We recently sat down with one of our advisory board members, Natasha Sidoti, to talk about the history & health benefits of Propolis. Here's what she had to say.
Hi, I'm Natasha Sidoti, clinical naturopath and board advisory member to Natural Life. Propolis is an incredible immune boosting substance. It's a resinous compound made by bees mixing tree sap, their own enzymes, and beeswax. Bees use propolis to both protect and seal their hives from external pathogens, but also to protect their survival and reproduction.
Likewise, we can use propolis to protect and strengthen our own immune system and soothe and increase the speed of healing to any wounds or ulcers both on and inside the body.
Propolis has been used as a natural remedy for hundreds and hundreds of years. It is well established and valued for its antimicrobial, antiseptic, and wound healing properties, especially in Europe, Asia, and The Middle East. During World War II. It is well known that propolis was used for soldiers when they had wounds that needed support, fighting against infections, and speeding up wound healing. Propolis is also a mild anesthetic and when soldiers and their medical teams were running low on medical supplies, it came in very handy to support their healing and prevent themselves from worsening in their infections.
Propolis is rich in antioxidants, in particular flavonoids, part of the polyphenol group of bioactive plant compounds, as well as CAPE, caffeic acid phenethyl ester. Together, both flavonoids and CAPE provide amazing immune regulation in the body, helping us fight infections faster, recover more quickly and reduce oxidative stress in the body.
Together, these phenolic acids also support our white blood cell count key to our primary immune defense in the body. If we reduce oxidative stress in the body, we have a stronger immune system and oxidative stress is also associated to premature aging. A sore throat can be a sign of an early respiratory infection starting to take hold and is often where viruses and bacteria first begin to colonise in our body.
I like to use a propolis and manuka spray to try and reduce the viral or infection load that's taking place in the body, speeding up my recovery and reducing the severity of the infection itself. Propolis and manuka work really well together. They're a synergistic team to fight infection and also soothe a sore irritated throat. Propolis has strong antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Manuka honey is also antibacterial whilst providing a soothing, soothing sensation to that sore throat that we just want to shake.
