The Use of Bee Pollen as a Superfood
What Is Pollen?
Pollen is the male seed of flowers. It is required for the fertilization
of the plant.
The tiny particles consist of 50/1,000-millimeter corpuscles, formed at
the free end of the stamen in the heart of the blossom. Every variety of
flower in the universe puts forth a dusting of pollen.
Many orchard fruits and agricultural food crops do, too.
Bee pollen is the food of the young bee and it is approximately 40%
protein. It is considered one of nature's most completely nourishing
foods. It contains nearly all nutrients required by humans. About half
of its protein is in the form of free amino acids that are ready to be
sued directly by the body. Such highly assimilable protein can
contribute significantly to one's protein needs.
Gathering pollen is not as easy as it sounds. Once a honeybee arrives at
a flower, she settles herself in and nimbly scrapes off the powdery
loose pollen from the stamen with her jaws and front legs, moistening it
with a dab of the honey she brought with her from the hive. The enlarged
and broadened tarsal segments of her legs have a thick trimming of
bristles, called pollen combs. The bee uses these combs to brush the
gold powder from her coat and legs in mid-flight. With a skillful
pressing movement of her auricle, which is used as a hammer, she pushes
the gathered gold into her baskets. Her pollen baskets, surrounded by a
fringe of long hairs, are simply concave areas located on the outside of
her tibias. When the bee's baskets are fully loaded, the microscopic
golden dust has been tamped down into a single golden grain, or granule.
One of the most interesting facts about bee pollen is that it cannot be
synthesized in a laboratory. When researchers take away a bee's
pollen-filled comb and feed her manmade pollen, the bee dies even though
all the known nutrients are present in the lab-produced synthesized
food.
Many thousands of chemical analyses of bee pollen have been made with
the very latest diagnostic equipment, but there are still some elements
present in bee pollen that science cannot identify. The bees add some
mysterious "extra" of their own.
These unidentifiable elements may very well be the reason bee pollen
works so spectacularly against so many diverse conditions of ill health.
Honeybees do double duty. They are programmed to gather pollen and carry
it back to the hive as food for the colony.
However, even more important as far as humans are concerned, they are
also responsible for the pollination of more than 80 percent of green
growing things.
As bees buzz from blossom to blossom, microscopic pollen particles coat
their stubby little bodies so densely that they sometimes look like
little yellow fuzz balls. When they arrive at the next flower, a portion
of the live golden dust is transferred to that blossom and pollination
is accomplished.
It is important to recognize that a one teaspoon dose of pollen takes
one bee working eight hours a day for one month to gather. Each bee
pollen pellet, contains over two million flower pollen grains and one
teaspoonful contains over 2.5 billion grains of flower pollen.
Complete Nutrition
Bee pollen contains all the essential components of life. The percentage
of rejuvenating elements in bee pollen remarkably exceeds those present
in brewer's yeast and wheat germ. Bee pollen corrects the deficient or
unbalanced nutrition, common in the customs of our present-day
civilization of consuming incomplete foods, often with added chemical
ingredients, which expose us to physiological problems as various as
they are numerous.
Pollen is considered an energy and nutritive tonic in Chinese medicine.
Cultures throughout the world use it in a surprising number of
applications: for improving endurance and vitality, extending longevity,
aiding recovery from chronic illness, adding weight during
convalescence, reducing cravings and addictions, regulating the
intestines, building new blood, preventing infectious diseases such as
the cold and flue (it has antibiotic type properties), and helping
overcome retardation and other developmental problems in children. It is
thought to protect against radiation and to have anti-cancer qualities.
Nutrient deficiencies and all the health problems they cause are
recognized worldwide as a growing problem. Because bee pollen contains
all the nutrients needed to sustain life, it is being used on an ever
larger scale for human nourishment and health. Science teaches that bee
pollen contains many substances that combine to make it a healthy,
nutritious, complete food. There are numerous reports from medical
experience that conclusively show the benefits of bee pollen exceed that
of a simple food item. And the bees do most of the work.
Bee-gathered pollens are rich in proteins, free amino acids, vitamins,
including B-complex, and folic acid.
According to researchers at the Institute of Apiculture, Taranov,
Russia, "Honeybee pollen is the richest source of vitamins found in
Nature in a single food.
Even if bee pollen had none of its other vital ingredients, its content
of rutin alone would justify taking at least a teaspoon daily, if for no
other reason than strengthening the capillaries. Pollen is extremely
rich in rutin and may have the highest content of any source, plus it
provides a high content of the nucleics RNA [ribonucleic acid] and DNA
[deoxyribonucleic acid]."
