Propolis Tincture | From Our Hives

Shake well before use.

Our propolis tincture may be used in a variety of ways depending on preference and practice. Many people add a small amount to water, tea, sparkling water, honey, or other beverages, while others apply it topically where desired as part of their personal care routines.

The flavor is naturally dark, resinous, bitter, and aromatic — closer to bark, sap, spice, warm wood, and botanical resin than sweetness. Because propolis is such a concentrated material, many people prefer beginning with only a few drops and adjusting gradually over time.

Prepared in small extraction batches, the tincture itself rests in larger vessels over time before being drawn off and bottled by hand in smaller quantities as needed.

Store away from excessive heat and direct sunlight.

Our Propolis Tincture is built from only a few materials: raw hive propolis, high-proof alcohol, and time.

The propolis itself is selectively gathered from our hives, where bees use it to line, seal, and reinforce the interior of the colony. Formed from botanical resins collected from trees, buds, bark, and plant surfaces, propolis is one of the hive’s most complex and aromatic materials — dense, sticky, bitter, and deeply resinous.

To create the tincture, raw propolis is slowly macerated in 189-proof pure grain alcohol using a 1:5 extraction ratio. Over the course of several months, the resin gradually releases its waxes, volatile compounds, flavonoids, aromatic oils, and deep botanical character into the liquid.

Prepared in small extraction batches and bottled gradually over time in the studio, the tincture develops slowly and at its own pace — shaped by forage, weather, seasonality, resin, and time itself.

The result is a dark amber extract with notes of warm spice, wood, resin, dark honey, and bittersweet cacao: aromatic, complex, and unmistakably of the hive.

What exactly is propolis?

Propolis is a resinous material created by honeybees from tree buds, bark resins, sap, and other botanical substances gathered from the landscape around the hive. Bees use it to line, seal, reinforce, and stabilize the interior of the colony itself.

Why does the tincture taste bitter or resinous?

Because propolis is naturally bitter, aromatic, and resin-heavy. Unlike honey, it was never shaped by the hive to be sweet. Its flavor is closer to warm wood, sap, spice, bark, and dark botanical resin than anything sugary or floral.

Why use a slow maceration process?

Time changes extraction. A slower maceration allows the deeper aromatic compounds, waxes, volatile oils, and resins within the propolis to release gradually and more completely into the tincture. The process cannot be rushed without changing the character of the final composition.

Is this meant to be used every day?

Not necessarily. Many people treat propolis more like a concentrated material kept close when needed rather than something used constantly or casually. Its intensity is part of its identity.