How Propolis Healed my Hand

On the 28^th of September, I received several extremely graphic images from my boss, of a very injured hand. I stared at the images in horror for several minutes before finally mustering up the courage to ask what happened and who the hand belonged to. That was when I was put in contact with Quintas, who is a 30 year old self-employed entrepreneur that lives in Hartbeespoort, North of Johannesburg.

On the 21^st of September, he experienced the unfortunate event of being bitten by an extremely poisonous snake, Atractaspis bibronii, more commonly known as a Stiletto snake. Read below to find out more about how propolis healed his hand in less than two weeks.

Face to face with a deadly reptile

It was a Thursday afternoon when Quintas was walking through his garden with his two small dogs, from his house to a garden flat in the same yard. While in the garden, he noticed the long brown snake slithering in their path.

“I saw the snake and I mistook it for another species of snake, which is completely harmless.” That was when Quintas picked up the snake, in an attempt to move it out of the way, so that he could walk past without his dogs causing a scene and barking non-stop.

Trying to pick up the snake was a grave mistake, as this particular snake has fangs that are uniquely positioned, making it able to attack and bite someone even while being held by the neck. The snake managed to pierce Quintas’ middle finger, leaving him with a large open wound. The venom of this species is highly poisonous, even though no fatalities have been recorded.

The symptoms which follow once bitten by the stiletto snake include:

• mild to intense pain
• local swelling with occasional blistering
• necrosis (cell death due to lack of blood flow)
• regional lymphadenopathy (inflamed or swollen lymph nodes)
• In the early stages symptoms like dry throat and nausea may be present

The after-effects of the bite

“I was admitted to the hospital that same night, where my injuries were treated.” Says Quintas. However, due to medical negligence, the wound became badly infected with two different types of bacteria, causing symptoms such as swelling, redness, pain and the wound oozing.

Due to the negligence from the first hospital, Quintas had to be admitted to a second hospital, where his finger was operated on. During this time, he was only allowed to clean the wound with disinfectant, as there was a high chance of the wound becoming reinfected.

The Testimony: How propolis healed my hand

After a week of sterilizing the wound with disinfectant, the risk of reinfection reduced dramatically and Quintas was given the go-ahead by his doctor to apply other topical creams which may speed up the healing process.

As Quintas stocks Ultra Bee Brands in his store in Hartbeespoort, he is no stranger to the healing powers of propolis. So it is no surprise that he chose to make use of our Propolis Care Propolis Balm. Quintas says that within a week and a half of using our Propolis Care Propolis Balm, the swelling and pain had dramatically reduced. The size of the wound had been reduced to a superficial scab.

 

The images speak for themselves and is a testimony to the powers of propolis.

So what is propolis and how does it work?

Propolis is produced by honey bees from resins or plants and chews the resin, mixing it with their own pollen, beeswax and other secretions to make a sticky glue which is used to line the entrance and interior of the hive, to repair cracks and protect the bees from infections.

For humans, propolis has excellent natural antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it suitable to aid in the relief and healing time of various ailments. It aids with:

• Reducing pain and inflammation
• Infections
• Wounds

Propolis has strong anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties which helps it to stop bacteria from spreading, enhance skin regeneration, and healing scarring. If you would like to read more about the power of propolis, you can click here.