>How do you use your propolis for sore throats?  What recipe do you use for
>the tincture and for what purposes would people buy the tincture (and how
>would they use it)?  Are there some good sources to understand the various
>uses and preparations of propolis?
>***
>
>Rick Grossman
>Oregon, USA
 
Hi Rick:
 
        To cure sore throats with propolis you just suck on a big chip.  DO
NOT CHEW. This is essential as the stuff sticks to your teeth and is a real
pain in the ass to get off.  To make a tincture you dissolve in hot alcohol.
15% or 20% propolis and the rest is alcohol.  (Propolis is completely
insoluble in water which is probably why the bees love to caulk with it).
If you are going to swallow or gargle the tincture for sore throat or cough
then 5 to 10 drops at a time is sufficient.  It is also used topically on
cuts (because of the antibiotic properties of propolis) and is said to be
good for digestive tract ulcers if swallowed.  You must use ethyl (grain)
alcohol of course.  Here on PEI we cannot get strong alcohol (which is
important for dissolving it) at our government liquor stores so I like to
use double distilled moonshine. (You didn't read this post Harvey at
gov.pe.ca).   We have a long tradition of moonshine on Prince Edward Island.
We also used to trade fish to boats from Boston for barrels of rum in the
old days and this trade went on at night on secluded coastline.  Now it
seems that only marijuana and other drugs are coming in this way.  The stuff
in the barrels would also have been suitable for tincture of propolis as it
had to be diluted before you could drink it, and you could swish the barrels
out with hot water two or even three times and still have a dandy drink just
from the stuff soaked in the oak.
 
        Info:  I have a book on propolis, but I just looked for it and can't
find it, and its not that great anyway.  Try a search engine.
 
Have a nice day, Stan