Description

Proponey™ is a delicious mix of our raw, Cheshire spring honey and propolis collected from dedicated propolis traps on our hives in the late autumn.

Propolis is a natural substance that bees make by gathering resin from cone-producing evergreen trees or sap from the buds of trees such as the Poplar.

For 40 million years, bees have been using propolis in their hives to protect them from contamination. The bees gather this sticky sap when the warm weather makes it pliable and soft and blend it with beeswax and pollen. Back at the hive it is further processed by the bee and used to fill any cracks or holes in the hive to seal and protect their hive against bacterial, viral, and fungal invaders.

At Bax Bees we use only dedicated food grade propolis traps to harvest propolis from the hives. When full, these are removed from the top of the hive and frozen to -20’C to make the propolis very brittle so that it can easily be knocked out. The propolis flakes are then re-frozen and visually inspected for any contaminants before being ground with a pestle and mortar into a fine powder. Everything that comes into contact with the propolis is made of food grade materials and it is handled with the same high level of hygiene we apply to all our food products. This is in contrast to most suppliers of propolis that just use scrapings from the hive (including all the wood splinters), or the residue from rendered beeswax. The cold extraction process also ensures that our propolis preserves all its powerful antioxidant properties, natural bioflavonoids, vitamins, minerals and organic acids, its flavour and aroma.

Propolis has been used for thousands of years as a natural antiseptic and antibiotic and its medical benefits are well documented. We blend it with our raw Cheshire spring honey and carefully control the temperature to trap the propolis particles in the crystal structure of the honey. Although we sell most of the Propolis honey for its health benefits, many people are amazed by its delicious distinctive spicy flavour reminiscent of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

Cheshire honey, Cheshire Propolis

Serving suggestion:

Proponey can be spread over toast etc., just like normal honey or one teaspoonful taken daily straight out of the jar.

It should not be added to hot drinks as the heat can damage some of the beneficial qualities and the propolis can be difficult to remove from ceramics.

Precautions:

• Propolis has powerful natural antibiotic properties so should not be consumed whilst on a course of prescribed antibiotics.
• As some people may have a severe allergy to propolis or other bee products, a very small dose of Proponey should be tried initially and check for a reaction.
• Proponey and all honey is not suitable for infants under twelve months of age.