engleski

Scientific evidence of the use of propolis in ehtnomedicine

Public interest in alternative remedies, especially these originating from bee hive that can be obtained without a visit to physician or a prescription, continuous to rise. The bee hives products are mainly collected in nature from broad kingdom of the herbs and trees, and after some preparations with enzymes of gastrointestinal tract of a bee are deposited into hives as products to be used for either protection against microorganisms or as a food for the bee colony. Bee products have always provided an important source of medicine. Plant products as generators of bee products generally were used, first as aboriginal or folk medicine, and some of them were adopted by conventional western medicine as their efficacy was confirmed (Hardman JG, Limbird LE, eds. Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. New York: McGraw-Hill ; 2001:871-900). The evolution from folk remedy to pharmaceutical agent generally followed a predictable path once science and medicine began to merge. Early on it becomes evident that standardization of product was necessary for successful use. The scientific approaches using different bioassays defined the potency of the use of herbal production medicines. With the emergence of more sophisticated knowledge of chemistry and pharmacology the final step was the extraction and identification of the active agent(s) and possibly event of its (their) synthesis. However some biological agents are, up to nowadays, still administered by international units, with potency determined by bioassays. The problem associated with the use of the herbal remedies as well as with honey bee products are associated with the presence of more than one active ingredient with quite different pharmacological profiles and that their effectiveness is based on the natural mixture of several ingredients which must all be present in the correct proportions. In the United States and Canada herbs and honey bee products originating from trees and plants are currently classified as a dietary supplement ; therefore no claim can be made for the therapeutic efficacy, and they are not subject to the regulations that apply to products for which such claims are made. According to the source over 40% of Americans using complementary and alternative medicine (Jonas WB. Alternative medicine – learning from the past, examining the present, advancing to the future. JAMA 1998 ; 280:1616-7). A few words about the text of this book are in order. It is not intended to be a reference work for those contemplating the therapeutic use of propolis, other honey bee products or herbs. Nor is it meant to provide a source of information for these seeking details concerning all aspects of the use of propolis preparation or herb remedies in prevention or treatment of diseases. Citations in the book are extensive and reliance is placed to findings in the scientific articles as well as reputable scientific literature. Many scientists have made invaluable contribution to this book ; all of them are recognised in scientific community of this field of science and invited by us to give their best to scientific presentation on the influence of propolis and propolis related polyphenolic/flavonoid compounds on many aspect of the influence of this products on normal and patophysiological processes in mammals. Encapsulating recent scientific progress and the likely clinical potential of polyphenols present in honey bee propolis this book provides an essential introduction and guide for scientific community and clinicians at the forefront of encapsulation of the recent scientific progress and the likely possible clinical potential with specific reference to treatment of animals’ and humans’ diseases. In addition, this book provides an essential introduction and guide for an interdisciplinary readership. Special credit is given to all authors presenting their scientific work in this book ; we encourage them to continue their difficult tasks in science related to honey bee products and hopefully believe that their tireless work will fill up their expectations in the scientific wisdom. It is our hope that this book will fulfil the role to the readers’ satisfaction. Specific credit is given with our great thanks to Dr. SG Pandalai who recognised our work in the field of science concerned with the influence of propolis on experimental tumors and invited us to give our contribution not only in scientific presentation reported here but also in organisation of edition of this book.

Propolis; Flavonoids; Chemoterapeutics; Immunomodulation; Genotoxicity; Radioprotection

nije evidentirano