How do you extract the propolis

[ismail akyüz]

Hello, I dissolve propolis with olive oil and ethyl alcohol, I ask you because I wondered how my colleagues in other countries do it.

Apologies for correcting
Dani

 

[ericbeaumont]

For equipment and boxes, Ismail, scraping followed by washing soda & hot water is cheap and practical. Beekeeping suppliers will sell more expensive products, such as this propolis remover from Thorne, but Isopropyl alcohol (aka isopropanol) is a cheap cleaner: £15.49/5 litres delivered.

 

[Beefriendly]

Eric, I think our Turkish new member is interested in how we dissolve our propolis, not how we get rid of it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Eric, I think our Turkish new member is interested in how we dissolve our propolis, not how we get rid of it.

Yes.
I think I should change it for him.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Eric, I think our Turkish new member is interested in how we dissolve our propolis, not how we get rid of it.

I did wonder.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Well, that was an interesting journey: this study showed that ethanolic propolis has drawbacks: The most popular technique for the production of propolis extracts is ethanol extraction. This method is suitable for obtaining low-wax propolis extracts rich in biologically active compounds [7]. Although extraction with ethanol is a simple and effective method, it has disadvantages such as strong residual flavor, limitations of application in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry: for example, in medicine ethanol extracts are not suitable for treatment of some diseases in ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, pediatrics, or in cases of alcohol intolerance.

The authors state that non-ethanolic propolis has 10-fold lower phenolic compounds, but that according to literature data, non-ethanolic propolis extracts and their major compounds possess higher pharmacological activity, as compared to ethanolic extracts and that a co-solvent is necessary. Yards of test results follow which lost me, but the comparison chart of results was useful. Another NCBI study has a chart of Different solvents used for the extraction of propolis.

In conclusion, present study showed that propolis non-ethanolic extracts prepared by using particular solvent complex, had not only significant antioxidant, but also antimicrobial activity, therefore they have high potential in pharmaceutical industry and cosmetics. As ethanolic solutions are not recommended for some diseases and can’t be used in some drug forms (eg. eye, nose medicines etc.), non-ethanolic propolis extracts may become a perspective and widely used alternative for extraction of active compounds and development of new preparations. They can also be used as a natural preservative in ecologic food industry.

Seems that using PEG - polyethylene glycol - is the co-solvent that produces comparable benefits to ethanolic propolis; unfortunately, PEG acts as an effective laxative...
For (presumably) topical use only, BeeCulture suggests that of all methods of infusion, research indicates that an oil extract of propolis may have the strongest anti-microbial effect.

Back to the tax return, which is a darn sight easier to understand than those studies; what would help is the eagle eye of a retired scientist...

 

[Madge]

Ismael, I think Pargyle’s advice might be of help.

See post 81 in ‘Attracting a swarm’.

Here it is - Pargyle is explaining how to dissolve propolis and use the tincture to paint the inside of a hive:

Put your propolis/hive-frame scrapings into a jar, fill it with methylated spirits, give it a good shake and shake it daily for about a week. The propolis dissolves in the meths. Strain off the solids and brush it on. The meths is just a carrier and it evaporates almost instantly leaving behind a layer of propolis and this lovely bee smell. I usually put 2 or 3 coats on and leave the box for a couple of days before putting bees in it. Saves the bees the effort of doing it ..

(I hope you don’t mind me quoting you, Pargyle.)

 

[citrus]

try this thread`

I found this useful

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=690996&postcount=21

is that what you were after ?

Wasalaam

 

[ismail akyüz]

yeah your diagnosis is correct, i am curing how you solved it, thank you

 

[ismail akyüz]

Thank you for your beautiful article, and the question I was wondering is if propolis has been exposed to drugs in the fight against varoa, can it be consumed?

 

[ericbeaumont]

Good point, Ismail. Scraping propolis from boxes is likely to lead to residual chemicals entering the food chain, however marginal; (this is also true of wax used by beeswax wrap-makers, but that hasn't occurred to them).

I use plastic grids made for the job which sit on the top box; when full, freeze, roll up over a clean sheet until the propolis shatters, and consume any way you want.

 

[Buzzlodge]

Thank you for your beautiful article, and the question I was wondering is if propolis has been exposed to drugs in the fight against varoa, can it be consumed?

Do not consume if methylated spirits has been used to dissolve it.

 

[citrus]

Good point, Ismail. Scraping propolis from boxes is likely to lead to residual chemicals entering the food chain, however marginal; (this is also true of wax used by beeswax wrap-makers, but that hasn't occurred to them).

I use plastic grids made for the job which sit on the top box; when full, freeze, roll up over a clean sheet until the propolis shatters, and consume any way you want.

thanks Eric that is a great idea !

 

[citrus]

Do not consume if methylated spirits has been used to dissolve it.

I got pure ethanol from portugal when I was over there to do the job

 

[ismail akyüz]

what do you think after a certain period of time propolis and wax accumulated in the heavy metals of varoa drug will lose its effect?

 

[ericbeaumont]

what do you think after a certain period of time propolis and wax accumulated in the heavy metals of varoa drug will lose its effect?

No idea, Ismail, and it would be a brave soul who suggested a timeline. This review of beeswax as used medicinally warned: Furthermore, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and acaricides are widely used in beekeeping. The residues of these substances, especially antibiotics, are a relevant risk for the quality of bee products and for human health and the accumulation of pesticides overall in beeswax is well documented as a result from environmental pollution [54], [55], [56], [57], [58], [59].

No reference and/or information on this issue have been reported in the studies analyzed, but it is possible that the data can be skewed by the presence of antibiotic residues that continue to have a certain residual antibacterial and antifungal activity even against bacterial strains used in the laboratory. For this reason in future investigations it will be necessary to employ pure and residue free beeswax with guaranteed chemical composition (my bold).

I dug out this info. by chance but it confirmed my instinctive view that cappings wax only should be used for human consumption or use in wraps and the like.

 

[ismail akyüz]

No idea, Ismail, and it would be a brave soul who suggested a timeline. This review of beeswax as used medicinally warned: Furthermore, antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and acaricides are widely used in beekeeping. The residues of these substances, especially antibiotics, are a relevant risk for the quality of bee products and for human health and the accumulation of pesticides overall in beeswax is well documented as a result from environmental pollution [54], [55], [56], [57], [58], [59].

No reference and/or information on this issue have been reported in the studies analyzed, but it is possible that the data can be skewed by the presence of antibiotic residues that continue to have a certain residual antibacterial and antifungal activity even against bacterial strains used in the laboratory. For this reason in future investigations it will be necessary to employ pure and residue free beeswax with guaranteed chemical composition (my bold).

I dug out this info. by chance but it confirmed my instinctive view that cappings wax only should be used for human consumption or use in wraps and the like.

thank you very much

 

[Popparand]

So the options seem to be:

1. Dissolve propolis in alcohol. This produces a solution but you end up with a concentrated alcohol liquid which may not go down well in the marketplace

2. Mix propolis with an oil or cram of some sort. This does not dissolve the propolis, but "carries" small particles of powdered propolis.

3. Dissolve in PEG. Which may have a laxative effect, but at what dosage? PEG is soluble in water. Would dilution in water cause the propolis to separate out?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I found this by Accident while looking for something else https://worldofhoneybees.com/alchohol-free-propolis/

 

[ismail akyüz]

thank you,
While I make olive oil propolis, I keep it on the heating honeycomb and shake it every day. The result is great.