The educational staff at the College of Education for Pure Sciences/Department of biology, Prof. Dr. (Yasmine Khudair Khalaf) obtained the acceptance to publish a scientific article tagged with the title (Propolis … the most powerful anti-cancer) by the Scientific Articles Committee at the Presidency of Karbala University after the article fulfilled all publication conditions. (Prof. Yasmine Khudair Khalaf) mentioned that the composition, smell, and color of the propolis and the medicinal properties differ from one hive to another depending on the plant source, season, types of bees, and the prevailing geographical conditions in the site from which bees collect the resin, honey. Propolis generally consists of vegetable materials (50%), wax (30%), essential oils (10%), pollen (5%), and various other materials (5%). It also contains (55%) resins (10%) essential oils (5%) wax (5%) pollen. Propolis is a natural resinous substance derived mainly from trees, shrubs, and flower buds and is rich in wax, pollen, and bee saliva. Propolis is found in different colors such as yellow, brown, greenish-brown, dark brown, green, red, gray, and black. Its texture and composition vary depending on the location of the beehives and local plants. The propolis also has a pleasant aromatic smell, and if it is burnt, it emits a very pleasant smell, a mixture of several resin-like materials with a pungent taste. Some experiments have proven that storing it for a long time does not decrease the number of chemical compounds that make up it, nor its anti-bacterial activity. Raw propolis is stored frozen for several years in an airtight container but some of the synergistic properties of propolis can be lost during freeze-drying. This is because propolis is quite stable. Propolis and its extracts act as a moderate preservative due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, which extend the shelf life of some products. The shelf life of the ethanolic extract of propolis is three years after packaging or the finished product. As for mixtures of honey and propolis, it is two years after filling the product.
