Propolis . Other Ingredients: Aloe Vera Gel, Beeswax, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Purified Water, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine 85%, Vitamin E.
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In 2004, Canada began regulating natural medicines as a category of products separate from foods or drugs. These products are officially recognized as "Natural Health Products." These products include vitamins, minerals, herbal preparations, homeopathic products, probiotics, fatty acids, amino acids, and other naturally derived supplements.
In order to be marketed in Canada, natural health products must be licensed. In order to be licensed in Canada, manufacturers must submit applications to Health Canada including information about uses, formulation, dosing, safety, and efficacy.
Products can be licensed based on several criteria. Some products are licensed based on historical or traditional uses. For example, if an herbal product has a history of traditional use, then that product may be acceptable for licensure. In this case, no reliable scientific evidence is required for approval.
For products with non-traditional uses, some level of scientific evidence may be required to support claimed uses. However, a high level of evidence is not necessarily required. Acceptable sources of evidence include at least one well-designed, randomized, controlled trial; well-designed, non-randomized trials; cohort and case control studies; or expert opinion reports.
Finished products licensed by Health Canada must be manufactured according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) as outlined by Health Canada.
Below is general information about the effectiveness of the known ingredients contained in the product Westcoast Naturals Bee Propolis Cream. Some ingredients may not be listed. This information does NOT represent a recommendation for or a test of this specific product as a whole.
INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE
Below is general information about the safety of the known ingredients contained in the product Westcoast Naturals Bee Propolis Cream. Some ingredients may not be listed. This information does NOT represent a recommendation for or a test of this specific product as a whole.
POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately. Propolis has been used with apparent safety in clinical research at doses of up to 1500 mg daily (95883,99173,102520,102521). ...when used topically. Propolis as a 3% or 10% ointment, 0.5% cream, 30% mouth rinse, or 15% solution has been used with apparent safety in small clinical studies (799,1926,6602,8663,17629,17664,17665,92793,92800,95882)(99171,99173,102519,102521,105785,105786,108516,108523,109985).
PREGNANCY:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.
LACTATION: POSSIBLY SAFE
when used orally and appropriately during lactation.
Propolis 300 mg daily has been used for 4-10 months in one clinical study with no apparent adverse effects to nursing infants (102518).
Below is general information about the interactions of the known ingredients contained in the product Westcoast Naturals Bee Propolis Cream. Some ingredients may not be listed. This information does NOT represent a recommendation for or a test of this specific product as a whole.
Theoretically, propolis might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.
 Details
In vitro research shows that propolis water extract and the propolis constituent, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, can inhibit platelet aggregation (50794,95885). Additionally, evidence from an animal model shows that taking propolis in addition to warfarin decreases INR, suggesting that propolis can decrease the effectiveness of warfarin (95874).
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Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.
Details
In vitro research shows that propolis extract can inhibit CYP1A2 (92797,92799). However, animal research shows that propolis extract does not significantly affect CYP1A2 activity when administered to rats at doses up to 250 mg/kg. It is postulated that the constituents of propolis that inhibit CYP1A2 in vitro do not have significant effects in vivo due to low bioavailability and hepatic first-pass effect (92797). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19.
Details
In vitro research shows that propolis extract can inhibit CYP2C19 (92797,92799). However, animal research shows that propolis extract does not significantly affect CYP2C19 activity when administered to rats at doses up to 250 mg/kg. It is postulated that the constituents of propolis that inhibit CYP2C19 in vitro do not have significant effects in vivo due to low bioavailability and hepatic first-pass effect (92797). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C9.
Details
In vitro research shows that propolis extract can inhibit CYP2C9 (92797,92799). However, animal research shows that propolis extract does not significantly affect CYP2C9 activity when administered to rats at doses up to 250 mg/kg. It is postulated that the constituents of propolis that inhibit CYP2C9 in vitro do not have significant effects in vivo due to low bioavailability and hepatic first-pass effect (92797). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2D6.
