Royal Jelly: What It Is, Benefits And Usage Explained

Introduction to Royal jelly

Royal jelly is another bee product other than honey. It is a white or milky jelly that is produced by young nurse bees through their head glands, and is made up of water, proteins, fats, sugar, vitamins, salts and amino acids. It is fed to larvae, be it female ones who will eventually become bee workers or male ones who are called drones. However, the larvae are only fed royal jelly for three days, after which they consume bee bread for their source of proteins. On the other hand, queen bees are fed royal jellies throughout their lifetime. Hence, the word “royal” is in the name. How it begins is that the worker bees will select up to ten larvae to be potential queens. The queen cells are larger than the other larvae cells and the bee workers will continuously supply and bathe these cells in royal jelly. Hence, it can be thought of that the queen bees are “swimming” in royal jelly. The queen larvae that metamorphosizes first and emerges will sting the other potential queens, or fight with them, thereby killing them and emerging victorious. Royal jelly is highly nutritious, and hence causes the queen bee to have longer expectancy, faster growth, and a larger size. However, the cause of fertility of the queen bees is not a result of consuming royal jelly, but rather the absence of being fed with bee bread, which contains flavonoid that causes the bee’s ovaries to shrink.

Can you eat royal jelly?

You can eat royal jelly and the fact is that there has been a history of people consuming royal jelly. In the past, Egyptian pharaohs and the Maharajas of India were fed royal jelly to increase their life expectancy and vitality. It was also recorded that Princess Diana ate royal jelly to help with her morning sickness. Now, royal jelly is not only exclusive to royalty, but is prevalently produced in China, with Japan, the US and Europe having high demand for them.

Health benefits of royal jelly

Royal jelly is used more in traditional medicine than Western medicine. Although more scientific research is needed for its effects on humans, there is a possibility that royal jelly can help to reduce allergic reactions, aid in the neural system and improve cognitive functions. It also contains probiotics that may aid in the health of the tract connecting human’s digestive organs. Royal jelly may also increase collagen production to provide a more youthful appearance. Royal jelly also contains fibroblasts that may help in the healing of wounds. There may be possibly, a negative relationship between royal jelly and blood pressure. This is because royal jelly relaxes the muscle cells in your veins and arteries, causing them to dilate and therefore lowering blood pressure. However, more studies are needed to confirm that royal jelly is the sole attribute of this cause. Lastly, royal jelly may help to reduce fatigue and boost one’s endurance.

How is royal jelly collected?

The beekeeper will create an artificial scenario where there is no queen in the bee colony. The beekeeper will ensure that there are nurse bees in this colony to produce royal jelly. Next, the beekeeper will inset fake queen cups with bee eggs in it, at the bottom of the frame. As there is no queen and the queen cups are constructed, the nurse bees will instinctively produce royal jelly to prepare for the queen’s birth. Next, sometime during the second and fourth day of the growth of the larva, the beekeeper will suck out the royal jelly from the queen cups. The timing of suction is instrumental to gathering the amount of royal jelly the beekeeper wants.

How to use royal jelly

Royal jelly can be found in some skincare products and shampoos as they are rich in collagen, which is necessary for the renewal of the skin and to boost the skin’s elasticity, thereby reducing the appearance of wrinkles and ageing. Royal jelly can also be taken as a supplement, in capsule form. It is also recommended to mix royal jelly with honey, as honey acts as a preservative. You can then add this royal jelly and honey combination to your drinks such as teas and smoothies. If you are purchasing royal jelly raw, it is also recommended that you purchase those that are frozen instead of those kept at room temperature.

Conclusion

All in all, royal jelly is an amazingly nutritious bee product that many consume for its health benefits. It is also important to note that more research about its positive effects is needed and hence you should consume it moderately. Should you experience any allergies or side-effects, stop consuming it immediately. We hope that this read has given you an idea of what royal jelly is. Not to forget, we offer halal-certified Manuka honey that is sourced from only the best beehives in New Zealand, so get some honey today!