Types of Propolis

Green Propolis 

This type of propolis traditionally originates from “alecrim do campo” (field rosemary). Southern Brazil is a natural habitat of this plant. Propolis producers in Minas Gerais say that propolis from this region would be green due to the greater concentration of “field rosemary” in the state. Propolis from Minas Gerais is considered similar to those of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, without clear distinction in the chromatographic analyses. The BRP group includes propolis from three states.

Brown Propolis 

Propolis originating from the states of Sao Paulo and Parana are generally dark brown. Bacharis dracunculifolia is an important source of propolis in these states. Propolis from Parana is typified as BRPG, which is a mixture of the two types of propolis BRP and BRG. Besides the coloration, the differences between the propolis from Parana and that of Minas Gerais are that the one from Parana has markers from both Southeast and Soth regions and a sub-marker, the compound DCBEN (2,2-dimethyl-6-carboxyehenyl-2H-1benzopyran), absent in BRP propolis. The therapeutic actions of brown propolis, however, are similar to those from the Southeast region.