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| Apitherapy honey | Rejuvenation tonic | elderberry syrup | wild cherry bark syrup | propolis salve | propolis spray | mead honey wine |
I
never cease to be amazed in life when people and events come together synergistically,
where their efforts and the resulting outcomes grow far beyond the potential
accomplishments of a single individual. Our propolis, purple loosestrife, and
Usnea spray, the newest product offered by the honey house, is not only the
result of such synergistic human efforts, but its key ingredients are synergistic
players as well. The herbs and propolis work beautifully together.
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), the much-maligned-of-late, magenta flowered, aggressively growing wetlands perennial, is a key contributor to our sprays effectiveness. Originally introduced to the North American cut flower trade from Japan the 1880s, perennial flower enthusiasts more recently have included it in their gardens because of its lovely spikes of purply-pink flowers. No one foresaw that purple loosestrife was a beauty who didn't respect boundaries and as a result, she began replacing native plant wetlands species. Our intention at the honey house is to take full advantage of the local abundance of purple loosestrife. We harvest it in a way that not only discourages its invasive spread into our wetland ecosystems, but also optimizes its contributions to the spray's formula. Its wound healing properties as an antibacterial, astringent, emollient, anti-inflammatory, and antihemorrhagic agent combine nicely with those of the propolis and Usnea. In using purple loosestrife we are removing it from ecosystems where it doesn't belong and at the same time creating a very effective wound wash, because of its synergistic effect with propolis and Usnea.
Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is a name for the handsome, yet despised, invasive perennial responsible for crowding out native aquatic vegetation in wetland habitats throughout the Northeast and Canada. Though loosestrife threatens the food source of waterfowl and furbearers, it provides an important pollen source for pollinators, particularly in times of drought, and is ranked close to goldenrod, as a leading nectar producing plant. In an effort to constructively utilize this overabundant perennial, valued by many herbalists for its properties, Honey Gardens Apiaries in Hinesburg has formulated a Propolis (naturaly produced by bees) Loosestrife spray that will be available in November 2002.
Last
year, the beekeepers at Honey Gardens began noticing that the bee yards closest
to stands of loosestrife produced significantly more honey than did other hives.
During times of drought, they noticed that these plants helped to keep their
bees alive and productive. Since nearly 40% of the food we eat depends on pollination
by insects, of which honeybees play a major role, survival of pollinators due
to loosestrife is an important service to food producers and consumers around
the country.
Appreciative of the plant's contribution to the work of the bees, they sought a means of further synthesizing the two. Knowing its properties, they obtained permission from the State of Vermont to harvest the otherwise quarantined plant. This past August the crew harvested acres of loosestrife. They began working with herbalist Barbara Raab Nardozzi, an adjunct professor at the University Vermont, to formulate a spray using loosestrife extract and propolis, produced by the bees from the buds of poplar and pine trees.
The new product will be similar in nature to the line of Apitherapy products marketed by Honey Gardens Apiaries. They currently produce Apitherapy Farm-style Raw Honey containing traces of pollen, propolis and beeswax; Apitherapy Honey Elderberry Extract, made with organic elderberry, echinacea and natural Vitamin C; and Apitherapy Honey Wild Cherry Syrup, made with propolis, organic and wildcrafted herbs
Nieka harvesting purple loosestrife in Charlotte, Vermont, August 2002.
| Apitherapy propolis spray 1fl.
oz. bottle $12.00/bottle | |
|
$39.00 case of six, Cases can be mixed, specify in special instructions on order |