DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
HMPC defines propolis as a product of animal origin that does not meet the legal definition of herbal substances or herbs.
Propolis is the putty resin of bees. Bees collect the sticky exudate from the buds of various trees, mix it with saliva and wax, and use it to make a resin that they use to seal joints and cracks in their burrows.
Propolis is a brownish friable sticky mass that smells spicy. It consists of 80% resins and waxes, which contain essential oils, flavonoids, pollen, insect components and foreign bodies. The contained buds are mainly from Populus nigra L. (black poplar, Salicaceae) but also from other populus species and other tree species, depending on the location of the hive.
Action: Antibacterial, antifungal, antiphlogistic, astringent, granulation stimulant, local anesthetic, immunomodulatory, spasmolytic and choleretic.
No monograph by HMPC; ESCOP and Commission E.
Empirical medicine: upper respiratory and genitourinary tract infections, immune stimulation, oral pharyngeal diseases, burns, acne, mycoses, eczema.
