
The ancient Greeks must have noticed that some breeds of bees reduced the entrance to the hive with a plant resin to defend their colony. Hence the name prop - city (before the city).
Propolis is the thin resinous membrane with which the plant covers the stem (bud or eye), to protect it from any attack. The bee takes this membrane and uses it intensively inside the hive, after first mixing it with its saliva, wax and other external substances to adapt it to its needs. It uses it as a product for sealing cracks, sealing, blocking holes and protecting the entrance-exit of the hive from adverse weather conditions or from other invading animals.
However, the properties of propolis do not stop at mechanical uses.
When an invader (sersegi, mouse, acherontia, etc.) is neutralized by the bees and they can not remove it from the hive, then they literally embalm it, covering it with a layer of propolis, which prevents the slightest rot. The Egyptians were inspired by this technique and invented the technique of mimicking corpses. This resinous substance is a powerful drug, globally recognized, for its antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.
Propolis consists of: wax +/- 30%, resin and balm +/- 50%, essential oils 6 to 10%, pollen 5% and various organic and mineral substances +/- 5%.
The variety of active ingredients in propolis is impressive. Each of them has a great and essential therapeutic value, which we could, in the context of a biochemical approach, determine precisely the reasons for the medical action of this product, which is less known to the public than royal jelly but just as "miraculous".
The pharmacology of propolis is very large. It is most commonly used in otolaryngology (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, otitis), in dentistry (stomatitis, gingivitis, dental infections), and in dermatology. The antimicrobial properties of propolis, its effectiveness as a fungicide and as an antibiotic are well known. In addition it has an anesthetic property and healing and anti-inflammatory effects. By increasing the metabolism, it promotes wound healing and the revitalization of bone injuries.