquid

Putting a few drops of propolis into your morning brew, afternoon shake, or even neat onto your tongue is the easiest way to take it.

Most propolis liquids use glycol as the carrier, as is the case with our Propolis Liquid, which imparts a sweet, pleasant taste.

Propolis throat spray

Another liquid format, this time designed to hit the back of your throat with additional ingredients that soothe soreness.

It’s easy enough to carry Propolis Throat Spray in your bag, and it doesn’t have any artificial flavours that make some sprays sickly.

Propolis cream

Dry and itchy skin, rashes, and skin tightness do best with creams, with propolis providing an anti-inflammatory effect for many people.

Our Propolis Cream goes on smooth and absorbs into your skin quickly, with no greasiness or harsh chemical smells ruining the experience.

Summing up

As hard as it may be to imagine a bee’s resinous hive additive improving your immunity, there’s definitely something in it. Our ancestors thought the same, and thanks to science, we now have a picture of propolis’s antiviral properties.

Staying well, fending off whatever bug is in the room, and emerging from winter without more sick days than you can count is possible with the right supplements, and there’s no big reason why propolis can’t be one of them.