Products of the hive - sticky, sweet and healthful

James F. Scheer

Do you remember learning about the birds and the bees? Well, there may be something no one ever told you -- bees produce some of nature's most nutritional substances during their springtime dance amidst the flowers. Four of these products of the hive -- bee pollen, honey, propolis, and royal jelly -- are receiving more and more attention for their health-supportive benefits.

Bee pollen: "the world's perfect food"

In his book, How to Live the Millennium: The Bee Pollen Bible, the late Royden Brown, says, "Chemical analyses from research laboratories all over the world show that bee pollen provides all the nutrients mankind needs for complete life support."

The nutrients in bee pollen include 22 amino acids -- with higher amounts of the eight essential aminos than most high-protein foods -- 27 minerals, the full span of vitamins, as well as carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and numerous enzymes and coenzymes, which are necessary for efficient digestion of food, healing, and general good health.

What exactly is bee pollen? Bee pollen is a golden-colored dust gathered by bees from the stamens of flowers. If it were not for bees that carry this male pollen to female receptors, many flowers and species of plants would die out. Flying from flower to flower, bees collect pollen on their underside and front legs and, with pollen combs on their rear legs, they store pollen in four pollen baskets on each side of their rear leg joints; they later deposit this pollen in their hives.

Over the years, bee pollen has been treasured for its many health-enhancing benefits, which include its use as an aid for weight control and allergies and to promote beauty and longevity.

Brown has told us that, "Bee pollen works wonders in a weight control or weight stabilization regimen by correcting a possible chemical imbalance in body metabolism which may be involved in either abnormal weight-gain or abnormal weight-loss. The normalizing and stabilizing effects of this perfect food from the beehive are phenomenal." He suggested that bee pollen accomplishes these effects by "stoking the metabolic fires" and believes that it should be recognized as "nature's true dietetic weight-loss food." Brown also said that bee pollen acts as a natural appetite suppressant because it contains the amino acid phenylalanine, which is featured in many natural weight-loss formulas. Surprisingly, it seems that that for those who need to gain weight, the phenylalanine in bee pollen exerts the opposite effect.

Of bee pollen's use as a beauty aid, it has been shown that the consumption of bee pollen can improve the appearance of unhealthy or aging skin. It has demonstrated benefits when applied externally, as well. Brown quotes Lars-Erik Essen, M.D., a dermatologist from Halsinborg, Sweden, who pioneered the use of bee pollen as a beauty aid as saying `"It seems to prevent premature aging of the cells and stimulates growth of new skin tissue. It offers effective protection against dehydration and injects new life into dry cells. It smoothes away wrinkles and stimulates a life-giving blood supply to all skin cells."'

In their book, Sexual Nutrition, Morton Walker, D.P.M., and Joan Morton wrote of bee pollen's ability to promote longevity and ease allergies. Of longevity, they cite work done by Professor Nicolai Vasilevich Tsitsin, a Russian geriatrician and biologist at the Longevity Institute of Russia, who was a leading authority on longevity. They say he accidentally stumbled upon the importance of bee pollen's role in longevity. Investigating why so many natives of the Russian state of Georgia (in the Soviet Union at that time) lived more than 100 years -- some as long as 150 -- he learned that most of these modern Methuselahs were bee-keepers. Every day, they ate raw, unprocessed honey, rich in bee pollen.

Of bee pollen's beneficial effect on allergies, Walker and Morton cite work done by William G. Peterson, M.D., of Ada, Okla., a clinical allergist who used bee pollen to relieve the allergy symptoms of 22,000 patients, and that of another doctor, Ullrich Wahn, M.D., a researcher at Heidelberg University Children's Clinic in Germany, who alleviated or managed hay fever and allergy-related asthma with a solution of bee pollen and honey. It should be noted, however, that a small percentage of the population may be allergic to bee pollen; you should try a small amount first and monitor any reaction.

Mainly, however, it is anemophile pollen, the wind-borne, helter-skelter type, which can cause allergic difficulties -- pointed out the late Royden Brown in his 1993 book, The World's Only Perfect Food. Entomophile pollens [the type with which supplement preparations are made], on the other hand, "hitch a ride on the insects, primarily the honeybees, who forage among their blossoms," and do not typically cause difficulties for people.

