Bee Propolis - Nature's Powerful Probiotic

I mentioned in my previous posts, Mama I Am Sick and Practical Home Remedy of Honey, that we have been using Bee Propolis as a natural health remedy and supplement at home.  Maybe it’s your first time to hear about it.  So what is it really, you may ask?  Read on and you’ll be surprised with its natural health wonders…

Propolis is a sticky resin that seeps from flowering buds and oozes from the bark of trees.  Propolis forms part of the tree’s immune system.  It fights bacteria, fungi and viruses that attack trees.  Honeybees collect propolis, sometimes called “bee glue”, and combine this resin with nectar, creating a mix of wax and pollen.  Propolis is used by bees to varnish the inside of their entire beehive including the inside of all the cells in their honeycomb to sanitize them.  Propolis is known to keep the hive disease-free by preventing bacteria and fungus from growing inside it.

Propolis is another medicinal marvel coming from man’s little best friend, the bees.  Some of the health benefits of bee propolis are:

• It offers antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
• Propolis has all the known vitamins, except for vitamin K.  Of the 14 minerals required by the body, propolis contains them all except sulfur.  It also contains 500 more bioflavonoids (vitamin P) than is found in oranges.
• It is a powerful natural probiotic.  It is the safest, non-toxic substitute for synthetic antibiotics.  It is nature’s remedy for diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi that have become resistant to man-made antibiotics.  Chemical antibiotics destroy all bacteria in the body, both the friendly and the bad.  Propolis works against harmful bacteria without destroying the friendly bacteria the body needs.  Propolis has also been proven effective against strains of bacteria that resist chemical antibiotics, and it has no side effects.
• It is a powerful anti-oxidant, which combats the oxidizing effects of exposure to all kinds of pollution, eating processed and preserved foods and ingestion/contact with other carcinogenic or oxidizing agents.  Propolis contains many flavonoids, which has a potential role in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
• It enhances and strengthens our body’s immune system.
• Also known as a great topical healing agent for burns, wounds and even insect bites and rashes, and in treating dental problems, scalp and hair problems.

Propolis now comes in many forms, including tablets, lozenges and mouthwash.  There are also some personal care products like shampoo, soap, feminine wash, lip balm and ointment that have propolis as an active ingredient.  But for medicinal use, however, I like to buy propolis in its fully concentrated form, natural and organic, to maximize all the health benefits we can get from propolis.  Here in the Philippines, there’s only one business entity I know, so far, that sells natural and organic propolis (in liquid form) along with other bee products like raw honey, bee pollen and royal jelly, and that is Ilog Maria.  Ilog Maria is a honeybee farm located in the clean and cool highlands of Silang, Cavite.  And we happen to be residing in a nearby city in Laguna, so I (or with my family) try to stop by the farm whenever I/we get the chance.  If not, Ilog Maria has a website where we can conveniently shop online for their bee products and have them delivered right to our very own home. Isn’t that a relief?!?

Ilog Maria Propolis comes in 320ml and 30ml bottles. I know I'm almost running out of the big one!  Just goes to show that we're really using it.

Personally, I’ve witnessed how the honey and propolis combo worked in treating the fever and cough of my kids and as an overall immune system booster.  But I’m not saying that we never get sick anymore.  We’re also humans and are definitely imperfect.(LOL)  But at least now you and I know that here is a non-toxic preventive medicine and a great alternative to synthetic drugs that is all-natural and safe to take.

For more information about Ilog Maria and its bee products, head on to their website.