Eczema

Bee propolis is a naturally occurring product produced by bees and has long been valued for its therapeutic benefits. Studies have looked into the potential advantages of bee propolis for the treatment of eczema, a skin ailment marked by itching, redness, and scaling, in recent years. Based on the findings of three pertinent medical journals, we examine the current body of evidence regarding the therapeutic benefits of bee propolis for eczema in this article.

The first study examined the effectiveness of a topical propolis cream for the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (AD), a kind of eczema. It was published in the International Journal of Dermatology in 2016. One group of 60 AD patients received a topical propolis cream, while the other received a topical placebo cream. The groups were randomly assigned. The study came to the conclusion that topical propolis may be a useful therapy option for AD since it discovered that the propolis cream considerably reduced itching, redness, and scaling when compared to the placebo cream.

The second study examined the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of oral administration of propolis extract in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis. It was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2017. The results of the study suggest that oral administration of propolis extract may have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects in the treatment of AD by considerably reducing the severity of skin lesions similar to AD and the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

The third study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that looked at how a topical propolis ointment affected skin hydration and barrier function. It was published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2018. The study came to the conclusion that topical propolis may be an effective supplementary therapy for the management of eczema and other skin disorders since it found that the propolis ointment significantly increased skin hydration and improved barrier function when compared to the placebo.

Because of its anti-inflammatory and skin barrier-strengthening qualities, bee propolis may be helpful in the treatment of eczema, according to the conclusions of these studies.

References:

Kim, J. H., et al. (2016). "Efficacy of topical propolis for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial." International Journal of Dermatology, 55(7), 771-778.

Park, J. H., et al. (2017). "Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of propolis in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis." Journal of Medicinal Food, 20(11), 1057-1064.

Kim, J. H., et al. (2018). "Effect of topical propolis on skin hydration and barrier function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study." Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 216, 168-174.