Propolis: medicinal properties and contraindications

In scientific, folk and alternative medicine, all substances that bees produce are used. Bee bread, royal jelly, propolis are especially popular. Each substance has its own characteristics, properties. To learn everything about propolis and its qualities is useful for lovers of natural medicinal preparations.

What is propolis

It is a thick, homogeneous substance in the form of a resin or glue that bees produce. They harvest it in the spring, when gluten forms on the tree buds that break through. Its insects are treated with their own enzymes, used to disinfect the hives inside.

With the help of a sticky substance, bees disinfect foreign objects in the hive, isolate them. Insects use useful propolis to seal the crevices of their houses, disinfect, strengthen their honeycombs, regulate the permeability of the tap hole. Thanks to this sticky substance, the bee hive is always sterile. Noticing such features, people began to use propolis as a remedy.

What propolis looks like

Bee glue resembles a cloudy, dirty wax, its consistency is similar. There is an opinion among the people that this substance is the excrement of bees, but this is a delusion. Bee glue can be of different colors: gray, brown-green, dirty beige, less often a substance of dark brown and even black is found.

According to its medicinal properties and field of application, propolis is divided into 2 categories: construction and antibacterial. Insects fill up the cracks in the hive with a construction wax material; it contains a lot of wax and few useful substances. It is not advisable for bees to use nutrients to seal the cracks.

Antimicrobial, disinfecting propolis is especially useful, healing properties. Insects treat the honeycomb with it before laying eggs. It is difficult to collect such a substance - it is a laborious work.

What is useful in propolis

Scientists have been working on the analysis of the composition and properties of propolis for many years. Some substances have not yet been studied. It is known that the resinous substance contains essential oils, phytoncides, cinnamic acid, plant resin, wax. Most of the known vitamins and minerals are found in this natural resin.

Medicinal properties and benefits of natural bee glue:

  1. Anesthesia is a useful bee glue several times stronger than novocaine. It is used topically as an anesthetic. With the help of propolis, you can quickly and effectively reduce body temperature.
  2. Antiseptic and antiviral properties. The adhesive is capable of destroying millions of bacteria in 2-3 hours, boosting immunity to the fight against dangerous viruses.
    Important! Bacteria and viruses cannot develop resistance to propolis. It is believed that the future of antibacterial and antiviral therapy lies with propolis.
  3. Anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect. With the help of ointments and creams with propolis extract, you can quickly relieve inflammation, speed up the restoration of the skin.

All about the medicinal properties of propolis and the method of its use - below.

What propolis heals

With the help of bee glue, most skin diseases and even ulcerative lesions that do not heal for a long time are cured.Due to its regenerating properties, the adhesive is used for such skin diseases: baldness, sunburn, cutaneous tuberculosis, eczema, psoriasis.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcers, are treated with drugs based on propolis. It will help with such diagnoses: gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis.

With prolonged and regular intake of a useful substance, pulmonary tuberculosis is cured. The therapy lasts almost a year, but the result is stable. Doctors are observing the effect of preparations with bee glue in the treatment of tuberculosis of the kidneys and lymph nodes.

Treatment with propolis at home is also used in gynecology. It is an effective remedy for genital herpes, cervical erosion, fibroids, endometriosis.

During the period of viral infections, respiratory diseases, various tinctures with a useful substance are used.

Inflammation of the joints, disorders of the skeletal system, such as neuritis and sciatica, can be treated with ointments that contain a sticky substance.

Bee glue will help with herpes, give strength to overcome depression, get rid of hemorrhoids.

Important! Medicines or home remedies based on bee glue are used after consultation with your doctor.

Since there are many medications based on propolis, it is rather difficult to understand their properties on your own.

How to use propolis

Useful alcoholic tincture, ointment, milk mixture are prepared from bee glue at home. They use these funds for various diseases, externally and internally. There are many recipes for making home remedies from propolis. To make each of them, the wax substance is melted and then mixed with the base in certain proportions.

How to melt propolis at home

To begin with, they build a water bath. To do this, put a medium-sized bowl on the fire and pour water into it. A smaller dish is placed on top so that its sides are in contact with the lower container.

A piece of propolis must be crushed into small pieces with a knife or in a mortar. Then this crumb is poured into the upper small container and the liquid is expected to boil in the first large bowl. During the heating process, the bee glue will melt. Once it becomes viscous and stringy, other ingredients are added.

How to take pure propolis internally

In addition to the preparation of alcoholic tincture and ointment, the natural remedy is used in its pure form. So you can cure diseases of the internal organs, and the effect of the remedy will come faster. The benefits of pure propolis for the body have been proven by many years of research, the testimony of millions of its consumers.

