Knowing the importance of polyphenols, CC Pollen contracted an independent lab to perform the Total Polyphenol assay and the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) antioxidant study on its High Desert Propolis. The results were quite dramatic.

Here is the Total Polyphenol chart, with the propolis results.

As you can see, High Desert® Propolis has an astonishingly high polyphenol content at 13.568%. No other natural substance comes close. In terms of dietary supplements, no laboratory could do better than natures design of propolis. Since the presence of an assortment of polyphenols seems to signify a nutritious, health-promoting food, then propolis, by definition, may the best nutritional supplement ever manufactured by Mother Nature.

Similar results were found in the antioxidant study. The antioxidant activity of propolis has been attributed to its diverse supply of polyphenols. These powerful, health-promoting substances are rarely seen in mother foods in the high concentrations found in propolis.

High Desert@ Propolis shows an incredible amount of antioxidant activity, at 9,674 ORAC units. (Later assays established a wide range of ORAC readings, varying from 4,705 to 11,853 ORAC units.) But, on closer analysis, there is something even more surprising about these results:
 
 

Sample		ORAC water soluble	ORAC fat soluble
High Desert® Propolis		2,459	7,215

 
 

This chart shows that the results are split between two fractions, the fat-soluble fraction and the water-soluble fraction. Researchers were astonished that the fat-soluble fraction of propolis was so high. Researchers were accustomed to seeing substances that showed an overwhelming percentage of antioxidant activity in the water-soluble fraction, rather than the fat-soluble fraction. Fat-soluble antioxidants are very important because fat-containing membranes and tissues are extremely susceptible to damage by free radicals. The most predominant dietary fat-soluble antioxidant is Vitamin E. By comparison, what is the ORAC value of pure Vitamin E?
 
 

Sample		ORAC water soluble	ORAC fat soluble
High Desert® Propolis		2,459	7,215
Pure Vitamin E			1,700

 
 

Here are the comparative ORAC values of High Desert® Propolis and pure Vitamin E. The propolis fat-soluble antioxidant activity is 4.24 times greater than Vitamin E ­ and that does not include the water-soluble fraction! Clearly, just for antioxidant power alone, propolis is extremely beneficial. However, propolis has so much more to offer than just antioxidant activity. The number of beneficial effects that propolis provides, from oral and dental health, to liver-protective benefits, are almost too numerous to mention. These benefits are driven by a broad spectrum of polyphenols, and the powerful synergy created by this complex mixture.

As a further part of the study, CC Pollen commissioned an analytical assay that identified each of the individual peaks on the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) chart. What we discovered was that the single polyphenols that are present in the highest quantities were bioflavonoid esters, or fat-soluble forms of bioflavonoids.

As you can see, the peaks on this chart represent the individual polyphenols that occur in the highest quantities. Individual polyphenols can be seen (By Clicking Here.) However, the unidentified lesser peaks and baseline readings on this chart also represent a variety of polyphenols. These are present in large quantities and are important constituents of the whole substance. Also, please note that this chart represents only the fat-soluble fraction of propolis. The water-soluble fraction of propolis contains a large concentration of polyphenol species that are similarly valuable.
 
 
Practical Applications Of Propolis (Click here for Next Page)
 

 
 

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