@dane
i know you enyoj your propolis very very much, but i'd advise you to stop this daily therapyes. and only because long term treatment creates higher immunity, which also creates immuner bacteria(or are they viruses?). anyway..i t's actually not wise, coz once you'll get sick, not a ton of propolis will help you, as oposed to people who don't use it daily.
Thanks Mici for your kind consideration :-* I am aware of the phenomenon you're describing... can't recall the technical term, but it is a valid concern when overly-sterilized internal/bio-environments lead to a compromised immune system. I can assure that I am exposed to plenty of germs. ;) Even using the propolis in the diffuser every day, it is only ~72% effective at air purification, I'm not using it 24/7 and also not at home 100%.
Get your temps down to the 85°C somehow - that is well below the burning temperature. The problem with oral delivery is due to the acids in the stomach, really the whole digestive process... the acids dissolve the medicine, absorption is variable depending on intestinal tract, etc. ,etc.,.
Propolis after-shave sounds excellent. Perhaps mix a little Tea Tree oil & Aloe in there & it'd be right at home in my cabinet. 8-)
Dane, that's a seriously strange looking kitty! :-D
Very seriously strange! :-P
Without some real, long-term research, I'm going to be hesitant about inhaling volatile oil mist into my lungs, regardless of the source. People used to think tobacco smoke was a cureall, too, until people did some serious research.
Health choices are definitely
personal choices. My goal is not to advise nor judge anyone's decisions. You're definitely correct that people have done, and do,
all sorts of unhealthy things - some under misconceptions of them actually being good, others as vice, and others still completely without consideration. It is that consideration where I attempt to focus my efforts. Smoking tobacco is too easy to discount (smoke=bad, tobacco=nicotine, a potent toxin). More covert are chemicals such as chlorine being inhaled in a steamy shower, lead and mercury in amalgam fillings, lead in lipstick just in the news (cosmetics typically have loads of toxins, etc.,), nutrasweet, toxic household cleaners, antibiotics, immunizations, flu shots, fluoride, pesticides/insecticides, preservatives/additives/contaminated foods.. and on and on.
Regarding hesitance to inhaling volatile oils -
heh - sorry, I just needed an excuse to use that image. ;)
Anytime one smells a plant one does so. Volatile oils are simply the organic aromatic compounds from plants. Ever been to the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia? They're blue because so much oil from the eucalyptus forest is suspended in the air. Gorgeous and wonderful. The warm pine pitch that Cindi described is another example. Drinking tea? Same deal. In fact, this was the first, crude method of vaporization... heat a bunch of herbs in a pot of boiling water and hold your head (& towel) over it to breath in the steam and volatile oils.
As far as a delivery method inhalation is the most direct, effective and least invasive route to the bloodstream (only a needle is quicker :-P). Once you've established that, then it is a matter of researching the monographs:
Historical Use
Cautions
Dose Dry Herb
Dose Extract
Indications
Qualities
Actions
Constituents
Toxicology
Pharmacological Studies
Clinical Studiesfor the herb(s) in question. This is the field of phytotherapy and there are some excellent resources available.
Since it comes from various plants, I think propolis is a bit tricky to qualify (as I said earlier this thread). Still, there is some research available:
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=propolis+pharmacological+studies &
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=propolis+clinical+studies&, propolis in general:
Indications
gingivitis, infection, gastrointestinal system, infection, respiratory tract, stomatitis, ulcer (topically), ulcer, gastriointestinal, ulcer, mouth, ulcerative colitis, wounds (topically)
Qualities
neutral, pungent
Actions
anaesthetising to mucus membranes, antiseptic (GIT), antiseptic (topically), antiulcerogenic (GIT), antiviral (systemically), immunostimulant, vulnerary
Constituents
acacetin (flavonoid), galangin (flavonoid), pinocembrin (flavonoid), quercetin glucosidesAnd, as with anything,
moderation is key.
I just got back from out Skagit County Beekeeper's meeting and guess who our speaker was? Bradford Weeks, MD, who as been advocating Apitherapy for about 30 years. See: www.weeksmd.com
He talked on the benefits of bee sting therapy, use of raw honey for treating wounds, burns, and infections; and when I brought it up, even the inhalation of Propolis vapors. All very interesting.
Dr. Weeks has a medical practice on the south end of Whidbey Island (the next island south of mine) and is a beekeeper besides. If I remember correctly he said that chewing propolis was very benefical, that inhaling the vapors helped Asthma, Sinisitus, and other respitory problems.
He did not recommend using it in a CPAP machine for the reason cited by CBEE.
He seemed to indicated that it was hard to overuse apitherapy. I was the only one there who was using it--self prescribed and administered. I told everyone how it was working for me.
Brian, that is great news. What a cool doc! Did he have any recommendations on vapor inhalation methods? Did you find any propolis yet? (I can post you some of my red to try). Please report back after you've tried it a bit.
Dane, look what you have done!!!!! You create the most interesting topics that I can ever think of, yeah!!!!! Good for you, whenever I see your name coming up as a new posty thing, I know "something interesting this way comes". Yeah!!!!!
Propolis sits in a little glass jar (actually getting bigger by the day) on my kitchen counter. I will begin to vapourize propolis, I have several apparatus for these kinds of things. BUT....until I get this part of my life together, I take a moment many, many times a day, to stick my nose right inside this little glass jar and go into the heavens of those warm summer days, sitting near the gargantuous pine tree in my yard, reeling in the scent of the warm pine pitch that falls to the ground, permeating the air with a scent that cannot be compared to.....oh yes, my little jar of propolis and going back to the beautiful dog days of summer. Have a wonderful day, I have to go and take a sniff of my propolis heaven, before I head off to the doctor. Have a wonderful and beautiful life and day, my best health wishes to us all. Cindi
Hey - you can count on me Cindi ~> Dane is bringing the weird! :mrgreen: Let us know on the propolis vapor (diffuser?). I need to make a nice propolis-echinacea tincture (grain alcohol based) for mouth and throat.
Cheers,
Dane