Several folks are responsive to the helpful properties of bee pollen. Containing a lot of than twenty vitamins and proteins in the form of amino acids, enzymes, minerals, fatty acids, trace parts, and different nutrients necessary for all times, bee pollen could be a "superfood" that can profit most any diet, when taken often as a food supplement. Bees, but, produce different by-product within the course of their routines within the hive that can be beneficial as food supplements for humans.

Royal jelly is one such by-product. It's secreted from glands within the hypopharynx of employee bees as food for bee larvae. All larvae are fed this for some days. But, if the bee colony's queen has fallen sick or has died and a replacement queen is required, the employees will choose several feminine larvae, move them to specially created "queen cells" inside the hive, and feed these larvae copious amounts of royal jelly over a longer amount of time. This enhanced diet triggers the development of a completely different morphology in these potential queens-to-be: namely, the growth of totally developed ovaries needed to get eggs. Because a queen bee is the sole bee within the hive capable of laying eggs, the queen is important for the colony's survival.

Beekeepers collect royal jelly from these queen cells when the queen larvae are concerning four days old. These cells are the only places within the hive where it is offered in generous amounts; of course, a lot of of it's fed to these queen larvae than they can ever consume, thus, through careful management, beekeepers can harvest royal jelly without disturbing the life of the hive. Some beekeepers can harvest up to five hundred grams of royal jelly from a single hive in one 5-six month season; the natural jelly should be kept cool, as it is perishable.

How is royal jelly helpful as a food supplement for humans? The overall composition is regarding sixty five p.c water, twelve percent proteins (largely in the shape of amino acids), 11 p.c straightforward sugars (monosaccharides), and five p.c fatty acids. Royal jelly conjointly contains quantities of B-complicated vitamins (like pantothenic acid and pyridoxine), vitamin C, trace minerals, enzymes, and antibiotic components. It will not contain the big selection of nutrients found in bee pollen -- the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are entirely absent, for instance -- but still contains a wealthy assortment of nutrients necessary for life.

Numerous studies have suggested that consuming royal jelly as a food supplement might facilitate lower cholesterol, and heal wounds as an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic substance. Different studies have shown that it stimulates the growth of glial cells and neural stem cells within the brain, and may conjointly inhibit the vascularization of tumors. Much of this research is preliminary solely; more testing should be done to draw more conclusive results. (And no studies have shown that royal jelly can trigger the identical end in humans that it does in feminine bee larvae: enhanced fertility!)

Because royal jelly may be a natural product, there are no facet effects, however some individuals may expertise hypersensitive reactions; if you are allergic to bee stings, for example, it might trigger the same reaction. If you are asthmatic, pregnant, or breast feeding, do not take it, and do not feed it to small children. If in doubt, ask a health care practitioner.

Sometimes, it's sold in health food stores in capsule form. Typically it's freeze-dried, that removes the water content however leaves all the nutrients intact. Freeze-dried royal jelly incorporates a longer shelf-life than natural, and will not require refrigeration.