Native Bees in for Heal of a Time
James Clifton, Noosa News, 27th June, 2012
Bees and trees could hold the answer to wound healing
problems if a University of the Sunshine Coast PhD student's research into
Australian native bees proves a connection.
Biomedical Science researcher Karina Hamilton, 21, received
a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council to conduct
Australian studies into whether native Australian (trigona carbonaria) bees or
Australia's natural flora give bee propolis wound healing, anti-inflammatory
and anti-oxidant properties.
"The big picture is wound healing," Ms Hamilton
said.
"We want to see if the anti-oxidant and
anti-inflammatory properties that we may or may not find contribute to the
accelerated wound-healing process."
Her research project will focus on two major factors: to
discover the role the bees and the environment play in the properties of bee
propolis, and to isolate the compounds that are responsible for the healing
qualities.
Ms Hamilton said propolis was more a plant product than a
bee product and she believed a combination of the natural habitat, the fauna
and flora as well as the native bee and the trees and resins the bees collected
made Australian propolis unique.
Propolis is a complex substance and varies depending on what
trees the bees are foraging on, while the season and climate make it quite a
variable substance…
Her research will look at whether the resin from the
corymbia torelliana (known as the cadagi gum) is similar in medicinal
properties to stingless bee propolis…
No comments:
Post a Comment