The New Buzz Around Propolis
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Turns out that honey isn’t the only product coming from bees that makes life a little sweeter. Propolis, a natural product produced by bees to coat their hives, can apparently be used by humans to improve skin conditions, prevent wrinkles, and maybe even stimulate hair growth.
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Propolis isn’t new—people have been using it for thousands of years—but the science behind the beauty benefits is improving everyday. Dr. Mitchell Gaynor M.D., founder and president of Gaynor Integrative Oncology and Gaynor Wellness and author of the upcoming book The Gene Therapy Plan, has been using propolis for over 25 years with patients to treat a variety of skin conditions. “Bee propolis has been found to inhibit cancer cell growth and have profound anti-inflammatory properties which are important for skin health as well as healthy hair,” says Gaynor. He says there are 150 components in propolis—a significant percentage of those proponents being flavonoids, which are great antioxidants.
Gaynor says that in terms of wrinkles, propolis works at a fundamental level to help prevent degenerative processes associated with aging such as wrinkles and skin sagging. Propolis can be applied topically or taken as a supplement and is available at many pharmacies and health food stores. If you’re interested in trying a propolis product, Gaynor recommends Iden Bee Propolis Body Lotion.
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A new study out of Japan shows that propolis may also help to stimulate hair growth. The study, conducted on mice, showed that fur grew back faster when applying propolis topically. The researches in the study pointed out that hair loss is often the result of inflammation, so the anti-inflammatory properties in this nutrient may have a great effect. Further testing still needs to be conducted on humans, but in the meantime, it might be worth it to incorporate propolis into your grooming routine.
