Recent Studies in the Use of Propolis as a Traditional Medicine: A Review

Propolis is formed by honey bees through mixing a quantity of wax into the resinous substances, which they create by mixing the plant secretions in the pollen baskets on their hind legs with enzymes in their saliva. Depending on the source from which it is obtained, propolis is found in a wide variety of colours, such as yellow, green, dark brown, being solid-state at room temperature. For centuries, apicultural products (such as honey, pollen, propolis, bee venom, bee bread and royal jelly) have been used in traditional medicine for treatment purposes. In recent years, biochemical studies related to propolis have focused on the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, and antioxidant activities of propolis.