In addition, human and animal experiments show that bee pollen can: (1) rev up energy; (2) help us cope with diarrhea and constipation; (3) tranquilize patients without side effects; (4) increase the amount of blood hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying, iron-containing pigment in red blood cells) -- especially in anemic patients; (5) rid the body of accumulated toxins caused by drugs, alcohol, smoking, junk foods, and stress; and (6) chelate and flush out artery-clogging biochemical deposits.

Sugar, sugar ... ah, honey, honey

Probably the most familiar of all the products of the hive is honey. This is surprising when one learns just how much work it takes for honey bees to make honey. Consider this: according to the National Honey Board, to make one pound of honey, honey bees must tap 2 million flowers; to bring us one pound of honey, a hive of honey bees must fly more than 55,000 miles; and during her lifetime, the average honey bee makes just 1/12th teaspoon of honey.

Supporters of refined sugar as a sweetener tend to claim that honey offers no nutritional advantages over sugar. This is not true. Derived from cane or beet, sugar, once refined, loses its carbohydrate content, and level of other nutrients. When you do use sugar, look for all-natural (organic, if possible), unrefined sugar. When looking for honey. watch for unrefined raw honey, which looks cloudy in appearance due to its richness in suspended bee pollen.

In a landmark study done several years ago, H.A. Schuette, of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), tested honey samples from various regions and found that every one of the samples contained a wide range of B vitamins (in mg) per 100 g of honey: riboflavin -- from 7 to 60; pantothenic acid -- from 9 to 110; niacin -- from 72 to 590; thiamin -- from 1.4 to 12; and pyridoxine -- from 0 to 27.7.

Research by the late J.I. Rodale revealed a vitamin C-content in honey from 0 mg to 311.2 mg per 100 g of honey. Darker honeys generally contain more vitamins and minerals -- specifically, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silica, and sodium -- than do lighter honeys.

In an interview with U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritionist Richard J. Wood, Carlson Wade, in his book, Health from the Hive, learned that glucose in honey can increase the absorption of calcium by 25 percent. "`Our findings indicate that glucose can be an effective way of enhancing intestinal absorption of calcium,"' Wood stated.

Wade wrote that glucose from honey "boosts the absorption of other essential minerals, as well: zinc and magnesium. In contrast, sugar, according to kinesiology researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles, can weaken bone strength and block growth by inhibiting calcium absorption in the intestines and reducing the amount that gets into the bones."

In addition, many researchers have found that honey, topically applied, helps to heal some slow-healing wounds.

In some recipes, you can substitute unprocessed honey for sugar -- one half tablespoon of honey to every whole tablespoon of sugar. Honey does contain more calories, however: a half tablespoon of honey contains 31.5 calories, compared with a tablespoon of sugar that contains 39 calories. Wade reminded us that, when you substitute honey for sugar, you should reduce the liquid called for by 1/2 cup for every cup of honey used to replace sugar.

"Add 1/2 teaspoon salt-free or reduced-salt baking soda to the recipe for every cup of honey substituted. Bake at a temperature 25 degrees lower than that called for in the recipe," he suggests.

Propolis: building a "city," rebuilding our health

Glenn W. Geelhoed, M.D., and Jean Barilla, M.S., in their 1997 book, Natural Health Secrets From Around the World, write the following about propolis:

"Asians, Arabs, and other people around the world use propolis for everything from bad breath to colds, migraines, hearing loss, and other ailments. The Russians have even been using it to stimulate the body's [production of] white blood cells to prevent infections before and after surgery. Research in Poland has confirmed the antibiotic qualities of propolis."

Propolis is made by bees from a sticky sap gathered by them from balsam, poplar, and pine trees. Once back at the hive, they mix the sap with a wax secreted by special glands on their underside. They line the floor and the walls of the hive with it, and it hardens. The word "propolis" comes from the Greek, and means "before the city." The ancient Greeks called it that because they observed that bees used propolis to line the entrances to their hives -- their own cities.

