The Use of Propolis for Arthritis

Using an alcohol based propolis tincture, scientists evaluated how the propolis effected the mechanism by which the disease is caused in mice.

To do this, they examined something called Interleukin-17. Interleukin-17 has numerous immune regulatory functions and the numbers of IL-17 producing cells in the mice fed propolis were significantly decreased. This indicates there was less inflammation in the joints of the mice as a result of the propolis - the propolis suppressed their immune systems or helped to better regulate them. The scientists also found that mice fed propolis exhibited significantly lower clinical arthritis scores than those fed the control diet.

The doses given to the mice were not stated in this study so in order to determine how much a human would need to take for rheumatoid arthritis is difficult to hypothesize. Based on the amounts that I use and see to be effective for other conditions, I would suggest that one would need several grams of propolis per day to see some relief from arthritis.

One could obtain this dose from a half dozen propolis chunks per day or a half teaspoon of propolis powder per day. Again, just my opinion but it will be interesting to see some further research on this topic in the future.

The full study can be found in the journal Inflammopharmacology, 2011 Aug 23.

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