What Effect Bee Propolis Has on Herpes

Bee propolis is taken by many people each day to help them treat a problem or for supplementing their nutrition. You might not be familiar with what this is, it is a resin-like substance that the bees produce to help manage and build their hives.

This substance is made up of flavonoids, because of the plants, the bees visit and these may provide propolis with its antimicrobial benefits.

Propolis also has antiviral benefits, which make it ideal to treat such things as the herpes simplex virus, which causes cold sores. Let us look at some further information on this fact.

Studies and Experimentation

In lab experiments, bee propolis shows it is effective fighting the herpes simplex type 1 virus. This works by hampering the spread of the virus.

Dr. Franz Feiks reported success in treating Herpes when a 5% percent solution of the Propolis taken one time daily. He said in the twenty cases he treated that within two days, the pain disappeared in all the cases, and did not come back. Only three people reported continued itching.

An ointment containing bee propolis shows effectiveness in treating shingles (caused by Herpes zona zoster) and Herpes simplex virus type 1 in a test conducted on dermatology patients. This ointment not only lessened the time it took for the lesion to heal, but also reduced the pain the patient felt during the outbreaks.

Giurcaneanu, back in 1988, proved that the antiviral qualities of propolis improve the healing of lesions. Other studies discovered propolis effective in fighting viruses, protozoans, bacteria and more.

Some of these studies included animals and others included humans. Another small study performed by Vynograd I, Vynograd N and Sosnowski Z proved cream containing propolis may help genital herpes heal quicker.

How to Use Bee Propolis for Herpes

You treat the herpes virus by applying an ointment or cream containing propolis to the area. It is safe for the genital area, which may be sensitive.

The NIH (National Institutes of Health) says the a cream of 3 percent to 5 percent applied to the infected area as much as four times daily for about a week to 10 days is an effective bee propolis for genital herpes treatment, skin infection and even vaginal infections. This would also go for cold sores.

Oral supplementation also possibly reduces inflammation of canker sores, ulcers caused from the H. pylori bacteria, urinary tract infections and more.

Possibility it could help herpes from this standpoint too as long as you also topically applied it, though this fact has not been proven solidly. Dosage of propolis supplements is from 25 mg to 500 mg once to several times a day depending on the cause and severity of your symptoms.

Honey also Helps Herpes

Propolis is not the only bee product that is effective on herpes. New research shows that honey also is more effective that medications as treatment of an outbreak of herpes.

A study looked at the difference in herpes healing using the drug Acyclovir and honey. It discovered that honey healed cold sores on the lips 43 percent faster and 59 percent faster on genital herpes compared to Acyclovir.

On top of these results, this study found the crusting and pain reduced dramatically using the honey over the drug. Some cases of herpes totally remitted because of treatment with honey, while no cases totally remitted with the Acyclovir.

Let us note here that the honey needs to be raw honey for maximum effect. It needs applying four times each day. Some side effects of itching reported with the Acyclovir and no side effects reported with the topical application of honey.

Forms of Propolis

Bee propolis comes in many forms in a health food store to cover the various uses for it. You find it tablet, capsule, powder, extract, ointment, balm, lotion, cream and in cosmetic products.

When applying this substance topically, it can go anywhere safely except the eye area. It is not recommended to place it on the eyes. You need to check individual label instructions for recommended dosages, since each product will vary in this area.

Use propolis products in small doses when it is the first time to make sure you do not have any allergic reactions.

Watch for Signs of Allergic Reaction

Although the bee propolis (along with bee pollen or honey) is basically safe to use, there are those who have allergic reactions to it. If while using this substance you notice an irritation on the skin or other allergic reaction, stop using it at once. Bee propolis is a sensitizing agent and causes allergies to occur in some cases if it is used over a long length of time.

Bee propolis has been used for thousands of years to treat various conditions. If you are a sufferer of herpes, try it and see what relief it provides you. Just remember to start off slowly with the dosage until you know how you react to it. You may be amazed at its effectiveness.