Although they can deliver a painful and, in some people, deadly sting, bees also produce three very healthy products: royal jelly, Manuka honey, and bee pollen.
Let's learn how to use bees' products to boost our health!
Royal Jelly
You can find royal jelly at your local health food store. It’s high in protein and rich in nutrients. In fact, royal jelly is the main source of food for the queen bee and is secreted by the worker bees.
Royal jelly boosts the immune system and protects against diabetes. (Courtesy Dr.Axe.com.)
Research has found that royal jelly is effective in treating infertility and menopausal symptoms -- even more effective than prescription estrogen. In another study, royal jelly improved the sperm count and testosterone levels in males and enhanced their fertility. In addition, royal jelly boosts the immune system and promotes enhanced collagen production, as well as reduces a person’s risk for developing diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
Since royal jelly has a naturally bitter taste, it is best to blend a spoonful with a little honey, hold it in your mouth, under your tongue, and let it dissolve. Royal jelly is available in gel form, powder, and capsules.
Manuka Honey
On many of the television, health, and wellness talk shows of late, Manuka honey has been all the rage! That's because its properties make it healthier than American honey or organic raw honey.
Organic honey is a great replacement for sugar. (Photo courtesy of Littlethings.com.)
Manuka honey is made by bees from the pollen of the Manuka plant in New Zealand and has historically been used to treat digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, and stomach ulcers. It is good for speeding up the healing process for burns and wounds and has been found to stop the bacteria that causes streptococcus pyogenes, otherwise known as strep throat.
Other benefits of taking Manuka honey include improved sleep, younger/brighter skin, relief of eczema symptoms, boost to the immune system, cold prevention, and allergy symptom relief.
Unlike honey from the American honey bee, Manuka honey should not be used in hot beverages such as tea or coffee because the high temperature will destroy the healing enzymes. It should be taken by the spoonful, stirred in yogurt, drizzled on berries, or added to smoothies.
Bee Pollen
Bee pollen is what the bees use to feed their babies! It’s 40 percent protein, and rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fatty acids. Bee pollen contains numerous chemical components that have been used in prescription drugs, and for this reason, it's called "apitherapeutic."
Bee pollen is an excellent ingredient to sprinkle on cereal. (Photo courtesy of yahoo.com/lifestyle).
Because bee pollen is the one food that contains all the required nutrients for the human body to thrive, the German Federal Board of Health has classified it as a medicine.
Like Manuka honey, bee pollen helps relieve allergies and is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins, lipids and fatty acids, enzymes, carotenoids, and bioflavonoids. Those properties make it an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral agent that strengthens the capillaries, reduces inflammation, stimulates the immune system, and lowers cholesterol levels, naturally.
So, if you’re looking for a healthy alternative to prescription drugs that will relieve the symptoms of allergies, colds, cuts, burns, infertility, digestive issues, menopausal symptoms, high cholesterol, eczema, aging skin, etc., look to the honey bee and your local health food store for the answer!
Do you use bee products? What do you find the most helpful and what do you use it for? Tell us in the comments!
