Bee Propolis

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Whenever we go to work, make a trip to the supermarket, or just step outside to smell the roses, we risk picking up germs and bringing them back to the nest. It’s darn near impossible to avoid. 

The same goes for bees. As tens of thousands of bees traipse in and out of the hive each day, they pick up germs along the way and take them back to the colony. Thanks to a sticky brown substance called propolis, however, bees keep the insides of their hives germ-free. 

Bee propolis is the resin that bees collect from the buds and wounds of trees and other plants and mix with beeswax. In warm weather, propolis is sticky and soft and can be used to fill holes or spread over surfaces like a shellac. In cool weather, the propolis hardens and becomes brittle. The bees use it to caulk, seal, line, and strengthen the hive, but they also use it to ward off contamination and germs in the hive. That’s because propolis, also known as Russian penicillin, has antibacterial properties. 

It’s this ability to fight bacteria that makes it an intriguing supplement for humans. The use of propolis as medicine dates back to the time of Aristotle, about 350 b.c.

The Greeks used propolis for abscesses, while the Assyrians used it to heal wounds and tumors, according to Steve Nenninger, N.D., a naturopathic doctor in New York City. 

The Egyptians used it for mummification—and so do bees, says Theodore Cherbuliez, M.D., a physician in Scarsdale, New York, and president of the American Apitherapy Society, a nonprofit organization that advances the investigation of the healing use of products from the beehive. If a mouse crawls into the hive for warmth in the winter, bees will sting it to death. Then, since they can’t physically remove the mouse, they will mummify it with propolis to protect the health of the hive. "Imagine the inside of a beehive, says Dr. Cherbuliez. "It’s hot, humid, and an ideal milieu to grow bacteria on that dead mouse. Propolis prevents this from happening." 

Proponents today use propolis to treat a variety of illnesses, including colds, flu, and sore throats; skin problems; wounds and bruises; stomach ulcers; burns; hemorrhoids; gum disease; high blood pressure; bad breath; and tonsillitis. They also promote it for boosting immunity. But even the strongest supporters rely on stories of healing, rather than on statistical studies, when they claim that it’s a nutritional supplement. No carefully controlled studies exist to back these claims. 

There are more than 300 components in propolis, including bio flavonoids, says Dr. Cherbuliez. Because propolis comes from a variety of plants, the amount and type of these components can vary by season and region. 

Collecting propolis for human use is an arduous task. To get the purest product, beekeepers place small inserts into the hives. To bees, the inserts look like cracks. Thinking that their hive needs repair, the bees fill the inserts with propolis. Propolis can also be scraped out of the hive, but this yields an inferior product that may contain unwanted by-products. 

Bee propolis is available in tablets, throat lozenges, chewable tablets with vitamin C, cough syrup, toothpaste, mouthwash, skin lotions, lipstick, throat spray, salve, and tincture. It’s best to buy propolis from a supplement manufacturer that specializes in bee products.

Green Tea The Alternative Remedies

Green tea the alternative remedies is not new to people living in the eastern countries. Green tea is one of the popular drinks in eastern culture especially for people in rural area in beside traditional tea. Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing.

Green tea is palest in color, generally light green or yellow and after the tea leaves are picked, the green tea leaves, they undergo lightly process to prevent some natural changes from taking place such as auto –oxidation catalyzed by enzymes present in the freshly plucked leaves. If allow this oxidation would convert the tea progress to Oolong and then the black tea. Light steaming will prevents this oxidation thus preserved the natural antioxidants in the leaves, this result is green tea.

Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. Green tea has become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed. Many varieties of green tea have been created in countries where it is grown. These varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time.
Green tea become popular in the West after scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent.

University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Green tea can be used as the alternative remedies for infection, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease and impaired immune function. The ability of green tea act as alternative remedies is in the fact that it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate. Epigallocatechin gallate is a powerful anti-oxidant besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots.

The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. Drink Green tea also is good for healthy teeth and gums because the ability green tea to help reduce symptoms of periodontal disease may be due to the presence of the antioxidant catechin.

Previous research has demonstrated antioxidants' ability to reduce inflammation in the body, and the indicators of periodontal disease measured in this study, PD, CAL and BOP, suggest the existence of an inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria in the mouth. By interfering with the body's inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria, green tea may actually help promote periodontal health, and ward off further disease.

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gums and bone supporting the teeth, and has been associated with the progression of other diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Periodontists believe that maintaining healthy gums is absolutely critical to maintaining a healthy body," says Dr. David Cochran, DDS, PhD, President of the AAP and Chair of the Department of Periodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "That is why it is so important to find simple ways to boost periodontal health, such as regularly drinking green tea – something already known to possess certain health-related benefits."

Thus try green tea today and feel the different .