Details
In vitro research shows that propolis extract can inhibit CYP2D6 (92797,92799). However, animal research shows that propolis extract does not significantly affect CYP2D6 activity when administered to rats at doses up to 250 mg/kg. It is postulated that the constituents of propolis that inhibit CYP2D6 in vitro do not have significant effects in vivo due to low bioavailability and hepatic first-pass effect (92797). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Theoretically, propolis might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2E1.
Details
In vitro research shows that propolis can inhibit CYP2E1 (92799). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
Details
Some in vitro research shows that propolis extract can inhibit CYP3A4 (92797); however, other in vitro research shows that propolis has no effect on CYP3A4 activity (92799). Furthermore, animal research shows that propolis extract does not significantly affect CYP3A4 activity when administered to rats at doses up to 250 mg/kg. It is postulated that the constituents of propolis that might in inhibit CYP3A4 in vitro do not have significant effects in vivo due to low bioavailability and hepatic first-pass effect (92797). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Theoretically, propolis might decrease the effectiveness of warfarin.
Details
Animal research shows that taking propolis in addition to warfarin decreases the international normalized ratio (INR) (95874). This effect has not been reported in humans.
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Below is general information about the adverse effects of the known ingredients contained in the product Westcoast Naturals Bee Propolis Cream. Some ingredients may not be listed. This information does NOT represent a recommendation for or a test of this specific product as a whole.
General
...Orally and topically, propolis seems to be well tolerated.
Most Common Adverse Effects:
Orally: Headache.
Topically: Contact cheilitis and contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.
Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):
Orally: Severe allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
Dermatologic
...Propolis can cause allergic reactions and acute oral mucositis with ulceration from the use of the propolis-containing lozenges (2632).
Topically, propolis-containing products, including some cosmetics, can cause eczematous contact dermatitis, erythema multiforme-like contact dermatitis, or allergic contact cheilitis (2632,15647,92796,92798,95878,95882,102517).
Patients allergic to bees or bee products may be more likely to experience allergic reactions to propolis.
Genitourinary ...Vulvar eczema caused by propolis sensitization after topical therapy has been reported (70067).
Hepatic ...Orally, propolis may cause an increase in liver enzymes when used long-term at high doses. In one case, a 30-year-old male presented with persistent abnormal liver enzymes for six months. With other causes ruled out, the patient disclosed using more than 10 propolis lozenges per day for several months to treat a sore throat. Upon discontinuation of the propolis lozenges, liver enzymes returned to normal (105788). Despite concerns presented in this case, analyses of small clinical studies suggest that propolis may have hepatoprotective effects when used at doses of 500-1000 mg daily for up to one year (108521,108522).
Immunologic
...In one case report, a 36-year-old female developed severe erythematous papules and patches with edema of the face, neck, arms, abdomen, and thighs after consuming propolis solution for a few weeks.
After symptom resolution, a patch test showed an extreme positive reaction to propolis (106443). In another case, laryngeal edema and severe anaphylactic reaction has been reported in a patient who used topical propolis for the treatment of acute pharyngitis. The patient died due to complications of hypoxia that resulted from the allergic reaction (70063).
Topically, propolis-containing products can cause allergic contact dermatitis, including cheilitis, when used on or near the lips or mouth (15647,92796,92798,102517). Propolis-containing lozenges can cause allergic reactions as well as acute oral mucositis with ulceration (2632).
Patients allergic to bees or bee products may be more likely to experience allergic reactions to propolis.
Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, propolis may cause headache in some patients. In one clinical trial, around 7% of patients taking propolis 250 mg twice daily for 4 months reported mild headache (105786).
Renal ...In one case report, a 59-year-old male with cholangiocarcinoma developed acute kidney failure requiring hemodialysis after taking a Brazilian preparation of propolis 5 mL three times daily for 2 weeks. Renal function improved when propolis was discontinued. The patient restarted taking propolis and symptoms developed again and the patient again required hemodialysis. Symptoms of renal failure improved when propolis was finally discontinued. This product was not screened for contaminants; however, family members of this patient used the same product without apparent adverse effects (14300).
