@ PROPOLIS: BEES KNOW SOMETHING!

PROPOLIS, BEES MAKE IT! Honey. Royal Jelly. Propolis. I believe that I had heard of PROPOLIS before I had begun doing this research, but did I really know what it was? No. Or why it would become important to me? No.

My notes read “an exceedingly complex product. Bees don’t make it they gather it from trees. Includes resins, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, high amounts of bioflavonoids and the anti-bacterial substance GALANGIN”. A very curious and fascinating product. How do bees even KNOW how to “make” this stuff? Though “gather” seems to be a more appropriate description. Not surprisingly it does vary from region to region.

My “raw” research notes appear below, more detailed discussion of the studies supporting this phytonutrient as a cancer fighting element of one’s defense will have to occur later:

-contains “CAPE”: CAFFEIC ACID PHENETHYL ESTER, which has demonstrated cancer inhibition and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
-more than 300 bio-active compounds…identified in bee PROPOLIS..from various regions of the world.
-no side effects
-numerous studies show effect with prostate cancer…”significant…effect”
-also includes TERPENES, FLAVONOIDS, STILBENES, FATTY ACIDS
-did have a “partial” effect on the DU 145 prostate cancer laboratory cell line ( Ewelina Szliszka et al, Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine 2009 Nov 5)
-various anti-angiogenic (prevents development of new blood vessel formation) and antioxidant compounds were studied in PROPOLIS: ACACETIN, APIGENIN, ARTEPILLIN C, CAFFEIC ACID PHENETHYL ESTER, CHRYSIN, P-COUMARIC ACID, GALANGIN, KAEMFEROL, PINOCEMBRIN AND QUERCETIN. You may not have done this research but the above is quite a LIST of cancer fighting compounds. They were tested individually on in vitro models.
To have all of these in just one single natural and available source, is incredible. Bees produce several things, all of which have healthful cancer fighting effects. There is almost nothing else in the natural world that is so ‘chock full’ of different cancer fighting elements.
-“Our study…EEP (ethanolic extract of PROPOLIS) and its components…significantly sensitize to TRAIL-induced (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) death in prostate cancer cells…and suggested the significant role of PROPOLIS in chemoprevention of prostate cancer”
-Brazilian PROPOLIS extracts found to have significant effects on proliferation of human prostate cancer cells …through regulation of protein expression of cyclin D1, B1 and cyclin dependent kinase as well as p21.
-study: considered the effects of both RESVERATROL and PROPOLIS as an adjunct to vinorelbine chemotherapy and considered the combination “as a potential useful tool for prostate cancer therapy”
-composition depends upon the vegetation of the area from where it was collected and on the bee species. -Chilean PROPOLIS was studied. ..capacity to scavenge free radicals and inhibit tumor growth..Was found to be effective against human mouth epidermoid carcinoma cells, colon adenocarcinoma cells and DU 145 androgen independent prostate cancer cells.
-study: Tunisian PROPOLIS extract tested against 35 oral pathogens, biofilms, and the cancer cell lines HT-29, A549, Hep-2, raw 264.7, and Vero. …strong anti-proliferative activity against all cancer lines studied. Was also able to inhibit caries and biofilms.
-study: Portuguese PROPOLIS, against human renal cancer cell carcinoma growth was inhibited in a dose dependent manner….exhibited selective toxicity against malignant cells and not normal cells. excellent source…antioxidants
-study: Mexican PROPOLIS extract isolates were tested against a human pancreatic cell line…GALANGIN seemed most preferential against the pancreatic cancer line.
-study: Greek PROPOLIS, extract and diterpenes found to be the most active against HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. MANOOL a diterpene extracted from the PROPOLIS was most active compound arresting cells at the G(2)/M phase.
-study: Myanmar PROPOLIS, 17 isolates were tested against a panel of six different cancer cell lines;
lung adenocarcinoma, cervix, fibrosarcoma, colon, melanoma, lung carcinoma, several isolates were shown to be cytotoxic against all or some of the cell lines. (chemical names too long to include)
-study: Chinese red PROPOLIS …showed strong suppressive effects against VEGF-induced angiogenesis.
-study: the estrogenic effects of CAPE (CAFFEIC ACID PHENETHYL ESTER) (found in PROPOLIS) …does not show any estrogenic effect on estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells .
-study: Chinese and Brazilian PROPOLIS vs four human colon cancer lines: CaCo2, HCT116, HT29, SW480
…caused a marked dose dependent growth inhibition.
-study: flavonoid components of PROPOLIS were tested on several different leukaemia cell lines. QUERCETIN, CAFFEIC ACID, CHRYSIN, NARINGENIN AND NARINGIN compared to their effects upon MOLT, JURKAT, HL-60, RAJI, AND U937 cell lines. QUERCETIN showed strongest cytotoxic effect in all cell lines. CAFFEIC ACID and CHRYSIN also highly effective against the cancer cells. low concentrations of CHRYSIN and NARIGENIN stimulated cell proliferation in what appears to be a “biphase” effect. While worrisome, it has been witnessed/seen over and over how whole herbs, extracts, phytonutrients succeed where individual isolates do not. It has been seen in whole soy vs GENISTEIN and others.
-study: Turkish PROPOLIS, 22 tissue samples were obtained from patients with bladder carcinomas. It was seen that exposure to PROPOLIS can decrease cell division.
-study: PROPOLIS exerts anti-angiogenic effects through induction of apoptosis (programmed cell death)
-study: PINOCEMBRIN shown to be effective through its ability to inhibit p53 expression.
-study: shown to be effective against mouse sarcoma line S-180. ..significantly inhibited tumor growth.
-study: Sonoran PROPOLIS …strong anti-proliferative activity on both murine and human cancer cell lines in a concentration dependent manner. Study also found that in these samples of PROPOLIS the most abundant constituents were PINOCEMBRIN, PINOBANKSIN 3-ACETATE, AND CHRYSIN. Additional constituents CAPE, GALANGIN, XANTHOMICROL AND CHRYSIN showed significant anti-proliferative activity as well.
-study: Argentinian PROPOLIS, composition depends on the vegetation predominating the area of the bee hive. All but one sample had strong radical scavenging activity, those samples also rated high on the antioxidant content too.
-study: Lithuanian PROPOLIS, analysis of content of phenolic acids: FERULIC and COUMARIC ACIDS are predominant phenolics in PROPOLIS. Both have shown anti-cancer characteristics.

