All the ingredients have arrived - propolis from Bulgaria and (80%) rum from Austria - so this morning it was time to finally make propolis tincture. I used the measurements in James Fearnley's Bee Propolis book which are 1:4 propolis to alcohol. I'd actually frozen the propolis (which I don't think was really necessary) to make it easy to break up. I chopped the 60g up into small chips and then topped up with 240ml alcohol. Now it sits for 2 weeks, with a few shakes everyday, until it's ready to strain off!Now here's the really interesting part! :-) I've had a bit of hayfever this week and last night I couldn't sleep and was streaming with it. I was still sneezy and a bit streamy this morning so while making the tincture I decided to chew on a piece of propolis. I've seen it mentioned for hayfever but not really tried it. It's a bit like chewing gum that's lost it's flavour, but who cares because I've stopped sneezing and streaming just as if I had taken a fast acting anti-histamine tablet! I've been chewing it for about half an hour now so I've stopped and I'll see how long the effect lasts...
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Have you done anything more with propolis tincture in the last two years? I'm experimenting with it now.
ReplyDeleteHi Zeb, no I haven't done any further work with it although I do want to experiment with it as a preservative at some point. I'd be interested to hear more about your experiments.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Elizabeth