Y’all know how much I L-O-V-E honey. I have my own bees, so I am very passionate about our fuzzy buzzy friends.
I’ve been hearing lots of buzz lately about a couple of bee by-products; bee pollen and royal jelly, so I thought I’d use today’s Healthy Food article to go over the benefits and the differences between these wondrous substances.
Bee pollen
The little granules of pollen that stick to the bodies of bees is what we refer to as bee pollen. It doesn’t actually get produced by bees, but bee pollen is collected from their little bodies by machines or directly from the hives.
Bee pollen is believed to be made up of Vitamin C, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, biotin, copper, niacin, and folic acid. It’s also high in protein and carbs. Bee pollen is also believed by some to contain antioxidants that can prevent cancer development in humans.
Saying all this, there is actually no scientific evidence to back up claims that bee pollen is nutritionally beneficial to humans.
Royal jelly
Royal jelly is secreted from the salivary glands of worker bees. It’s fed to the princess baby bees that will eventually turn into queen bees.
It’s believed that royal jelly contains vitamins B5, B6, D, E, A, and C. The same deal goes as with bee pollen, though: There’s no scientific evidence stating that royal jelly is beneficial for humans.
Buyer beware
While the FDA hasn’t given their thumbs up about the human consumption of either of these products, lots of naturopathic doctors believe that when humans consume bee pollen and royal jelly we can gain lots of health benefits.
Both royal jelly and bee pollen have been used to enhance immunity in humans and bee pollen has been used to control inflammation caused by allergies. However, there are serious risks (including death) related to this practice so it’s not recommended you try this at home.
Before you take bee pollen or royal jelly supplements, do your research and make sure you’re making an informed decision.
Have you ever taken bee pollen or royal jelly? Tell us here!
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