Propolis is a natural product made by bees from bioactive plant exudates and/or resins,
which they employ to protect their colony health and integrity (Ghisalberti, 1979; Simone-
Finstrom and Spivak, 2010). Taking their cue from the bees, man has been harvesting and
using this product for thousands of years, across many civilizations, stimulated by empirical
knowledge concerning its efficacy as a medically useful product (Berretta et al., 2020). More
recently, the development of analytical methods and modern extraction processes has led to
numerous studies regarding the chemical composition and diversity of propolis, and to a
better understanding of its therapeutic properties (Bankova et al., 2019). There are numerous
scientific publications showing the antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory,
immunoregulatory, and other biological properties of propolis, especially in vitro and animal
models (Machado et al., 2012; Berretta et al., 2013; Hori et al., 2013; Salatino, 2022).
