Colour and composition

Propolis is a greenish, brownish or reddish coloured and peculiar smelling resinous sticky substance produced by bees.

Bees make propolis from raw materials collected from the buds of plants. One of the ingredients of propolis, balsam, is produced by the bees from the pollen husks of the pollen bees.

It consists of vegetable proteins and balsams (50-55%), wax (30-40%), essential oils (8-10%) and pollen (5-10%). It has a melting point of 80°C and a specific gravity of 1,27 g/cm3. It is used by bees to clean and disinfect hives, to fill cracks, to narrow the flight opening and to cover pests in the hive.

Propolis has been used in folk medicine for several hundred years 

More than 2,000 scientific papers have been written on the use of propolis, supporting the view that propolis is a very versatile  substance, not only for bees but also for humans.

Propolis contains compounds such as flavonoids and phenols.

As referred to,propolis has been used for more than 2,000 years, perhaps even longer. In ancient Egypt, people used propolis to preserve mummies, and among Greek and Roman physicians it was known for its natural properties. During the Middle Ages, propolis was used in European folk medicine and its popularity has continued in various cultures to the present day.

All in all, the propolis has been in use for at least a few thousand years, but the exact history may go back even further.