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| What Is Royal Jelly? |
What's all the buzz about royal jelly, and is this popular supplement right for you?
Royal jelly, also known as gelee, is a thick gelatinous milky white substance secreted from glands near the head of nurse worker bees and fed to the hives queen from her larval stages and into adulthood. Its sole purpose is to stimulate her growth and development. It seems that the royal jelly acts on the juvenile hormones in the developing queen's body, allowing her to mature while the drones, which aren't given royal jelly, remain in a state of physical immaturity. A hive queen can live up to seven years, but without her special diet of royal jelly, the queen would have had the same short life cycle as any other worker bee, seven to eight weeks.
The Ancient Egyptians kept bees as far back as 5,500 B.C., and royal jelly has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries and still is today.
People have used royal jelly as a general health tonic for ages, but it is used for specific ailments too. It has been touted to relieve heart, liver, kidney, digestive, and skin disorders, to treat high cholesterol, slow the signs of aging, relieve the pain of arthritis, slow the progress of multiple sclerosis, enhance immunity, improve sexual performance, enhance hair growth and even to heal bone fractures. Many people swear that royal jelly helps improve their stamina, energy, and overall sense of well-being too. Ambrosia, a mixture of royal jelly and bee pollen, is commonly used by menopausal women to manage their hot flashes and other associated physical symptoms.
It is a widespread belief that royal jelly has scientifically rejuvenating and anti-aging properties in humans. It hasn't lived up to this expectation, but it isn't without potential medical benefits.
Royal jelly comprises mainly water, containing proteins, fats, sugars, and other trace substances. One of the types of protein found in royal jelly, and one of the sugars, has been antibacterial or antimicrobial properties. The gelee also contains vitamins, minerals, and other phytosterols like Neopterin – also found in humans.
This chemical is believed to play a role in our immune system. According to PDR Health, Royal jelly may have hypolipidemic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative activities. There is preliminary evidence that it may also have antibiotic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and anti-cancer effects.
A supplement can be taken in a tablet or capsule form or ingested in a wide variety of food items such as chocolates, fruit bars, and antioxidant drink mixes. Royal jelly can be found in a fantastic array of personal care items like lip balm and skin cream.
While royal jelly supplements and products are widely available and frequently used by pregnant and nursing mothers, those with allergies or hypersensitivities to any of its components shouldn't use this supplement. Side effects include rashes and itching, asthma attacks and bronchospasms, and rarely, anaphylaxis and even death have occurred.
As with any health supplement, unsubstantiated claims are commonplace when extolling the virtues of royal jelly. Though there are no current studies that point definitively to the benefits of its use, there is emerging information that looks hopeful.
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