Propolis is a dense adhesive mass and therefore for medicinal purposes is not used in its pure form, but in the form of an alcohol (less often oil) tincture. The tincture of propolis can be purchased both ready-made and self-made at home.
How to choose the right propolis for cooking tinctures at home?
In principle, propolis can be found in pharmacies, but where it is often purchased from the hands, in markets and fairs, and here it is important to know how to distinguish a quality product:
- Propolis has a pronounced waxy, balsamic flavor, which is much stronger with a fresh product.
- The color of propolis is usually greenish-brown, fairly light. Dark, almost black color indicates that propolis is old or contains a large amount of impurities. The presence of dark inclusions, veins and abrupt transitions of color also indicates unwanted impurities.
- When chewing propolis sticks to the teeth, there is numbness of the tongue, a burning sensation and bitterness.
- Quality propolis should contain no more than 25% wax and sink in water.
Preparation of propolis tincture at home
At home, the most commonly prepared tincture of propolis on alcohol or vodka. Depending on the purpose for which the tincture will be used, it is made of different concentrations (from 5% to 30%), where the percentage is determined by the ratio of dry matter and alcohol.
Ingredients:
- propolis;
- alcohol or vodka.
Preparation
Propolis put for several hours in the fridge, then chop it with a knife or grate it. Cooling is necessary so that the propolis hardens, otherwise it is almost impossible to grind it, it resembles a very dense putty in consistence. Crushed propolis is covered in a container of dark glass and insists. For tincture on alcohol, it will be enough for 10 days, for tincture on vodka it takes at least two weeks. Ready tincture is filtered through cheesecloth and used as needed.
Preparation of oil tincture of propolis at home
Ingredients:
- propolis - 20 g;
- oil (sea buckthorn, olive oil) - 100 g.
Preparation
The ground propolis is placed in a ceramic container and heated in a water bath before melting, after which oil is added and warmed for a while, without boiling and thoroughly mixing. The finished composition must be filtered immediately, without waiting for it to cool completely.
Oil tincture of propolis at home is most often used as an external remedy for the treatment of irritations, inflammations, purulent eruptions and fungal infections .