Bee Pollen
Nature’s Most Nutritious Superfood
WHAT IS BEE POLLEN?
No ordinary food is good enough for the honeybee. It needs incredible amounts of energy to fly on the average of 15 miles per hour and between as many as 1,200 flowers in one flight from the hive. Fortunately, nature has provided these foraging bees with incredible tools for this difficult task. Before leaving for a foraging flight, the honeybee fills her honey sac. As she gathers the pollen, she moistens it with honey and pushes it into the pollen baskets enclosed in her hind legs. One lot after another is pushed into the basket and compressed until it is filled with a single grain that is carried home to the hive. Once there, the bee takes the pollen and deposits it in the cell for food. Some beekeepers have set up pollen traps at the entrance of the hive to eliminate the process of extracting the pollen from the comb cell. When this is the case, the bee enters the hive and walks through a screen where the pollen granules are rubbed off into a secluded area. This still allows the bees to carry the excess pollen on their body into the hive.
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS
Bee Pollen has been known to help speed up ,the healing process, revitalize the body’s many systems, and assist in protecting cells in our bodies from free radical damage – a major cause of cancer. It’ helps to’ improve, unhealthy and/or aging skin, clear acne, age spots and plump wrinkles. It helps those who bruise easily, due to its rutin content which helps build strength in the capillary walls, helps strengthen the heart, helps fight anemia, and helps regulate high blood pressure by,regulating blood flow. A number of athletes use it to help increase their endurance and strength as well as a natural weight control. Rich in lecithin, bee pollen helps speed up calorie burning and stabilize faulty metabolism, and helps benefit digestion. Bee Pollen targets the entire body, but gives a special boost to reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. It has antibiotic, astringent, relaxant, tonic, and nutritive properties. It helps to correct and stabilize our body chemistry.
EFFECTUAL COMPOSITION OF BEE POLLEN
Bee Pollen is considered a superfood because it contains all the nutrients needed for life. It possesses over 180 known nutritional ingredients including at least 22 amino acids, 18 vitamins, 25 minerals, 59 trace elements, 11 enzymes or co-enzymes, 14 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates, and approximately 25% protein. Bee pollen is extremely rich in carotenes, which are metabolic precursors of vitamin A. It is also high in B complex and vitamins C, D, E, and Lecithin.
HOW MUCH BEE POLLEN SHOULD I TAKE?
It is very important to start taking bee pollen slowly. Bee products may cause allergic reactions in some people. If you have never taken bee pollen before, start by putting a couple granules under your tongue to test for sensitivity (itching, sneezing, slight rash, and/or swelling). If allergic reaction occurs, consult your nutritionist. It is possible to try a capsule form to bypass the mucous membranes. If the reaction is tolerable, continue with just a couple granules every day until no reaction occurs and then slowly increase intake. If no reaction occurs, start with 3 granules, increasing by 2 grains every few days until you reach 1/2 teaspoon daily. Gradually increase to 1 to 2 tsp. or more. For best absorbency of inner nutrients, chew granules to break outer granule cell wall. An adult’s normal daily intake is between a teaspoon and above based on individual metabolism.
PROTEIN – The Building Blocks of Life: Since the inborn instinct of the honey bee is to collect only the highest quality, most nutritious pollens, the protein content of bee collected pollen averages 25%, half are essential free amino acids (complete protein). Bee pollen contains over 50016 more protein than beef, yet its fat content is very low. It is also an excellent vegetarian source of protein, typically possessing more of the essential amino acids, pound for pound, than animal proteins like meat, eggs, and dairy products. Proteins include: ISoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine, Essential Amino Acids, Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Cystine, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, and Tyrosine.
VITAMINS – Vital for Life: Pollen is reported to be the richest food source known in all vitamins. A diet deficient in only one nutrient can result in ill health and disease. Vitamins include: Provitamin A, Thiamine (Bl), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (BS), Pyridoxine (B6), Cyanocobalamine (BI2), Vitamins C, D, E, F, H, K, PP, Folic Acid, Choline, Inositol, Rutin.
MINERALS & TRACE ELEMENTS: All minerals have been found in pollen, plus vital trace elements necessary for health. Minerals include: Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Sulfur, Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Selenium, Boron, Silica, and Titanium. Daily use of pollen ensures an intake of the more obscure, yet essential trace minerals that may be lacking from commercially grown produce and are often not included in vitamin/mineral supplements. Most of us are unaware that the nutrients supplied by cooked fruits, and vegetables and meats are not considered fresh because their enzymes have been exposed to high heat. Even taking a multivitamin cannot offer the superior nutrient array of raw and fresh food.
There are 22 basic elements in the human body -
Enzymes, Hormones, Vitamins, Amino Acids, and others -
which must be renewed by nutrient intake, no one food contains them all…
except Bee Pollen!
BEE POLLEN & ALLERGIES
The myth of local bee pollen treating allergies is based on an attempt to build tolerances to the exact pollens causing the allergy. The pollens responsible for hay fever and allergies are airborne (anemphilous), and not the type collected by bees (entomophilous). Bee Pollen has higher moisture content, a mixture of bee enzymes and nutrients, and most of the same components as the airborne type. Thus, bee pollen from any area could be successfully used to aid in hay fever and allergy relief. Some researchers say that a mixture of various bee pollens providing nutrients from different plant sources is the most effective. A person needs to build up a tolerance to pollens by gradually increasing and then maintaining a daily intake of bee pollen (similar to the concept of allergy shots). Better results will be achieved if the person with allergies begins taking pollen one or two months before their allergy season begins, then continues with an increased amount during allergy season. For optimal nutrition, it would be best to consume a maintenance amount year-round.
TYPES OF BEE POLLEN
Bee Pollen is available in many different varieties for your convenience and preference including fresh or low moisture whole granules, capsules, wafers and powders in many different combinations with Royal Jelly, bee pollen, honey and herbs.
Fresh, Raw Bee Pollen is stored cold. It is high in moisture (about 18-20%), the granules are semi-moist and fresh, and requires refrigeration.
Low Moisture Bee Pollen has been kept in a temperature/humidity controlled facility over a specified period of time, allowing just enough of the moisture to dissipate to alleviate the necessity for refrigeration. The moisture content is approximately 3-5% with a nutritive value of 97%. The granules are crunchy and chewy with no refrigeration required.
References: The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture by AI. Root, A. I. Root Pub; Health From the Hive: BeeePolIen. Honey. Propolis. Royal Jelly. Nature’s Power Packed Healers by Carlson Wade, Keats Pub. Inc.; Bee Products: Medicine From the Hive by C. Leigh Broadhurst Ph.D., Nutrition News; Bee Pollen. Health From the Hive by Lisa Flynn Stec, Bestways.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not evaluated this page’s information. The products described are intended solely as food supplements to enhance general health, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Caution: Bee products may cause allergic reactions in some people.
FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.