Propolis: What Bees Use It For, and Why We Keep a Bottle Handy

Propolis has a great name for what it is: the word comes from the Greek "pro" (in defence of) and "polis" (city), roughly "defender of the city". It's a fitting one, once you know what bees actually use it for.

What it actually is

Propolis is a sticky, resin-like substance bees make by mixing plant resins, collected from tree buds and bark, with their own wax and saliva. Inside the hive, it's a genuinely useful material: bees use it to seal cracks and draughts, help regulate temperature, and, as we've written about in more detail in how honeybees actually defend their hive, encase intruders too large to remove after they've been dealt with, all of which helps keep the colony healthy.

A long history outside the hive too

People have valued propolis for a very long time, well before anyone understood the chemistry behind it, simply because it's a genuinely interesting, resin-rich natural substance. That history is part of why it's still a popular ingredient in traditional throat remedies today, usually alongside other long-used botanicals like elecampane, horehound and liquorice.

Why people reach for it

A propolis-based throat mixture is one of those bottles people like to have in the cupboard for when a throat feels rough or a cold is coming on, alongside a warm drink and some rest. We'd rather be upfront: we can't claim it treats or cures anything, and we're not going to. What we can genuinely say is that it also contains Vitamin C, which contributes to the normal function of the immune system and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, alongside traditional botanicals like elecampane, horehound and liquorice, in a distinctive, resin-forward recipe some people love and others need a spoonful of honey to get past.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If a sore throat is severe, lasts more than a week, or comes with a high temperature or difficulty swallowing, please see your GP or pharmacist.