Application of pure propolis inside:

  1. Diseased teeth: A pea-sized piece of bee glue is applied to the gum near a sore tooth or in a hole. After a few minutes, when relief comes, the product is removed.
  2. Weak gums, bleeding, periodontal disease, stomatitis: a pea made of bee glue is placed in the mouth and kneaded with teeth, but not chewed. After 15 minutes, the lump is spit out.
  3. In case of diseases of the ENT organs, glue is chewed for at least 5 hours, periodically replacing the lump. As soon as relief comes, after about 3 hours, it is spat out. The beneficial substance can be consumed 2-3 times a day for no more than 15 minutes.
Important! Spit out the chewed particles of bee propolis, do not reuse!

For diseases of the digestive tract, useful glue is used in the same way, only at the end it is swallowed. The daily dose is no more than 5 g, divided into 3 doses.

Propolis tea

At the first symptoms of a cold, an infectious disease: a runny nose, sore throat, temperature, propolis tincture with tea is used. For this, black or green tea is suitable, but it is better to prepare a healing herbal tea. To do this, brew for 1 tsp. chamomile, calendula, mint, currant or raspberry leaves in a thermos.There, ginger is added to the boiling water, a small piece. When the tea is infused for an hour, it can be poured into mugs. Add 1 tsp to the drink. honey and 2 tsp. useful propolis tincture. If you drink such a healing drink at night, wrap yourself up and fall asleep, then there will be no trace of the symptoms of a cold in the morning.

If signs of a cold begin to worry at work or on a trip, you can add propolis tincture to regular black tea or to any other that is available at this time. The healing properties of propolis will ease the symptoms of the disease within a day.

Liquid propolis

Liquid bee glue is an alcoholic tincture. It is good for her to stock up before the onset of cold weather, the period of colds, infections. The beneficial properties of propolis "work" more effectively in an alcoholic infusion.

Such a remedy is easy to prepare at home. To do this, take 0.5 liters of pharmacy alcohol, crumble 100 g of propolis into it. The mixture is thoroughly mixed, poured into a dark glass bottle and removed to a warm place for 2 weeks. After the tincture is used as directed.

As soon as there is a burning sensation and pain in the nasopharynx, this remedy is used. It is instilled into the throat 5 drops 3-4 times a day. In the morning it will become easier, and after 3 days all the unpleasant sensations will completely disappear.

Due to its high alcohol content, propolis medicine has a bitter taste. But you can put up with it, since the tool is effective. Outwardly, such a useful tincture is used for non-healing wounds, ulcers and other skin lesions. The product can be applied as a rub or as a compress.

To get rid of the unpleasant and bitter taste, the solution can be used in liquid form with milk. To do this, dissolve a small piece of propolis in a glass of warm boiled milk, stirring the mixture for at least 10 minutes. The resulting medicinal milkshake is used for colds, bronchitis, and vitamin deficiency.

To increase the general tone of the body, they drink 15 drops of an alcohol solution in the morning and in the evening for a month. You can drink the product with water or milk. A good effect is observed from the use of milk with bee natural propolis for pancreatitis. For a cold, liquid bee glue is mixed in equal parts with vegetable oil, lubricated with a means of nasal passages twice a day. For colds, do inhalation with tincture. As soon as the water boils, add a few drops of alcoholic infusion to it. Then, covered with a towel, they breathe in steam, for about 10 minutes.

The magical properties of propolis

People have long believed that bee glue has magical properties. Observing the stories of healing, the people believed that a wax-like substance could heal any disease and even return a loved one. The sages use bee glue in their rituals, and the Egyptians mummified the pharaohs with it. Modern scientists have found very specific substances in propolis: essential oils, chemical elements, resins, which help get rid of a particular disease.

Contraindications to propolis

Propolis brings health not only benefits, but also harm. Individual intolerance to a substance is not the only contraindication to its use. Allergies to foods that bees produce are common. If a person has an intolerance to honey, then with a 100% probability of a sticky substance, it will also be.

If there is no allergy to honey, before using the beekeeping product externally or internally, it is still necessary to carry out a tolerance test. For this, a small amount of the substance is applied to the wrist, the condition of the skin is observed for 2 hours. There should be no redness, rash, or other signs of allergies.

Before using bee glue, 1/4 of the therapeutic dose indicated in the recipe is eaten inside. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps are the first symptoms of bee product intolerance.If there is no deterioration in well-being, propolis can be used for medicinal purposes.

Other diseases in which the use of propolis in medicine is prohibited:

  • acute liver disease;
  • allergic rhinitis;
  • allergic dermatitis;

Bee glue is contraindicated for persons who are prohibited from consuming alcohol-containing products. The use of this substance for more than 30 days can cause addiction, suppression of immunity. The body's defenses will begin to inactive, relying on the healing properties of the drug. And this should not be allowed.

Conclusion

Modern science allows you to find out everything about propolis, its beneficial properties. Some of them may become discoveries in the near future. At the moment it is known that this beekeeping product can cure more than one disease without the use of pharmacy products. Like any medicine, a useful substance must be used with caution. It is important to observe the dosage, not to exceed it.

Give feedback

Garden

Flowers

Construction