Bee pollen is a complete food and contains many elements that products
of animal origin do not possess. Bee pollen is more rich in proteins
than any animal source. It contains more amino acids than beef, eggs, or
cheese of equal weight.
Bee pollen is particularly concentrated in all elements necessary for
life.
Medical Miracles
Researchers have demonstrated that there is a substance in bee pollen
that inhibits the development of numerous harmful bacteria. Experiments
have shown bee pollen contains an antibiotic factor effective against
salmonella and some strains of bacteria. On the clinical level, studies
have shown that a regulatory effect on intestinal function can be
attributed to bee pollen. The presence of a high proportion of cellulose
and fiber in pollen, as well as the existence of antibiotic factors, all
contribute to an explanation for this efficacious effect.
Working with lab animals has demonstrated that the ingestion of bee
pollen has a good effect on the composition of blood. A considerable and
simultaneous increase of both white and red blood cells is observed.
When bee pollen is given to anemic patients, their levels of hemoglobin
[oxygen-carrying red blood cells] increase considerably.
It is reported that bee pollen in the diet acts to normalize cholesterol
and triglyceride levels in the blood: Upon the regular ingestion of bee
pollen, a reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides was observed.
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) increased, while low-density
lipoproteins (LDL) decreased. A normalization of blood serum cholesterol
levels is also seen.
One of the most important articles ever published on bee pollen comes
from our own United States Department of Agriculture. This article,
entitled "Delay in the Appearance of Palpable Mammary Tumors in C3H Mice
Following the Ingestion of PolIenized Food," is the work of William
Robinson of the Bureau of Entomology, Agriculture Research
Administration. It was published in the Journal of the National Cancer
Institute way back in October 1948, five decades ago. According to the
article, Dr. Robinson started with mice that had been specially bred to
develop and subsequently die from tumors. He explains, "The age at which
mice of this strain developed tumors ranged from 18 to 57 weeks, with an
average appearance at 33 weeks. Tumor incidence was 100 percent."
The pollen used in this study was supplied by the Division of Bee
Culture and, according to the report, "was the bee-gathered type." One
group of mice was fed mice chow only; another group was fed mice chow
with the addition of bee pollen at a ratio of 1 part bee pollen to
10,000 parts food. Dr. Robinson's article states, "Particular attention
was given to the weight of the treated animals, since underweight can in
itself bring about a delay in tumor development. No decrease in weight
occurred in the animals receiving the pollenized food. Instead, a slight
but fairly uniform increase was noted, possibly due to a nutritional
factor in pollen."
In his summary, Dr. Robinson reveals the dramatic results: "In the
untreated mice [the mice not given bee pollen], mammary tumors appeared
as expected at an average of 31.3 weeks. Tumor incidence was 100
percent. In the postponement series, [the mice given bee pollen], the
average [onset of tumors] was 41.1 weeks, a delay of 9.8 weeks being
obtained. Seven mice in this series were still tumor-free at 56 to 62
weeks of age, when the tests were terminated. I would like to emphasize
that these mice were especially bred to die from cancerous tumors.
Without the protection of bee pollen in their food, the mice developed
tumors and died right on schedule.
Given the fact that cancer is the number-two killer in the United States
(heart disease is number one), we can all certainly agree that this is
an electrifying article. What happened from it? Nothing.
Even the National Cancer Institute, which published it, failed to follow
up on this very promising line of research. It was dropped with no
explanation.
More good news comes from the University of Vienna, where Dr. Peter
Hernuss and colleagues conducted a study of twenty-five women suffering
from inoperable uterine cancer. Because surgery was impossible, the
women were treated with chemotherapy. The lucky women given bee pollen
with their food quickly exhibited a higher concentration of cancer-fighting
immune-system cells, increased antibody production, and
a markedly improved level of infection-fighting and oxygen carrying red
blood cells (hemoglobin). These women suffered less from the awful side
effects of chemotherapy as well. Bee pollen lessened the terrible nausea
that commonly accompanies the treatment and helped keep hair loss to a
minimum. The women also slept better at night. The control group
receiving a placebo did not experience comparable relief.
A report from the Agronomic Institute, Faculty of Zootechnics, Romania,
showed the immune-strengthening effects of bee pollen. According to the
report, "Comparative Studies Concerning Biochemical Characteristics of
Beebread as Related to the Pollen Preserved in Honey" by Drs. E. Palos,
Z. Voiculescu, and C. Andrei, "An increase has been recorded in the
level of blood lymphocytes, gamma globulins, and proteins in those
subjects given pollen in comparison with control groups. The most
significant difference occurred in lymphocytes. These results thus
signify a strengthening in the resistance of the organic system."
