Propolis is a kind of bee glue. It is a dark green color, very bitter in taste and glutinous. Meanwhile, propolis has a very pleasant and tasty smell. The more propolis is stored, the darker its color becomes, it becomes firmer and gradually loses its odor. Propolis for medicinal purposes is used quite often. After all, it has many useful components.
How is propolis formed?
Propolis is formed as a result of processing bees of different resinous substances that originate from the secretions of the kidneys, stems, leaves, some roots, etc. Then the bees add wax, pharyngeal glands, and, of course, pollen to them. Bees use propolis in order to polish the cells, the brood itself grows in the cells, which is needed to seal up pests that try to get into the hive. Propolis is very complex in its composition. It contains 60% of resin, about 15% of essential oils, about 25% of wax, and 10% of pollen. Propolis is poorly soluble in water, it dissolves only in alcohol or vodka. Propolis is harvested most often in the summer. To do this, it is ripped off the frame, then rolled into lumps and put in storage in a cool place, in a closed container. Before you put propolis into storage, you should wrap it in tracing paper. Keep it right, otherwise it will lose all its medicinal properties. Fresh propolis has the best healing properties.
Propolis in medicine
Propolis has a very complex chemical composition, and due to this, it is used for medicinal purposes. Propolis is used to treat various burns, injuries, wounds, any skin diseases, and it acts as an analgesic. Propolis is used to treat tuberculosis. After all, it is able to act to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure. It is used, also, for problems with the respiratory tract. In modern medicine, there are tablets with propolis. Most often they are used for such diseases as laryngitis, bronchitis and other diseases. But most of all, the ointment, which is prepared from propolis, is relevant. It's not difficult to do it yourself at home.
Propolis ointment
For therapeutic purposes, you can use propolis ointment, but for this you need to learn how to cook it.
Take propolis, which was stored in a cool place, wipe it very finely on a grater. During grinding propolis again becomes soft, so put it again in a cold place. Next, you need to take two pans, preferably of different sizes, so that one of them can enter the other. Put 3 slats of wood on the bottom of a large saucepan, and on them put a small pan. In this small saucepan, put the grated propolis and pour completely with water. Then pour the water and into a large saucepan, into the space between the two pans. Put everything on a stove and heat for about an hour. After an hour, allow the saucepan to cool, and then remove the small pan from the large one.
Remove the wax from the pot with a table knife. It is advisable to do this in circles. Then wrap all the contents in paper and store in a cool place for an hour. Drain all the water from the propolis in the jars of dark color. You will notice that at the bottom of the pot there is a purified propolis, which is recommended to be grated again, and then put in a dark chamber for storage, as in the very beginning.
Take 1 kg. propolis, preferably purified, and it should be dissolved in alcohol for one week. Mix it a couple of times a day. In the end, you will get a creamy mass, which will be perfectly spread and pleasantly smell. Further from this mass we need to get ointment from propolis, which can be used for deep wounds, burns, injuries, bruises, abrasions, ulcers. In order to get such an ointment, we need to melt 150 grams of animal fat, bring it to a boil, and after cooling and add 20 grams of finely ground propolis, then you need to constantly stir the whole mass while cooling it. Filter the whole mixture through gauze, let the ointment cool down, and then you can safely apply it. This ointment is miraculous for burns. It acts very quickly.
Propolis ointment is excellent for treating many other diseases. For example, hemorrhoids, with gut diseases. To treat such diseases, you need to lubricate the area of the back passage with this ointment. After a while you will see a positive result. In medicine, propolis is very common in the treatment of prostatitis, especially chronic.
The most reliable and easy way is to chew propolis. It will easily replace your chewing gum. Take in the mouth a small piece of propolis, read it carefully, and then you can swallow. If possible, chew the propolis every day.
You can also take a tincture of propolis from alcohol, enough to take inside the tincture one hour before a meal.
You can mix propolis with butter, and take it for food with any blood diseases or any other ailments. To do this, just add a little propolis in the butter, and then apply the butter on a piece of bread and eat as a regular sandwich, 10 minutes before a meal a couple of times a day. Propolis cleanses the blood of cholesterol and other substances harmful to our body.