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In scientific, folk and alternative medicine, all substances that bees produce are used. Particularly popular are beebread, royal jelly, and propolis. Each substance has its own characteristics and properties. Finding out everything about propolis and its qualities is useful for lovers of natural medicinal products.
What is propolis
It is a thick, homogeneous substance in the form of resin or glue that bees produce. They collect it in the spring, when gluten forms on the budding tree buds. Its insects are treated with their own enzymes and used to disinfect the inside of hives.
With the help of an adhesive substance, bees disinfect foreign objects in the hive and isolate them. Insects use beneficial propolis to seal the cracks of their houses, disinfect them, strengthen honeycombs, and regulate the permeability of the entrance. Thanks to this sticky substance, the bee hive is always sterile. Noticing such features, people began to use propolis as a remedy.
What does propolis look like?
Bee glue resembles cloudy, dirty wax, its consistency is similar. There is a popular belief that this substance is bee excrement, but this is a misconception. Bee glue comes in different colors: gray, brown-green, dirty beige; less commonly, a substance of dark brown color and even black is found.
According to its medicinal properties and areas of application, propolis is divided into 2 categories: building and antibacterial. Insects use building wax material to seal cracks in the hive; it contains a lot of wax and few useful substances. It is not advisable for bees to use useful substances to seal cracks.
Antimicrobial and disinfectant propolis has particularly useful and healing properties. Insects use it to treat honeycombs before laying eggs. It is difficult to collect such a substance - it is labor-intensive work.
What is useful in propolis
Scientists have been working on analyzing 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, and wax. Most of the known vitamins and microelements are contained in this natural resin.
Medicinal properties and benefits of natural bee glue:
- Pain relief - useful bee glue is several times stronger than novocaine. It is used locally as an anesthetic. Using propolis you can quickly and effectively reduce body temperature.
- Antiseptic and antiviral properties. The adhesive substance can destroy millions of bacteria in 2-3 hours and boost the immune system to fight 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.
- Anti-inflammatory and wound healing effect. Using ointments and creams with propolis extract, you can quickly relieve inflammation and speed up the restoration of the skin.
Read more about the medicinal properties of propolis and how to use it.
What does propolis treat?
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 substance is used for the following skin diseases: baldness, sunburn, skin tuberculosis, eczema, psoriasis.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcers, are treated with propolis-based drugs. It will help with the following diagnoses: gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis.
With long-term and regular use of the beneficial substance, pulmonary tuberculosis is cured. The therapy lasts almost a year, but the results are stable. Doctors are observing the effect of drugs with bee glue in the treatment of tuberculosis of the kidneys and lymph nodes.
Treatment with propolis at home is also used in gynecology. This is an effective remedy for genital herpes, cervical erosion, fibroids, and endometriosis.
During the period of viral infections and respiratory diseases, various tinctures with beneficial substances are used.
Inflammation of the joints, disorders of the skeletal system, such as neuritis and radiculitis, can be cured with ointments that contain an adhesive substance.
Bee glue will help with herpes, give you strength to overcome depression, and get rid of hemorrhoids.
Since there are many propolis-based medications, it is quite difficult to understand their properties on your own.
How to use propolis
Useful alcohol tincture, ointment, and milk mixture are prepared from bee glue at home. These remedies are used externally and internally for various diseases. There are many recipes for preparing home remedies from propolis. To make each of them, the waxy substance is melted and then mixed with the base in certain proportions.
How to melt propolis at home
First, build a water bath. To do this, place a medium-sized bowl on the fire and pour water into it. Smaller dishes are placed on top so that their 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 these crumbs are poured into the upper small container and wait for the liquid to boil in the first large bowl. When heated, the bee glue will melt. Once it becomes viscous and viscous, add other ingredients.
How to take propolis internally in its pure form
In addition to preparing alcohol tincture and ointment, the natural remedy is consumed in its pure form. This way you can cure diseases of internal organs, and the effect of the product will come faster. The benefits of pure propolis for the body have been proven by many years of research and evidence from millions of its consumers.
Use of pure propolis internally:
- Sore teeth: a pea-sized piece of bee glue is applied to the gum near the sore tooth or inserted into the hole. After a few minutes, when relief comes, the product is removed.
