Ben Says: Brush Your Teeth With Bee Glue

Ben Says, Brush Your Teeth With Bee Glue

Recently, I posted a video of me giving my teeth some TLC with a new toothpaste from the Ben’s Bees online store.

Since using the toothpaste, I’ve been very happy with the result, and wondered why I hadn’t been using a bee-product toothpaste before now! I mean, I try as much as possible (as you all know) to use honey and bee-related byproducts as much as I possibly can in my home, so I was excited to find a toothpaste that uses propolis or “bee glue”.

So, what is propolis you might ask?

Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce by mixing their saliva and beeswax with exudate, or expelled fluid, gathered from tree buds, sap flows or other botanical sources. In the hive, this substance is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces, usually small gaps around 6 millimetres or less. Larger spaces, however, are filled with beeswax. The colour of the propolis changes depending upon what flower or plant it comes from, but it is usually dark brown. As far as its texture, it becomes sticky above 20°C; however, in lower temperatures, propolis becomes hard and brittle. The exudate is collected from the plants by workers when they are foraging for pollen and nectar, and different environmental conditions change its chemical composition.

It was once assumed that bees use propolis to protect the hive from the elements. However, we now know that bees need ventilation, even in winter, Therefore, there are a number of properties of propolis that might be seen as useful by the bees in their home. This includes its ability to reinforce structure, provide thermal insulation, reduce vibration in cells, prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive, and make the hive more defensible from wild colonies and predators by narrowing the entry point and sealing holes.

So how is propolis good for human health? Propolis has been utilised in traditional and folk medicine for centuries. In fact, thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations used propolis for its medicinal properties: the Greeks used it to treat abscesses, the Assyrians applied it to wounds and tumours to fight infection and help the healing process, and the Egyptians even used it to embalm mummies! It is thought to have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, researchers have identified more than 300 compounds in propolis, with the majority of these compounds being forms of polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants that fight disease and damage in the body, and the specific ones found in propolis are called flavonoids. Flavonoids are produced in plants as a form of protection and are commonly found in foods that are understood to have antioxidant properties.

With this in mind, what a wonderful substance to be added to your toothpaste! As well as providing oral health and the fresh breath of your usual toothpaste, the Propolis Toothpaste sold on my site is natural and has the potential to improve and strengthen immune function, boost antioxidant activity and treat throat & mouth ulcers. So, get to it: polish those pearly whites with some bee glue!