The History of the Propolis

According to paleontological records, bees already lived on the earth 56 million years before the birth of human beings. In the process of evolution, bees have successfully used substances such as propolis to protect themselves and thrive in nature. The application of propolis has a very long history, as early as ancient Rome, Persia, and ancient Egypt have historical records of using propolis.

The oldest record of bees and humans is 7000 BC. This record is on the walls of ancient Egyptian caves, depicting images of humans collecting bees from hives. The ancients used propolis as an excellent substance for a long time. The oldest example is recorded in a Mesopotamian inscription, which records the use of propolis for the treatment of disease, dating from 2700 BC.

Propolis has been known since BC, in the following instances:

1. First in ancient Egypt, paintings of honey collectors were left in mausoleums. It is said that monks used propolis to make preservatives, and mummies were made of propolis. There are many narratives about propolis in ancient Greece and Rome.

2. The famous philosopher and scientist Aristotle conducted experiments on the ecology of bees. In order to correctly observe the ecology of bees, Aristotle made a transparent hive. The bees smeared a black substance on the hive. This black substance is propolis, which Aristotle called "wooden". tears". In his book "Animal", Aristotle described that propolis is suitable for the treatment of skin diseases, cuts and infections.

3. In addition, the Roman Proscionis (AD 23-79), who wrote 27 volumes of Natural History, stated that "the use of propolis can remove thorns that have entered the body, remove swelling of the skin, calm neuralgia, even erosion or swelling, etc. Intractable diseases can be cured.”

4. In the 18th and 19th centuries in France, the use of propolis as a treatment for cuts was prevalent. In 1889, during the Bois War, propolis mixed with Vaseline played a great role in the treatment of wounds.

Propolis has been used as a medicine by the people since ancient Greece and has a long history. The rapid rise of the status of propolis in medicine began in the second half of the 20th century, especially in recent decades, the research and application of propolis all over the world have achieved rapid development. In China, the native Chinese honeybees do not have the ability to collect and process propolis, nor do they have the habit of collecting propolis. At the beginning of the 20th century, with the introduction of honeybees from the West to China, there was a historical record of using propolis, and with continuous research, great breakthroughs and progress have been made.

The health benefits of propolis have attracted great attention from scientists all over the world. As a mixture of animal and plant secretions, propolis is a pure natural product with no toxic and side effects. Studies have shown that it has good safety and extensive and stable disease prevention and treatment effects. In 2002, propolis was officially included in the "List of Items That Can Be Used in Health Food" by the Ministry of Health, and in 2005, it was officially included in the "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" and became a legal traditional Chinese medicine.

So far, propolis has been identified to contain at least more than 20 kinds of amino acids, more than 30 kinds of flavonoids, dozens of terpenes, more than 30 kinds of trace elements, enzymes, phenols, esters, polysaccharides, vitamins and other substances. . Scientists also give propolis many laudatory names, such as: "Purple Gold", "The Most Complete Natural Antibiotic", "Natural Immune Enhancer", "Vascular Scavenger", "Natural Antioxidant" and so on.

Welcome to BEEHALL to know more about the development of propolis.