- Weak gums, bleeding, periodontal disease, stomatitis: a pea of bee glue is placed in the oral cavity and kneaded with teeth, but not chewed. After 15 minutes, the lump is spat out.
- For diseases of the ENT organs, chew the glue for at least 5 hours, periodically changing the lump. As soon as relief comes, after about 3 hours, it is spat out. The useful substance can be consumed 2-3 times a day for no more than 15 minutes.
For diseases of the gastrointestinal 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.
Tea with propolis
At the first symptoms of a cold or infectious disease: runny nose, sore throat, fever, use propolis tincture with tea. Black or green tea is suitable for this, but it is better to prepare a healing herbal tea. To do this, brew 1 tsp. chamomile, calendula, mint, currant or raspberry leaves in a thermos. Add a small piece of ginger to the boiling water. When the tea has steeped 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 in the morning there will be no trace of cold symptoms.
If signs of a cold begin to bother you at work or while traveling, you can add propolis tincture to regular black tea or any other that is available at that time. The healing properties of propolis will relieve the symptoms of the disease within 24 hours.
Liquid propolis
Bee glue in liquid form is an alcohol tincture. It is good for her to stock up before the onset of cold weather, colds, and infections.The beneficial properties of propolis “work” more effectively in alcohol infusion.
This remedy is easy to prepare at home. To do this, take 0.5 liters of pharmaceutical alcohol and crush 100 g of propolis into it. The mixture is thoroughly mixed, poured into a dark glass bottle and stored in a warm place for 2 weeks. Afterwards the tincture is used for its intended purpose.
As soon as a burning and stinging sensation appears in the nasopharynx, use this remedy. It is instilled into the throat, 5 drops 3-4 times a day. In the morning it will feel better, and after 3 days all the unpleasant sensations will completely disappear.
Due to the high alcohol content, propolis medicine has a bitter taste. But you can put up with it, since the remedy is effective. Externally, this useful tincture is used for non-healing wounds, ulcers and other skin lesions. The product can be applied as a rubbing or as a compress.
To get rid of the unpleasant and bitter taste, the solution can be consumed 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 healing milkshake is used for colds, bronchitis, and lack of strength and vitamin deficiency.
To increase the overall tone of the body, drink 15 drops of an alcohol solution in the morning and evening for a month. You can drink the product with water or milk. A good effect is observed from the use of milk with natural bee propolis for pancreatitis. For a runny nose, liquid bee glue is mixed in equal parts with vegetable oil, and the nasal passages are lubricated with the product twice a day. For colds, inhalations with tincture are done. As soon as the water boils, add a few drops of alcohol infusion to it.Then, covered with a towel, breathe in the steam for about 10 minutes.
The magical properties of propolis
People have long believed that bee glue has magical properties. Observing healing stories, people believed that the wax-like substance could cure any disease and even bring back a loved one. Witches use bee glue in their rituals, and the Egyptians mummified pharaohs with it. Modern scientists have found very specific substances in propolis: essential oils, chemical elements, resins that 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 produced by bees are common. If a person has an intolerance to honey, then there is a 100% chance that he will also have an intolerance to the sticky substance.
If you are not allergic to honey, before consuming the beekeeping product externally or internally, it is still necessary to conduct a tolerance test. To do this, apply a small amount of the substance to the wrist and observe the condition of the skin for 2 hours. There should be no redness, rash, or other signs of allergy.
Before using bee glue orally, eat 1/4 of the therapeutic dose indicated in the recipe. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps are the first symptoms of bee product intolerance. If your health does not deteriorate, propolis can be used for medicinal purposes.
Other diseases for which the use of propolis in medicine is prohibited:
- acute liver diseases;
- allergic rhinitis;
- allergic dermatitis;
Bee glue is contraindicated for persons who are prohibited from consuming alcohol-containing products. Use of this substance for more than 30 days can cause addiction and suppress the immune system. The body's defenses will begin to become inactive, relying on the healing properties of the drug. And this cannot be allowed.
Conclusion
Modern science allows you to learn everything about propolis and 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 pharmaceuticals. Like any medicine, a beneficial substance must be used with caution. It is important to follow the dosage and not exceed it.
