Health from the Hive: Potential Uses of Propolis in General Health

The health industry has always used natural products as an alternative, to the conventional allopathic formulations available for the treatment of various afflictions. Propolis, a natural antibiotic is a resinous yellow brown to dark brown substance that honey bees (Apis mellifera) collect from tree buds, sapflows, shrubs or other botanical sources to seal unwanted open spaces in the hive, protecting it from outside contaminants. The main chemical classes present in propolis are flavonoids, phenolics and other various aromatic compounds. Flavonoids are well known plant compounds that have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Propolis has been used in general for various purposes and has a promising role in future medicine as well as in dentistry. This paper is an attempt to review various applications of this compound in medicine.