Benefits of Dr. Ohhira’s Propolis Plus

An Explanation of The Benefits of Propolis

Ross Pelton, RPh, PhD, CCN
May 5, 2017

Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese and other ancient cultures began using the healing power of propolis thousands of years ago. Ancient hieroglyphs indicate that Egyptians were beekeepers 5,000 years ago.

Propolis is a substance that honey bees make by collecting various resins from local trees and plants. The honey bees then mix the resins with beeswax which is produced in glands within their abdomen. Then they chew this mixture of resins and beeswax, which mixes with their saliva, resulting is a thick, sticky paste-like substance, which is called propolis.

The bees then smear the sticky propolis over every nook, cranny and crevasse in the beehive. Thus, propolis serves an architectural function as a sealant in the beehive.

Propolis: The Immune System of the Beehive:

Propolis serves another very important function, it is the immune system of the beehive. It turns out that the substances that the bees collect from trees and plants have a high level of anti-fungal, anti-viral and antimicrobial activity. Coating the inside surfaces of the hive with a thin layer of propolis provides immunity for the hive against invasion of pathogens.

When honey bees construct their hive, they use large amounts of propolis to line the walls of an elaborate, winding tunnel, which serves as the entrance to the hive. The bees must crawl through this tight propolis-lined tunnel when they enter and leave the hive. This process literally cleanses & disinfects their bodies of any microbes they may have picked up, thereby maintaining the sterility of the hive.

The Bees That Make Brazilian Green Propolis:

The bees that make Brazilian Green Propolis are known as the Africanized honey bee. This strain of bees was created by cross-breeding African & European honey bees in an effort develop bees that would increase honey production. The Africanized honey bee is much more aggressive than other species of bees. They respond quickly to disturbances to their hive. These bees reportedly inflict victims with 10 times more stings than other strains of bees. They have been known to chase human intruders up to a quarter of a mile, and have they killed over 1,000 humans, which explains why they are also called “killer bees”.

1. The Africanized Honey Bee has developed a method of producing propolis that makes their propolis different from propolis produced anywhere else in the world. The Africanized Honey Bee developed the capability of removing the entire tip of plant buds during their collection process. All other species of bees only extract certain compounds from plant buds. An apt analogy with the human health food movement is that the Africanized Honey Bee is utilizing whole foods to make its propolis.
2. The Brazilian Amazonian rain forest provides a diversely rich ecosystem that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Bees in other parts of the world produce propolis using resins primarily from two types of trees (poplars & birches). However, bees collect compounds from over 300 different rain forest plants to produce Brazilian Green Propolis. Many of these compounds have powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune system-enhancing properties, which makes Brazilian Green Propolis a very unique product.

Health Benefits of Brazilian Green Propolis:

1. Ancient uses: an antiseptic to treat wounds; an agent to relieve pain & reduce swelling; fight parasites & treat intestinal issues.
2. Immune System Enhancing Effects: Numerous components have been shown to provide anti-viral, anti-fungal and antibacterial activity
3. Antioxidant activity
4. Anti-inflammatory effects
5. Protects nerve cells from damage
6. Supports heart and circulatory health

Dr. Ohhira’s Propolis Plus®, which contains Brazilian Green Propolis provides anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune system-enhancing properties unlike all other propolis products. Consider using Dr. Ohhira’s Propolis Plus® to enhance your long-term health and wellbeing.