Author Topic: Propolis tincture (Read 37150 times)

Jen · « **on:** December 31, 2013, 07:50:06 pm »

I make my own propolis tincture, which is wonderful for skin abbrations, eczema, dry itchy spots, cold sores, acne, and so forth.

It's very hard to find an easy recipe online, or the recipe goes into metrics.

Has anyone on this forum made their own propolis tincture, with ground propolis and Ever Clear alchohol?

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #1 on:** December 31, 2013, 08:15:22 pm »

This is on my to do list for 2014. Good subject. Thanks Jaybird for bringing it up.

Jen · « **Reply #2 on:** December 31, 2013, 11:08:12 pm »

Hey Baker- do you have a recipe or an idea of how your gonna make your prop tinture?

Bakersdozen · « **Reply #3 on:** January 01, 2014, 07:57:23 am »

Not exactly jaybird. I have been looking at this web site. http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/htm-files/Propolis%20extract.html I bought a propolis trap in preparation for spring. They are not expensive. The rest seems pretty straight forward with the exception of knowing when to put the trap on and how long does it take for the bees to fill it.

robo · « **Reply #4 on:** January 01, 2014, 09:26:23 am »

I don't have a tincture recipe, but will share my favorite use of propolis.

I have one of those tea light powered wax warmers, the kind that takes scented wax cakes and melts them so the smell is released. But instead of using the commercial scented wax cakes, I use my scraped propolis. It usually contains traces of bees wax too. I think it makes a delightful fragrance in the house. Who knows, it may even be purify the air.

It looks something like this

crazy8days · « **Reply #5 on:** January 01, 2014, 11:13:50 am »

That's interesting Robo. I'll have to try it. I have been wanting to make a tincture as well. How do you clean propolis? how do you grind it? Stuff is a sticky mess!

I've been thinking about making this. I get cuts and scrapes all the time. Was thinking about putting ground propolis in the mix.

http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2012/11/healing-boo-boo-salve-a-k-a-homemade-natural-neosporin/

Jaybird, Everclear is better used in making Apple Pie Moonshine

^-^ ^-^

riverbee · « **Reply #6 on:** January 01, 2014, 11:31:49 am »

"Jaybird, Everclear is better used in making Apple Pie Moonshine "

lol, we called it hula jula.....great thread on propolis, never thought of the wax warmer, great idea!

Jen · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2014, 03:27:29 pm »

I would love to sip some apple pie moonshine. Can you secretly through some in the mail to me?

Jen · « **Reply #8 on:** January 01, 2014, 03:29:08 pm »

I'll get a pic together of my bottled propolis, and share my recipe, it's very easy, just a bit time consuming, but what part of the bees world isn't right

blueblood · « **Reply #9 on:** January 01, 2014, 03:44:05 pm »

Very good topic. Would love to have a recipe for it. Robo, I never thought of adding propolis to the warm dish. I made some blueberry beeswax melts the other day. The smell great.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #10 on:** January 01, 2014, 04:10:59 pm »

Propolis and Everclear?? Doesnt that taste terrible?

sorry...... couldnt help myself

crazy8days · « **Reply #11 on:** January 01, 2014, 04:32:29 pm »

Yes it does!!!!

Jen · « **Reply #12 on:** January 01, 2014, 04:36:56 pm »

Not if you do it right. See, it's like this. The small propolis bits have been put into the bottle. Get the Ever Clear, take a swig. Pour Ever Clear into prop bottle, take a swig. Put Ever Clear down, put cap onto small popolis bottle tightly, take a swig. Put cap back onto Ever Clear bottle. By that time nothing matters anymore... Bees? Do I have Bees? hic

Zookeep · « **Reply #13 on:** January 01, 2014, 09:18:37 pm »

I have people asking me for propolis all the time but they talk about dry form, of liquid in small bottles they can add to there tea or coffee in the morning, I have some hives that have soo much in them it looks like some1 spill tar into the boxes, be perfect for harvest if I had a few recipes for making them, hope some1 has 1 or 2

Jen · « **Reply #14 on:** January 01, 2014, 10:43:03 pm »

Zoo- I get my prop down to say the size of cornmeal, by using a cheap coffee grinder, I'm not sure I can get it finer than that.

I had a hive last year that looked just like the tar image you spoke of, every time I did a hive inspection I would wait until the sun had warmed the hive real good, the prop just scrapes right off like frosting.

