Propolis As A Remedy Gaining Scientific Support

One of the arguments against natural remedies over the past few decades has been the lack of scientific evidence supporting their use and backing up their health claims.

While modern drugs are artificial creations from a laboratory that require significant testing and trials to show they won’t cause too many side effects (and its amazing how many still get approved even with quite significant known side effects and risks), often natural remedies have passed the test of time in their use. If you look at some of the Chinese herbal remedies, they may not have undergone modern ‘clinical trials’, but have undergone ‘practical trials’ on real people over hundreds or thousands of years.

Now proper caution does need to be exercised. Natural remedies cover a wide range of things, some of which can be harmful if wrongly used.

However a growing number of them are now also gaining modern scientific research support to back up their historical claims. Take Propolis, a bee produced product that has natural antifungal and antibacterial properties and has been used in many cultures over the centuries as a natural remedy. Propolis is what the bees use to protect their own hive from infection and disease.

Now there are an ever growing number of research studies around the world studying Propolis and ways to use it. These studies are being published in many of the recognised scientific journals.

There is a wide range of aspects and uses of Propolis undergoing study. The Australian Endodontic Journal reports a study showing it as effective as a dental medicament against Enterococcus faecalis. A study published in the Phytotherapy Research journal looked at comparisons of different origi
Propolis on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. An article in Food and Chemical Toxicology is headed “Propolis ‘Exhibited Better Effectiveness’ Than Traditional Liver Drug”.

This is just a brief indication of some of the research recently conducted. The purpose of this article is not to go into the details of these studies, that is something interested people are encouraged to explore further. It is merely to illustrate that what had previously been considered a ‘folk remedy’ is undergoing the modern scientific treatment from a wide range of studies that are starting to be able to provide scientific support to the anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness as a natural remedy that has existed for thousands of years.

You can now start to browse the science and medical journals to find information on how Propolis may be able to help you.