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When it comes to bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly, many either seem to swear by them or swear at them. Bee products epitomize everything that's right and wrong about natural foods and dietary supplements. For many folks, the concept of eating "beestuff" - other than honey - seems awfully strange. And while bee products are very popular, few people really understand why they work. Scientifically, that is. Not surprisingly, physicians usually bristle at the idea of people swallowing bee pollen and propolis capsules. One doctor almost 20 years ago, warned in a medical journal that patients shouldn't get "stung" by the miracle claims of bee pollen. Even worse, advocates of bee products can often be their own worst enemies with wild cure-all claims of most things from arthritis to sexual impotence. Bee products don't cure everything. But in a search of recent medical journal articles - most turned out to be from abroad - I found impressive documentation for propolis and honey as effective natural antibiotics. Amazingly, some doctors have even used honey-soaked gauze as wound dressings. And a few of the components of propolis and royal jelly even have anti-cancer properties. Propolis Bees create propolis by collecting a resinous sap from trees and then mixing it with wax back at the hive. They use this material much the way people use caulk: to seal our homes. Chemically, propolis is exceedingly complex and contains a rich variety of potent terpenes and benzoic, caffeic, cinnamic, and phenolic acids. It's also full of flavonoids, which by themselves may account for many of the benefits attributed to propolis-and some researchers refer to propolis as a type of flavonoid. One of the most significant medical journal entries talked about how the caffeic acids in propolis and honey can prevent colon cancer, which kills some 60,000 Americans each year. Most medical articles, however, still refer to the value of propolis as a powerful, natural antibiotic. That doesn't mean eating propolis will allow you to trash your antibiotics - however you may not need them quite as often. Why would bees need substances with broad antibacterial and antiviral values? Any beekeeper will tell you the answer. Bees are very susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, which can destroy hives the way the bubonic plague ravaged Europe in the 1700's. Two medical journal articles document the activity of propolis specifically against Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that causes dangerous and often deadly blood poisoning, and a form of pneumonia. Five to 10 percent of all patients hospitalized in the United States develop these infections, and S. aureus has become resistant to all but one pharmaceutical antibiotic. In a Chinese study, researchers discovered that extracts of propolis - specifically, sinapic, isoferulic, and caffeic acids - inhibited development. A European study reported that ethanol extracts from propolis had a "marked synergistic effect" on the anti-staph activity of two antibiotics, streptomycin and cloxacillin, and a mild effect on several others. Another scientific investigation discovered that propolis inhibited the activity of several streptococcal bacteria types that cause dental caries. Japanese investigators reported that propolis-fed laboratory fats had much less caries than those given a regular diet. Propolis protected specifically against Streptococcus mutans and several other strep species. These strep species are closely related to the germ that causes strep throat. Propolis works against bacteria in several ways. One study reported that it prevented bacterial cell division and also broke down bacterial walls and cytoplasm, which is how some prescription antibiotics work. Perhaps more remarkable is that propolis acts against viruses, which antibiotics do not. A number of medical journal reports have discussed the role of propolisin fighting upper respiratory infections, such as those caused by the common cold and influenza viruses Other researchers have discovered that the cinnamic acid extracts of propolis prevent viruses from reproducing, but they worked best when used during the entire infection. Underpinning many of the benefits of propolis is that some of its components,like the flavonoids and ethanols, function as antioxidant free-radical scavengers. It was reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology noted that some of the antioxidant phenols in propolis functioned similarly to vitamin E. In another article, investigators described that propolis had anti-inflammatory values and that it could also help stop blood clots. Royal Jelly Highly touted royal jelly, fed to the debutante larvae that grow into queen bees, contains a powerful antibacterial protein that Japanese investigators discovered and named royalisin. Rich in amino acids, royalisin is firstly effective against "Gram-positive" bacteria, which include staph and strep species. Like propolis, royal jelly also appears to have anti-tumor properties. Another team of Japanese researchers gave royal jelly to one of two groups of laboratory mice before transplanting various types of cancer cells in them. The royal jelly had no effect on the leukemia cells, but it had dramatic effects on sarcoma cells. The lifespan of the mice were extended by about 20% and tumor sizes were about half the size, compared with untreated mice. In sum, we could learn a lesson from bees that eat honey and royal jelly, and seal their hives with propolis. By eating these bee products, we can preventively "innoculate" ourselves against many bacterial and viral infections - and can be very likely to reduce our risk of developing cancer. Honey Six medical journal articles in the last few years have also discussed the antibiotic values of honey. A physician at the medical college in Maharashtra, India, recently explored the use of honey-soaked gauze to treat burn patients. The 40 patients treated with honey healed in about half the time - and with 50% of the scar tissue - compared with patients treated by other means. A team of researchers from the department of surgery, University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, reported that natural honey "inhibited most of the fungi and bacteria" causing surgical and wound infections. In an amazing conclusion in the journal Infection, Doctor S. E. Efem and his colleagues wrote, "Honey is thus an ideal topical wound dressing agent in surgical infections, burns and wound infections." Perhaps most remarkable is the effect of honey on Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium now known to cause gastric ulcers. Because honey has for a long time been a folk remedy for dyspepsia, or stomach upset, a team of investigators from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, tested whether or not honey would have any benefit. Within three days, honey stopped the growth of H. pylori colonies obtained from patients. This article is strictly educational and not intended as medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician. For all of your vitamins minerals or specifically for bee honey and propolis information see lifetimehealth.com. Here you will find information, help and expert advice.
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