Method for extracting propolis and water soluble dry propolis powder

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following examples are set forth in order to fully describe the method for extracting and purifying propolis as well as the resulting dry propolis powder and its uses.
EXAMPLE I About 500 grams of clean raw propolis was placed in an amber glass container and covered with about 1 liter of absolute ethanol.
This mixture was allowed to sit for ten days at room temperature with periodic agitation several times each day.
At the end of ten days, the mixture was filtered through Whatman No.
1 filter paper.
The resulting propolis-containing filtrate was then incubated at about 70.
degree.
C.
until a dry propolis powder was obtained.
Incubation temperatures as low as about 55.
degree.
C.
may also be employed, but greater time to obtain the final dry product will be required.
Care should be taken, however, with regard to any increase of the drying temperature, for the propolis will burn at about 80.
degree.
C.
The dry material remaining after incubation is the dry propolis powder, and is organic solvent soluble.
EXAMPLE II The method of Example I was repeated; however, the solvent was removed from the propolis-containing filtrate by lyophilization (freeze drying) after partial reduction of the alcohol content by evaporation.
The final product obtained by this method was not a powder, but a "gummy" propolis residue.
EXAMPLE III The method of Example II was repeated utilizing a 15% aqueous ethanol solution as the solvent.
This resulted in a dry propolis powder which was water soluble.
Chemical analysis of the water soluble dry propolis powder gave the following results per 100 grams of dry propolis powder:
______________________________________
Calcium 0.
33 grams
Phosphorous 0.
111 grams
Albumin 3.
7 grams
Protein 18.
5 grams
Creatinine 118.
5 milligrams
Billirubin 55.
5 milligrams
Glucose 26.
1 grams
Alkaline Phosphatase
4,148 International Units
Potassium 0