You will need:
A hammer
Ziplock baggies - sandwich size or quart size.
Cheap electric coffee grinder from a thrift shop or they are about $10 at Walmart.
A cereal size spoon

This is what you do:

Scrape off all the prop you can, or some people use a prop screen. Put it all in a ziplok bag or several ziploc bags. Freeze it overnight. This is where you have to work in smaller batches and work quickly because the prop starts to get room temp and gets real sticky again.

Have the hammer ready. Take one prop zippy out of the freezer, then promptly wack away at the prop in the zippy until it starts to fracture into smaller pieces, it breaks up like ice. If it starts to stick together put it back into the freezer, for about 1/2 hour. Start on another baggie. Keep doing this until the pieces are about the size of a piece of rice. Freeze it again. Always work with it Frozen!

Then put about 1/4 of a cup of the rice size prop into the coffee grinder, and pulse it often scraping the sides often. You may need to detach the coffee bean canister that's holding the prop and put it back into the freezer for a little while.

Now! Once you've got the prop pulsed down the the size of cornmeal, put it into zippy's and keep it frozen until your ready to use it for a project.

I haven't tried to put this cornmeal size into a cup of coffee or tea, but you got my curiosity up so I'll have to see if it dissolves in my coffee tomorrow.

Have fun!

Jen · « **Reply #15 on:** January 14, 2014, 02:57:29 pm »

To make a 30% solution of propolis tincture, get small bottles like the ones in the photo. Put your propolis that has been ground down to coffee ground size into the bottle. Fill the bottle 1/3 full of coffee ground size propolis. Then fill up the bottle with Everclear alchohol or high quality vodka. Cap the bottle and let steep for one month. Shake the bottle everyday, IMPORTANT.

It is okay to use your tincture in two weeks, it just won't be quite as strong, more like a 25% solution which is still plenty of medicine.

After it's steeping time is done, you will notice some sediment at the bottom of the bottle. That sediment is just wax from the hive. I leave it in, I don't consider it in the way. However, if you don't care for it, just strain the tincture through cheese cloth, or a cotton kitchen towel, not terry cloth.

http://www.apitherapy.org/about-apitherapy/products-of-the-hive-2/propolis/

Marbees · « **Reply #16 on:** January 14, 2014, 10:16:10 pm »

Thanks Jen, eventually I'll try to make it.

efmesch · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2014, 04:42:24 pm »

Seems to me that you're making a major project of a simple matter.
When I make propolis tincture, I use the strips I scrape from the frames or chunks that I collect from assorted locations in the hive.
Place as much or as little as you want into a small medicine bottle, add ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, close the bottle and shake. The propolis disssolves (leaving a sediment) and there you've got it. Since you won't be using it up all at once, even if it didn't all dissolve on the first day, after a few days it should all be liquified and ready for aplication. [Obviously, if you've used isopropyl alcohol, it would be for external use only.]
Having said that, I haven't found propolis to be very effective as a tincture.

Jen · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2014, 11:57:44 pm »

Ef- That's why I use Ever Clear in the tincture, so that it can be used externally or internally. I have made the tincture with larger pea size prop, but it takes too long to disolve. When I crack the prop down to corn meal size it only takes a week for it to dissolve, then what is left in the bottom of the bottle is beeswax.

I use it like Neosporin. I dip a Qtip into the bottle and apply. I have shortened the length of a cold sore. Helped ease a cancor sore. Swabbed a patch of itchy excema. Took the itch and heat out of nasty bug bites and stings. I know of some people who put a couple of drops or so into their hot tea every morning for immune enhancement.

http://www.apitherapy.org/about-apitherapy/products-of-the-hive-2/propolis/

Jen · « **Reply #19 on:** February 10, 2014, 12:12:36 pm »

Keeper ""I don't know about this Jen Character. She sounds like an engineer with her attention to detail!!! I was going to comment, but I may as well reiterate one of your points. Use a freezer & a spice grinder, or sit the propolis outside to freeze it.""

Yup! I am a lot of things, but a character above all ~

I loove the idea of propolis under the armpits for deoderant, But Of Course! Why didn't I think of that!?

I just had this visual that I could scrape fresh soft propolis off of the hive box, smear it on my underarm hair AND WAX MY UNDERARMS FOR THE SUMMER!!!! BRILLIANT!

Hark?

What was that I just heard?

I do believe it was the sound of flinching men