Royal Jelly …. Is it good, is it bad or is it necessary?
Royal Jelly is a milky secretion produced by worker honey bees to nurture queen bees.
It contains:
- 60-70% water;
- 12-15% proteins;
- 10-16% sugar;
- 3-6% fats;
- 2-3% vitamins, salts and amino acids.
It is collected from queen cells as these are the only cells where it is deposited in large amount. In a good colony is possible to make 500 g Royal Jelly for 6 months.
Once harvested needs to be immediately stored in a cool place such as a refrigerator or freezer. It shelf life can be prolonged by combining it with other bee products.
Is used to treat some conditions:
- Hay fever
- Atherosclerosis
- Diabetes
- Fatigue
- Pancreatitis
- High cholesterol
- Inflammation
- Kidney disease
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Weak immune system
You can use it topically or orally.
The topical use in needed for wound healing. It has antibacterial effect and also increase the production of collagen. It also has antioxidant properties. This is neccessary to heal the wounds.
Common questions
1-Is Royal Jelly good for the brain?
A study conducted in rats show that taking Royal Jelly daily improves memory and reduced depression. Although we should do a study in humans to confirm this attributes.
2- Does it affects vision?
Royal Jelly when taken daily may treat dry eyes symptoms. It increases tear secretion from lacrimal glands.
3-Is there a connection between Royal Jelly and the immune system?
It enhances our body natural immune response and helps in the fight against bacteria or viruses. MRPJ and fatty acids, that it contains, reduce the incidence of infections.
4-Does Royal Jelly increases appetite?
Yes it does. It increases appetite, for this reason you can use it for children or persons who are underweight, but at the same time it does not make you fat. This happens because it reactivates the basal metabolism of the cells. When we use Royal Jelly our cells consume more oxygen and are reactivated in their work and in tissue respiration.
5-Is it good for people who are always tired?
Thi substance has the ability to restore energy because it has the possibility to speed up the basal metabolism of the cells. If you are tired or if you have a very active daily routine you should make it part of your diet.
6-Does Royal Jelly affects cholesterol?
Taken under the tongue or by mouth daily for 2-11 weeks may lower cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol.
7-Is Royal Jelly good for children?
Yes of course. It has a lot of benefits. Children above 6 months can use it.
But, if your child is allergic or if he/she suffers from asthma you should not give Royal Jelly to him/her.
Facts
1-A small study published in Gynecological Endocrinology about women in post menopausal symptom. 36 of them where given 150 mg of Royal Jelly daily. They experienced increase in HDL with 7.7%, decrease in LDL with 4.1% and decrease in total cholesterol with 3.1%.
2-A study was done with women with Premenstrual Syndrome. The study was conducted in 110 women, divided in two groups. One group took placebo and the other one 1 g Royal Jelly daily, from the first day of the menstrual cycle up to 2 menstrual cycles.
The group that took placebo had a decrease in PMS with 5%, while the group that took Royal Jelly had 50% reduction of PMS.
Side effects and precautions when using Royal Jelly
If you are an allergic person or you have asthma be careful when you use Royal Jelly for the first time. It may cause allergic reactions that vary from mild to life threatening.
It slows blood clotting, for this reason if you use a blood thinner such as warfarin, you should consult your doctor before using it.
Sometimes it makes dermatitis worse.
There is no data about the use during pregnancy and breast-feeding so we do not recommend it during this period. If you have a low blood pressure, taking Royal Jelly may lower it even more.