Lymphocytes are the white blood cells that are the "soldiers" of the
immune system. They are responsible for ridding the body of injurious
and harmful substances, including infected or diseased cells, mutant and
cancerous cells, viruses, metabolic trash, and so on. Gamma globulin is
a protein formed in the blood, and our ability to resist infection is
closely related to this protein's activity.
Infertility Problems
Pollen stimulates ovarian function. The best results were obtained with
a pollen supplementation of 2 parts per 100 in the ration, and with the
substitution of animal proteins with pollen in a proportion of 5 parts
per 100. The intensity of ovulation increased. Parallel to this increase
in ovulation, pollen also improves the ability of eggs to withstand the
incubation period.
The best results were obtained with a quantity of 4 parts per 100 of
pollen added to the ration, resulting in an increase in the percentage
of eggs in respect to the control group. The application of pollen is
recommended whenever the end result is obtaining eggs for reproduction.
Bee Products Also Treats Allergies!
Pollen is also a remedy for hay fever and allergies. However it must be
taken at least six weeks before the season begins and then continued
throughout the season if it going to work.
Bee pollen has been effectively used down through the ages to rid
allergy sufferers of their afflictions. This technique, called
desensitization, was developed at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in
London soon after the turn of the century. The treatment consists of
administering small amounts of the allergen to stimulate the patient's
own immune system to produce antibodies that will eliminate the allergic
reaction. It works rather like a vaccination does against childhood
diseases.
Desensitization is based on the premise that the administration of the
allergen will cause the body to produce antibodies that will cancel out
the effects of the offending substance when the patient is again exposed
to it.
Leo Conway, M.D., of Denver Colorado, treated his patients with pollen.
Dr. Conway reported: "All patients who had taken the antigen [pollen]
for three years remained free from all allergy symptoms, no matter where
they lived and regardless of diet. Control has been achieved in 100
percent of my earlier cases and the field is ever-expanding. Since oral
feeding of pollen for this use was first perfected in his laboratory,
astounding results were obtained. No ill consequences have resulted.
Ninety-four percent of all his patients were completely free from
allergy symptoms. Of the other six percent, not one followed directions,
but even this small percentage were nonetheless partially relieved".
Relief of hay fever, pollen-induced asthma, with ever increasing control
of bronchitis, ulcers of the digestive tract, colitis, migraine
headaches, and urinary disorders were all totally successful.
Unfortunately, Dr. Conway, an early pioneer in the field of allergies,
is now deceased. What we did not know was just how lightning-fast it
could bring relief. It actually eliminated long-standing symptoms in
minutes. Everything from asthma to allergies to sinus problems cleared.
These trials confirmed that bee pollen is wonderfully effective against
a very wide range of respiratory distress.
Bee Products and Physical Activity
The British Sports Council recorded increases in strength of as high as
40 to 50 percent in those taking bee pollen regularly. Even more
astounding, the British Royal Society has reported height increases in
adults who take pollen. Antii Lananaki, coach of the Finnish track team
that swept the Olympics in 1972, revealed, "Most of our athletes take
pollen food supplements. Our studies show it significantly improves
their performance.
There have been no negative results since we have been supplying pollen
to our athletes."
Alex Woodly, then executive director of the prestigious Education
Athletic Club in Philadelphia, said, "Bee pollen works, and it works
perfectly. Pollen allows super-stars to increase their strength and
stamina up to 25 percent. This increase in strength and endurance may be
the key to the secret regenerative power of bee pollen. Bee pollen
causes a definite decrease in pulse rate. The whole beauty of bee pollen
is that it's as natural as you can get. No chemicals. No steroids."
Renowned German naturalist Francis Huber was a great proponent of this
miraculous food from the hive. Huber called bee pollen "the greatest
body builder on Earth."
Bee Pollen and Weight Control
Bee pollen works wonders in a weight-control or weight-stabilization
regimen by correcting a possible chemical imbalance in body metabolism
that may be involved in either abnormal weight gain or loss. The
normalizing and stabilizing effects of this perfect food from the bees
are phenomenal.
In weight-loss programs, bee pollen stimulates the metabolic processes.
It speeds caloric burn by lighting and stoking the metabolic fires.
Honeybee pollen is coming to be recognized as Nature's true weight-loss
food. Bee pollen is a low-calorie food. It contains only ninety calories
per ounce. (An ounce is about two heaping tablespoons.) It offers 15
percent lecithin by volume. Lecithin is a substance that helps dissolve
and flush fat from the body. This is one reason why bee pollen lowers
low-density lipoproteins (LDL) surer and faster than any other food
while helping increase the helpful high-density lipoproteins (HDL),
which science says protect against cholesterol and heart disease.
