Vaporising Propolis

[Moonshae]

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.

[Brian D. Bray]

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.

[Cindi]

Brian, CPAC, my brother-in-law uses one too, my sister claims she sleeps with Darth Vader  :) ;) :)

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

[Dane Bramage]

@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 Studies
for 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 glucosides

And, 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 

[Cindi]

My Carniolans gather very little propolis, so clean and not one little bit sticky at all.  But holy carumba!!!!  Those Kona Italian queens, their progeny take propolis gathering to the nth degree, eeeks!!!!!  What messy girls.  Can be good, can be bad.  My preference would be to not have so much of this gooey stuff.  So.......why I say this is:

Brian, if you cannot get propolis (I know Dane said he could send you some of his red), I could send you some too, with pleasure.  Mine is kind of auburn.  I gather and gather and gather it, and as I am getting things winter ready in my bee house, will have lots more, only can use so much, right?  So feel free, lean on Dane and I, we can help you out with the propolis amounts that you have not been able to get, yeah!!!!!   :) :) :)  Have a wonderful day, best of our great life, great health wishes to us all.  Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

Dane & Cindi, thanks for the offers, I will accept them. PM me for address.

I am going to use a small crockpot for vaporization, the type they make for popporri (sp?).   I will turn it on at night so that the CPAP machine will such it in along with the air from the room, Dr. Weeks indicated this should work.

[Cindi]

Brian, I am very excited for you, breathing in wonderful stuff at night is something to behold.

I have massive amounts of fresh air that come into our bedroom at night.  Even though it is very cold outside, my bedroom patio doors remain open, revelling in this fresh air.  We have a down that keeps us warm.  When my nose gets too cold to withstand the open patio doors, then they will be shut, but we have windows, yeah!!!

Last week my Husband put in some new windows in our house (we are in the middle of more massive renovation.  He installed a new window that is on the east side of our house, our bedroom is on this side.) 
This window opens from the bottom, allowing more fresh air in. When I sleep, it brings on the beauties of the night air, extreme cool air, fresh air, oxygen.  I believe this is the cue to great life....oxygen.   Did I go off topic?  Have a wonderful and beautiful day, best of healthy wishes for us all.  Cindi

[bberry]

Ok, so forget all the logistics of function-what did it feel like for you? I would like a little more detail on your experience and what this did for you. Personally i am pulling out the Volcano and trying it asap :-D

[Dane Bramage]

Ok, so forget all the logistics of function-what did it feel like for you? I would like a little more detail on your experience and what this did for you. Personally i am pulling out the Volcano and trying it asap :-D

If feels very soothing on the throat & lungs.  If your down w/the Volcano you should try a little dab of propolis atop your herb of choice.  The propolis melts into the herb and diffuses quite wonderfully.  In fact, it works best this way as doing it by itself it will tend to melt and run.  I know the Volcano has no liquid moistening & cooling effect on the vapor as do some other vaporizers (i.e. vriptech & others), so that soothing effect may be even more desirable. 
If you're asking about the systemic mind/body altering aspects... my observations are that they are very subtle and along the degree of aromatherapy: calming, slightly euphoric perhaps.  Alas, it isn't psychoactive nor the "bee-crack" that was mentioned earlier (darn!, lol)  ;) 

[Brian D. Bray]

I haven't gotten into the propolis yet but as for the other aspects of Apitherapy the bee stings have reduced the amount of pain and stiffness in the joints due to arthritis.  The frequency of weird sensations from the Fibromyalgia have decreased as well.  I'm hoping that the propolis with my asthma, sinusitis, and aid in the reduction of other medical problems I have such as the Fibromyalgia, already mentioned, and the diabetes. Consuming raw honey as my only sweetener has already improved the diabetes some.

[Cindi]

Brian, yeah!!!!!  YOu are a walking testimony to the benefits of apitherapy.  It is so good to hear from people how the hive products have benefited their lives. 

I need to get out and get more bee stings, I have noticed the past few days that my knees have been bugging me quite a bit.  I guess that comes with years of kneeling on the cold ground, pulling out weeeds.  Oh brother.  The wet weather also brings on the achy joints too.  Oh brother.

So....today our sun is shinin' again (still dark, but I can see the stars).  I will put on a pair of shorts later and get some bees that are almost on their death bed and begin the pain of the stings from some old gals.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day in our great life.  Cindi