>...keep in mind that propolis has the highest affinity in a beehive 
for absorption of chemicals for contamination...

The other thing is that bees have been known to collect caulking, tar 
and other substances of questionable medicinal benefit.

There seems to be some evidence that propolis is beneficial in beehives 
for bees, and lots of folk stories about its benefits for humans and 
some studies that make me wonder, however if propolis has no standard 
composition, how can we make blanket assumptions or assume that some 
samples might not be dangerous?

This reminds me of bee pollen as human food.  Some swear by it as a 
tonic, but if you look closely enough, many samples may contain mouse 
droppings.

As for royal jelly, why would we expect that it has any benefit for humans?

Does anyone have any reliable information on the analysis of various 
propolis samples -- or any indication that we should not be very careful 
what propolis, if any, we consume?

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