Positives

• One patient who tested positive for COVID three weeks earlier and had a lingering sore throat and cough that nothing else would touch reported that a single day of propolis spray finally took the persistent throat pain away WebMD.
• Patients with upper respiratory tract infection on an oral propolis spray commonly see remission of symptoms after three days, with notable decreases in dry cough and sore throat versus placebo ScienceDirect.

Negatives

• There isn’t compelling evidence propolis effectively treats most conditions, and propolis is itself a potent allergen that can worsen asthma in patients with allergic predisposition Cleveland Clinic.
• A surveillance review of natural-health-product adverse reactions found 16 reports of allergic dermatological or respiratory reactions to propolis and 2 of digestive reactions, with 6 patients hospitalized or sent to the ER and 2 of those described as life-threatening events PubMed.
• Patients using propolis lozenges or oral sprays have reported allergic contact cheilitis, stomatitis, perioral eczema, lip swelling, mouth ulcers, oral pain and difficulty breathing, with risk highest in people allergic to bee products, pollen, ragweed or chrysanthemum PMC.

Hurdles & Side Effects

• Propolis is generally well tolerated, but patients with bee, pine, or poplar allergies can develop skin reactions or rare serious allergic reactions; an oral patch test is reasonable before chronic dosing in atopic patients WebMD.