Why You Need Honey & Other Bee Products in Your Life

Bee Products: Honey, Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly & Propolis

Made by bees in an elegantly natural process, honey is designed to provide nourishment to bees. Each bee makes an average of about ½ tsp of honey in its entire life. Enzymes in the bees’ saliva create a chemical reaction that turns nectar into honey, which is then deposited into the wash of the beehive. The quick, rapid movement of the bees’ wings aerate the honey, decreasing its water content and making it ready for consumption. Textures and flavours are dependent on which flowers the honeybees choose: heather, alfalfa, clover and the acacia flower.

Honey is a source of riboflavin and vitamin B6. It also provides iron and manganese. Darker honey is a rich source of phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, that have antioxidant activity. A recent study showed that the daily consumption of honey actually improves blood antioxidant levels and helps prevent lipid peroxidation - the damaging of lipids (such as cholesterol) by free radicals is central to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Honey also possesses wound healing properties. It has been used topically as an antiseptic therapeutic agent in the treatment of ulcers, burns, and wounds for centuries.

In addition to honey, bees’ also produce bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly.

Bee pollen has gained popularity because of athletes who take it regularly for strength and endurance. It has also been successfully used to treat a variety of ailments from allergies to cancer. A Russian study, conducted in one of its provinces where many people lived to be over 100 years old, revealed that many of these centenarians were beekeepers who regularly consumed raw, unprocessed honey with all of its “impurities'' - bee pollen, propolis and royal jelly. Bee pollen contains 22 amino acids including the eight essentials ones, 27 minerals and a full range of vitamins, hormones and fatty acids. Bee Pollen contains more than 5,000 enzymes and coenzymes. Bee Pollen can be taken in powder, capsule or tablet form - or as raw unprocessed honey. Bee pollen is collected from bees’ legs when special pollen scrapers and collectors are attached to their hives. It is essentially concentrated pollen from flowers. Always be sure to purchase bee pollen gathered in a pesticide free-environment! The pollen is high in phytonutrients like flavonoids: tricetin, luteolin, myricetin, and quercetin. Tricetin may be responsible for bee pollen antibiotic properties.

Propolis is the resinous substance collected by bees from the leaf buds and barks of trees, especially poplar and conifer trees. The bees utilize the propolis along with the bees wax to build the hive. Propolis has antibiotic properties and helps the hive to block out viruses, bacteria, and other organisms. It seems to offer the same protective properties to humans. It also stimulates the body’s immune system - one of the key uses of propolis turns out to be offering protection against and shortening the duration of the common cold. A study of propolis was conducted and it reported that propolis extract reduced upper respiratory infections in children. Another application of propolis would be in the treatment of inflammatory bowels disease, such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis - due to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial properties of propolis may also help to protect against parasitic infections in the gastrointestinal tract.

Royal Jelly is a thick, milky substance produced by workers bees to feed the queen bee. The worker bees mix honey and bee pollen with enzymes in the glands of their throats to produce royal jelly. It is believed to be a useful nutritional supplement because of the queen bees superior size, strength, stamina, and longevity compared to other bees. It has been reported to have antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antibacterial and wound-healing properties. It is often touted as the fountain of “youth and beauty,” it’s a good source of vitamin B5 and other B vitamins, biotin, inositol, folate, nucleic acids, gamma globulin and 17 different amino acids - including the eight essentials that the body cannot produce.

Consuming raw honey, 100% unprocessed, means that it contains all the beneficial aspects of honey: enzymes, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, rich vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. Raw honey can be incorporated into your diet in many different ways, beverages, snacks, dressings, finishing touches or by the spoonful. These Peanut Buzzin’ Balls are a great way to include honey and bee products into your day - without being overwhelmed by its sweetness.