Propolis is the glue that honey bees (Apis mellifera) use to seal up their hives. A new type of propolis, named Brazilian red Propolis (BRP) because of its color, it has attracted the attention of international business. This non-toxic resinous substance was classified into 12 types according to physicochemical properties and related to geographic locations however, the botanical origin of only three types were identified (Wander, 1995). The word Propolis (Russian Penicillin) is derived from the Greek word “pro” before, polis “city” or defender of the city. Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, used it for healing sores and ulcers internally and externally. Propolis was used at the time of Egyptian and Greek civilizations which recognized its healing qualities. Alternative medicine has made a lot of contributions to modern medical practice. There is a great trend nowadays to use natural materials as cure for many diseases. This paper is an attempt to review various applications of this compound in medicine.
Propolis has been used in general for various purposes and has a promising role in future medicine as well as in dentistry. Flavonoids are well known plant compounds that have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The main chemical classes present in propolis are flavonoids, phenolics and other various aromatic compounds. 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 health industry has always used natural products as an alternative, to the conventional allopathic formulations available for the treatment of various afflictions. Keywords: Propolis General Health Safety & Precautions Institute of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, India.Įmail: January 13 th, 2012 revised February 20 th, 2012 accepted March 20 th, 2012
Department of Public Health Dentistry, K.L.E.
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