It doesnt matter what country you live in, the PROPOLIS that is available in some way shape or form will help fight your cancer, whether it is prostate or other. It is not just a matter of eating “naturally”, or avoiding foods that you know are “bad” for you, it is a matter of eating and taking care of yourself wisely and with an eye to prevention. It is better to take a supplement and eat the foods that will give you the best chance at a disease free life and NOT KNOW that you avoided cancer…than to get cancer and worry about what to do next.

with best wishes
martin

@ HONEY, what have those bees been up to?

HONEY. It is said that human beings are addicted to sweets especially in their earliest years. It was somewhat unexpected for me to find out how valuable HONEY can be as an effective inhibitor of cancer. Apparently bee PROPOLIS is also an important cancer fighting phytonutrient. Nor would I be surprised to find out that Royal Jelly, which I have not yet researched also fought cancer. Of all the things that mankind has used to sweeten his life, and there are many, honey is one that has been with us for thousands of years.
We know where the word “honeymoon” came from. Egypt. But did you know that before antibiotics, hundreds of years before antibiotics, wounds and burns were often treated with honey?
There is a delightful variety of different HONEYS of which I’ve only explored one or two. Sadly. Why put a teaspoon of Tupelo in my tea when Clover will taste just as good? Tupelo has some special characteristics which make a better honey for use by diabetics.

HONEY is an antioxidant. It is a source of POLYPHENOLS and PHENOLICS. It is anti-microbial. When it comes to cancer, is anti-proliferative.

Some phytochems which we have already seen in other sources are in HONEY as well, KAEMPHEROL, QUERCETIN, GALANGIN, CHRYSIN, CAFFEIC ACID PHENYL ESTERS (CAPE), ACACETIN, PINOCEMBRIN, APIGENIN, CAFFEIC ACID, LUTEOLIN.

my raw early research notes appear below, polishing and a more detailed discussion of the supporting studies will have to appear later.

-the darker the honey the stronger the flavor.
-300 different +- unique varieties in the US alone depending on floral sources.
-water = 17.2%
-levulose = 38.19%
-dextrose = 31.28%
-sucrose = 1.9%
-maltose = 7.3%
-others = 3.24%
-high sugars = 1.49%
-HONEY was shown to induce apoptosis (cell death) in colon cancer cells.
-has anti-metastatic effect on tumor/mouse models
-described as very effective for repressing the growth of bladder cancer cell lines
-some chemotherapeutic drugs are enhanced
-of the ten common polyphenols found in HONEY all have shown definitive ability to inhibit cancer in formal testing.
-ALOE VERA and HONEY are synergistic. ALOE VERA reduces tumor mass and metastasis rates while HONEY inhibits tumor growth.
-CHRYSIN is present in HONEY and PROPOLIS and has been shown to significantly reduce those chemicals that contribute to inflammation, it also suppresses signaling molecules involved in neuroinflammation. Neurogenic diseases causes by neuroinflamation are also affected by CHRYSIN.
-the anti-proliferative effects of honey due mostly to the presence of CHRYSIN, one study declares
-HONEY and one of its constituents EUGENOL are considered “promising candidates in cancer chemoprevention”
-one very interesting study compared the anti-oxidant values of several sweeteners:
MINIMAL ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY:
refined sugar, corn syrup and agave nectar
A LITTLE HIGHER:
raw cane sugar
INTERMEDIATE ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY
maple syrup, brown sugar, and HONEY
HIGHEST:
dark and blackstrap molasses

-antitumor activity of HONEY may occur through the activation of macrophages, T-cells and B-cells.

That bottle of HONEY took on a whole new dimension didnt it? Your choice: cane sugar (a poison) or HONEY.
Fight cancer or help it? Corn syrup? I’ll have more corn syrup with that please? When you go to McDonalds for their large (very) iced tea order it unsweetened, you may just save your life and a heck of a lot of empty calories.
Choose. Intelligently. Knowledgeably!

martin