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Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Andrographis vs Propolis: they're closely matched on evidence (7 vs 5.5/10); they're alternatives for support immune system — the best pick depends on your goals. Take the 60-second quiz for a pick tailored to your goals.
Andrographis and Propolis are closely matched across evidence, studies, and safety.
Verdict
Likely helps
3 of 4 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
Verdict
Likely helps
4 of 4 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
400mg extract (standardized to 10-30% andrographolides), 3x daily for acute use
At first sign of cold symptoms, With meals
Standardized extract (10-30% andrographolides)
300-600 mg daily (standardized extract). The cited trials used 400 to 600 mg a day. Label products go up to 1,000 mg, above that dose.
With food, Divided doses for higher amounts, Throat spray can be used as needed
Standardized extract (capsules or tincture)
2-5 days
2-5 days
2-5 days
1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks
1-2 weeks
Acute
Herbal Medicines for the Treatment of Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Nutrients (2024) · Meta analysis
In pooled analyses, when compared with placebo, clinical response rates were significantly higher for Indigo naturalis (IN) (RR 3.70, 95% CI 1.97-6.95), but not for Curcuma longa (CL) (RR 1.60, 95% CI 0.99-2.58) or Andrographis paniculata (AP) (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.71-1.26).
Safety of Andrographis paniculata: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety (2021) · Meta analysis
Incidence of serious AEs was very rare with the pooled incidence (95% CI) from RCTs of 0.02 per 1000 patients (0.0-0.5).
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy of Andrographis paniculata standardized extract (ParActin®) on pain reduction in subjects with knee osteoarthritis
Phytotherapy research : PTR (2019) · Rct · n=103
Patients treated with 300 or 600 mg/day of ParActin® showed a significant reduction in pain at days 28, 56, and 84 compared with a placebo group.
Dosage exploration of the effects of honey and its derivatives on cardiometabolic outcomes: an overview of systematic reviews and GRADE-assessed updated meta-analysis
Nutrition & diabetes (2025) · Meta analysis · n=3544
Umbrella review and updated meta-analysis of 69 randomised trials with 3,544 participants across honey, royal jelly and propolis together. The abstract does not say how many trials or participants were propolis.
The impact of propolis supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials
Prostaglandins & other lipid mediators (2024) · Meta analysis · n=1139
The propolis supplementation significantly reduced IL-6 (WMD = -2.48; 95 % CI: -4.62, -0.34; P = 0.023) and TNF-α (WMD = -0.86; 95 % CI: -1.45, -0.26; P = 0.005) compared with control groups.
Potential Effects of Bioactive Compounds of Plant-Based Foods and Medicinal Plants in Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis: A Systematic Review
Nutrients (2024) · Systematic review
Systematic review of randomised trials of plant compounds and medicinal plants in chronic kidney disease and dialysis. Propolis was 3 of the trials, beside curcumin (8), sulforaphane, genistein, allicin, beetroot, green tea, rhubarb, astragalus and Tripterygium.
Two placebo-controlled trials of the same standardised extract (KalmCold, also sold as AP-Bio). At 200 mg a day, 223 adults with an uncomplicated upper respiratory infection had lower overall symptom scores than placebo by day 5 (PMID 20092985). In a 300-person trial of 200 or 400 mg a day for 7 days, both doses lowered symptom scores on day 3 by the same amount, with no difference on days 5 and 7, and no participant reported adverse physical symptoms (PMID 36842634). 400 mg was no better than 200 mg, so the curve is flat and no optimal dose is given. The respiratory infection meta-analysis (PMID 28783743) reports symptom benefits but no doses, so it is not plotted.
AI-estimated from published studies. Interpret as directional guidance.
Both Andrographis and Propolis are closely matched — the best choice depends on your specific health goals.
For support immune system, Andrographis has a higher relevance score (90 vs 30).
No documented interaction was found in the data searched. This does not establish that this exact combination is safe.
The right pick depends on your goals. Answer a few quick questions for a personalised recommendation — or dig into the full evidence on each.