Making propolis extract at home requires raw propolis, high-proof alcohol, and about a week of patience. The process is simple: you grind propolis into small pieces, soak it in ethanol, let it sit, then filter out the solids. The details of each step, from the alcohol percentage to the soaking time, make the difference between a weak extract and one that captures the full range of beneficial compounds.
What You Need
The core ingredients are raw propolis and 70% ethanol (also sold as 140-proof grain alcohol or food-grade ethanol). Research consistently identifies 70% ethanol as the optimal solvent, pulling out the highest levels of flavonoids and antioxidant compounds compared to other concentrations. You can find food-grade ethanol at liquor stores (Everclear 151 is close at 75.5%) or from lab supply retailers.
You’ll also need a freezer, a way to grind (mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or food processor), a glass jar with a tight lid, coffee filters or cheesecloth, and a dark glass bottle for storage.
Choosing Your Ratio
The ratio of propolis to alcohol determines the strength of your final extract. The University of Minnesota’s beekeeping program outlines three standard concentrations:
- 10% tincture: 100 grams of propolis to about 1,073 ml of 70% ethanol
- 20% tincture: 200 grams of propolis to about 953 ml of 70% ethanol
- 30% tincture: 300 grams of propolis to about 843 ml of 70% ethanol
A 20% tincture is a good starting point for most home uses. It’s concentrated enough to be effective without becoming overly thick or difficult to filter. If you’re working with a smaller batch, just scale the numbers down proportionally. For a quick approximation, a 20% extract is roughly 1 part propolis to 4 parts alcohol by weight.
Preparing Raw Propolis
Raw propolis is sticky and resinous at room temperature, which makes it nearly impossible to break into small pieces. Freezing solves this. Place your propolis in the freezer for at least two hours, ideally overnight. Once frozen, it becomes brittle and shatters easily.
While it’s still cold, quickly grind or crush it into small particles, roughly the size of coarse sand or small pebbles. A coffee grinder works well for small batches. The goal is to increase the surface area so the alcohol can penetrate more material. If the propolis starts warming up and getting sticky again during grinding, put it back in the freezer and try again in 30 minutes. Remove any obvious debris like wood chips or dead bees before grinding.
The Maceration Process
Place the ground propolis in a clean glass jar and pour in the measured amount of 70% ethanol. Seal the jar tightly. Shake it vigorously for a few minutes, then place it in a dark location at room temperature.
Five days of maceration is the recommended duration. Research comparing one-day, five-day, and ten-day extraction times found that one day recovers noticeably fewer bioactive compounds, while five days captures close to 80% of the bioactive content in raw propolis. Extending to ten days does not produce a meaningful increase in polyphenol content or antioxidant strength, so the extra time isn’t worth it.
During the five days, shake the jar once or twice daily for about 30 seconds. This keeps the propolis particles in contact with fresh solvent and speeds up the extraction. The liquid will turn a deep amber or reddish-brown color as it pulls out flavonoids, phenolic acids, and other active compounds.
Filtering the Extract
After five days, you need to separate the liquid extract from the leftover wax, plant debris, and undissolved solids. Start with a coarse filter: pour the mixture through a few layers of cheesecloth draped over a funnel into a clean jar. Squeeze the cheesecloth gently to press out as much liquid as possible.
For a cleaner extract, run the liquid through a second, finer filter. An unbleached coffee filter placed inside a funnel works well. This step is slow because propolis extracts are thick and resinous, so let gravity do the work. You may need to replace the coffee filter once or twice if it clogs. The result should be a clear to slightly hazy amber liquid with no visible particles.
Storage and Shelf Life
Transfer the finished extract into dark glass bottles (amber or cobalt blue) to protect it from light, which degrades the active compounds over time. Store at room temperature in a dark cabinet, or refrigerate for longer preservation. Research protocols for propolis extracts typically call for storage at around 4°C (refrigerator temperature) to maintain stability.
Alcohol-based propolis tinctures have a long shelf life, generally lasting one to two years or more when stored properly. The high alcohol content acts as a natural preservative. If you notice any cloudiness developing over time, simply re-filter before use.
Alcohol-Free Alternatives
If you want to avoid alcohol, vegetable glycerin and water are the two main alternatives, but both come with trade-offs. Alcohol extracts contain the highest concentration of flavonoids. Propolis is only partially soluble in water, limiting how much you can extract.
For a water-based extract, add 20 grams of ground propolis to 200 ml of water and simmer (not boil vigorously) for about 20 minutes. This helps dissolve some of the water-soluble compounds and softens the wax. Strain and filter as described above. A lab-made water extract tested at roughly 10% propolis content with a flavonoid concentration of about 1.25 mg/g.
Glycerin-based extracts (hydroglyceric extracts) can hold a slightly higher propolis content of 20 to 25%, with flavonoid levels similar to water extracts (around 1.15 mg/g). To make one, substitute vegetable glycerin for the alcohol and follow the same maceration process, though you may need to extend the soaking time since glycerin is a weaker solvent. Glycerin extracts have a shelf life of roughly six months at room temperature. Neither water nor glycerin extracts will match the potency of a 70% ethanol tincture, but they work for people who need to avoid alcohol entirely.
Testing Your Extract’s Strength
If you want to know the actual concentration of dissolved propolis in your extract, there’s a simple evaporation method used in research. Measure out 2 ml of your filtered extract and let it evaporate completely in a small dish (a warm oven on its lowest setting works, or leave it in a well-ventilated area). Weigh the dry residue left behind. Dividing that weight by 2 gives you the concentration in milligrams per milliliter. Repeat this three times and average the results for a more accurate number.
This dry residue represents the “balsam” content, which is the portion of propolis that actually dissolved into your solvent. Good quality propolis typically yields a balsam content of 40 to 70% of the original raw weight, depending on the source and purity of the raw material.
Allergy Considerations
Propolis can cause allergic contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals. Among people already prone to skin reactions, sensitization rates range from about 1.2% to 6.6%. If you’ve never used propolis before, test a small amount on the inside of your wrist and wait 24 hours before broader use. People who react to propolis may also cross-react with products containing benzyl salicylate or benzyl cinnamate, which are common fragrance ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products.