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Propolis is a sealant used by bees for strengthening the hive interior, making it more air- and water-tight and better-able to resist microbial and fungal attack. The bees make it from anti-pathogenic resins (18-19) gathered from tree buds and bark, which they mix with wax and saliva. The propolis is then collected by beekeepers by scratching the ‘frames’ of the beehive, after which the wax and impurities are removed. The final product is a complex concentrate of phytonutrients from the tree buds and micronutrients from the bees.
In Europe, bees make propolis from poplar trees or conifers. In Brazil, however, where ecosystems are infinitely richer, there are around 13 types of propolis which vary depending on the plant source used by the bees. They include red propolis, recognised as the variety containing the most antioxidant phytonutrients and demonstrating the highest antioxidant activity(20). It gets its red colour from a unique flavonol pigment called retusapurpurine (21).
It is produced from a climbing tree with vine-like branches: Dalbergia ecastophyllum (22-24) which grows in the mangroves (swampy tropical forests) of northern Brazil. In this extraordinary environment, far from intensive farming, the bees collect a bright red, resinous exudate, which is associated with the presence of a local parasite.
Green propolis is produced by bees in southern Brazil from a completely different species called Baccharis dracunculifolia (25).
Most meats and nuts contain good levels of zinc, and it is also found in some other foods:
The body only absorbs 15%-40% of the zinc present in food, and this figure also declines with age.
Red Propolis is an exceptional, natural and very rare product (annual production in Brazil is estimated to be just 1-2 tons), the manufacture of which relies on high-quality French extraction facilities.
Though our bodies need very little zinc, intake of this trace-element is nonetheless essential.
As a result of changes in our eating habits, advanced farming techniques, impoverished soil and the almost inevitable refinement of cereals, mild deficiencies are common among modern societies.
This is particularly so among the following populations: