Royal jelly and honey are both bee products and known for their many health benefits and high nutritional value. While honey has been used and consumed for ages, royal jelly has only been discovered in the past century.
Compared to honey, harvesting royal jelly is a complicated task. It is stored in lesser quantity, and it uses up a large part of the beehive, making it pricier than honey. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend big bucks to buy this queen bee’s superfood, as royal jelly capsules are readily available.
How do bees make royal jelly?
Honey is made from nectars of flowers. Royal jelly, on the other hand, comes from the worker bee’s glands. It is made up of 60 percent water, 18 percent protein, 15 percent carbohydrates, six percent lipids, 1.5 percent minerals, and vitamins. It is also found that royal jelly has plenty of proactive compounds like proteins, hormones, and fatty acids.
Studies show that royal jelly has these benefits:
- It fights tumor
- It fights bacteria and an effective anti-inflammatory
- It boosts the healing of damaged skin
- It revives the elderly’s physical functions
- It enhances mental health
- It aids postmenopausal treatment
- It soothes premenstrual syndrome
Royal jelly’s purpose in the beehive
While worker bees feed on honey, royal jelly serves as food for the queen bee. Larvae also feed on royal jelly for their first three days, regardless of their position.
Queen bee only feeds on royal jelly throughout its life cycle. It makes the queen bigger in size and gives a longer life span compared to other bees. Thanks to royalactin, royal jelly’s proactive compound!
As humans, we use royal jelly as a dietary supplement to manage some health conditions.
How should royal jelly be taken?
Honey tastes sweet, and it is typically used as a sweetener by pouring it on a spoon and directly eating it like your favorite dessert. Meanwhile, royal jelly tastes a little like honey, but with sour, bitter, or acidic complex flavors that taste like medicine. The stronger the flavor, the fresher it is. However, if you are not a fan of the medicinal taste, you can take royal jelly capsules or other forms to take it without its flavor.
Always take royal jelly as directed by your doctor or the packaging. Do not take royal jelly more than what is recommended on the package. Also, avoid taking different forms of royal jelly (oral or topical) simultaneously without health advice. Taking different formulations may result in an overdose. Although there are no guidelines regarding its dosage, it is safe to start with a small dosage.
Furthermore, use the royal jelly product as instructed. You cannot take topical royal jelly orally, as these are intended to be used externally.
The studies made on royal jelly are of high-quality, and most of them are done in animals. Experts need more research to validate these studies, but overall, the results are promising. It is always safe to take royal jelly in moderate amounts. However, if any reactions come up, stop using the product, and consult your doctor immediately.