Propolis inhibits microorganisms in the hive and is an antiseptic and healing agent, sealing the queen's chambers to guarantee a germ-free, sterile environment in which she will lay thousands of eggs.

Propolis also appears to have healing properties, including antibacterial. "In a recent study that pitted bee propolis against an array of conventional antibiotics, propolis prevented the growth of over 56 types of staphylococci bacteria," write Geelhoed and Barilla. "The conventional [bacteria] killers -- ampicillin, penicillin, streptomycin, and others -- failed the test. Further research has even shown that, while microorganisms typically `learn' to resist modern antibiotics, they never learn to resist the power of propolis."

Additionally, propolis does not destroy friendly bacteria working to defend us. In fact, propolis has been used for centuries in folk medicine to soothe and heal sore throats. In fact, many health food manufacturers include it in their throat lozenges, some of which contain vitamin C and/or zinc.

Royal jelly: fit for a "queen," healing for us

Another phenomenal product from the hive is royal jelly. I first tasted it back in 1985 when I interviewed Barbara Cartland, Britain's "first lady of nutrition," at the time, and author of more than 500 romance novels, while visiting her 54-room mansion in Hatfield, England.

In her book, The Magic of Honey, Cartland explains that the one thing that distinguishes the Queen Bee from worker bees -- and makes her a thing of beauty -- is an exclusive diet of royal jelly, a milky white substance produced in the pharyngeal glands of worker bees.

While worker bees live only 40 to 50 days, the Queen Bee can live for as long as four to five years. Researchers agree that she lays as many as 2,000 to 2,500 eggs daily, weighing about 2 1/2 times as much as her own body.

Cartland told me that royal jelly can do marvelous things with birds, animals, and people. She recounted a Cornell University study which found that "chickens fed royal jelly laid twice as many eggs as those that didn't. Even older chickens beyond the laying age began laying eggs again after having royal jelly added to their diet. So this substance seems to have the power for rejuvenation."

A regular user of royal jelly and other products from the hive, Cartland, born in July 1901, looked about half her age when I met with her. To this day, her work production is incredible -- she still writes novels and, occasionally, a nutrition book, too.

The late Betty Lee Morales was often credited with bringing royal jelly to the attention of Hollywood celebrities after World War II; in fact, in the 1950s and 1960s the first "royal jelly" popularity peak was at its height.

Royal jelly is a nutritional treasure-trove -- rich in B-vitamins, with pyridoxine (B-6), and more pantothenic acid (B-5) per 100 g than liver, all the minerals, vitamins A, C, D, and E, enzymes, hormones, and 18 amino acids, as well as antibacterial and antiviral agents.

In their book, Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing, James F. Balch, M.D., and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., recommend combining some honey with royal jelly to preserve its potency.

"Royal jelly is known to aid in bronchial asthma, liver disease, bone fractures, and skin disorders, and is a potentiator of the immune system," they wrote.

Cartland stressed that there are hundreds of studies that convince her "that we should all take one or two tablets [or spoonsful] of royal jelly every day, along with our other vitamins and minerals."

Because it spoils easily, royal jelly always should be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.

One health regimen worth "sticking to" is one which includes all the products from the hive in our daily foods and supplements for better health and well-being.

REFERENCES

Balch, James F. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Garden City Park, N.Y.: Avery Publishing Group, 1997.

Brown, Royden. How to Live the Millenium -- The Bee Pollen Bible. Phoenix, Ariz.: Plains Corporation, 1989.

Brown, Royden. The World's Only Perfect Food. Prescott, Ariz.: Hohm Press, 1993 (retailers may call: 1-800-875-0096 to order this book).

Cartland, Barbara. Personal Interview, 1985.

Geelhoed, Glenn W., M.D., and Barilla, Jean, M.S. Natural Health Secrets from Around the World. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1997.

Osmanagic, Izet. "Reduced Sexual Potency," University of Serajevo publication, 1988.

Rodale, J.I. Complete Book of Food and Nutrition. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Books, Inc., 1961.

Wade, Carlson. Health from the Hive. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1992.

Walker, Morton, D.P.M., and Morton, Joan. Sexual Nutrition. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983.

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