By boosting the value of each nutrient present in the food you eat, bee
pollen also eliminates cravings. Its natural phenylalanine content acts
as an appetite suppressant. Phenylalanine is a natural amino acid that
the body requires. It acts on your appestat, the control center that
signals fullness and hunger. Mother Nature knows what she's about. You
just plain won't want to eat as much when you take bee pollen regularly.
When you are overweight, phenylalanine exerts a natural appetite
suppressant effect. When you need to gain weight, the phenylalanine in
bee pollen works in reverse.
The chemical drug in over-the-counter weight-loss products is a manmade
cousin of phenylalanine called phenylpropanolamine, which chemically
depresses the appetite whether you are fat, thin, or just right. It can
also give you the jitters and leave you with a drug-induced "hangover"
and can be addictive. Phenylpropanolamine is a common ingredient in many
decongestants, explaining why one of the side effects of these products
is loss of appetite. Products that include phenylpropanolamine as an
ingredient must by law carry a warning that they should not be taken by
persons with certain conditions, including thyroid problems and high
blood pressure.
Health and Beauty
Basic beauty begins with the glow of good health, which shines from
within. A scrubbed and radiant complexion transforms any woman (or man)
into a singularly attractive person. On the other hand, dull, muddy
skin, often caused by poor nutrition or personal hygiene, can detract
from even the most attractive.
Studies have shown that unhealthy or aging skin can be dramatically
improved by the consumption of honeybee pollen.
When bee pollen is included daily in the diet, it not only gives you the
glow of health and aids in safe, permanent weight loss, but it can also
be blended into seemingly "magic potions" to smooth, soothe, and
rejuvenate every inch of the outside of your body. Several relatively
inexpensive mixtures of hive products, used externally, can revitalize
and rejuvenate the complexion and may even eliminate acne.
Dr. Lars-Erik Essen, a dermatologist in Halsinborg, Sweden, pioneered
the use of bee products for skin conditions. He treated many of his
patients successfully for acne. Dr. Essen says, "Through transcutaneous
nutrition, bee pollen exerts a profound biological effect. It seems to
prevent premature aging of the cells and stimulates growth of new skin
tissue. It offers effective protection against dehydration and injects
new life into dry cells. It smooths away wrinkles and stimulates a
life-giving blood supply to all skin cells.
The skin becomes younger looking, less vulnerable to wrinkles, smoother,
and healthier with the use of honeybee pollen," Dr. Essen says. "Taken
internally or used externally, bee pollen exercises a suppressive effect
on facial acne. It is also an important skin rejuvenator, primarily
because it contains a high concentration of the nucleic acids RNA and
DNA as well as a natural antibiotic factor."
The French, long noted for their preoccupation with all things
beautiful, have done a great deal of research on the use of bee pollen
and other hive products in cosmetic preparations. Dr. M. Esperrois of
the French Institute of Chemistry notes that honeybee pollen contains
potent antibiotics that can act to reverse the effects normal aging
exerts on skin, correcting darkening, wrinkles, and blemishes.
Professors N. Mankovsky and D. G. Chebotarev, two Russian
scientists, confirm honeybee pollen stimulates
cell renewal. They say, "The rejuvenation of skin and body cells can be
encouraged by the administration of the poly-vitamins, microelements,
enzymes, hormones, and amino acids present m bee pollen. These nutrients
are needed by the body to form new tissue." These professors go on to
praise the properties of bee pollen, calling them "vital to a form of
internal and external rejuvenation at the cellular level.
Longevity and the Aging Process
According to G. Liebold, a holistic physician and psychologist of
Karlsruhe, Germany, "Bee pollen is an excellent prophylaxis and
therapeutic treatment against all the precocious symptoms of old age. It
should be considered a universal geriatric treatment in the form of a
natural remedy.
"Bee pollen causes an increase in physical and mental abilities,
especially of concentration and memory ability, activates sluggish
metabolic functions, and strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory
systems. This natural nutriment from the bees removes the causes of
cardiovascular symptoms, such as arteriosclerosis, cerebral
insufficiency, and other sequelae. It prevents nutrient deficiency
during old age, gravidity [pregnancy], and the lactation [nursing]
period. Bee pollen accelerates convalescence after serious illness
and/or an operation, increases the body's physical defensive powers of
the immune system stimulates mental and psychological resistance to
stress, and creates a harmonizing of vegetative and hormonal disorders."
Dr. Nicolai Vasilievich Tsitsin, the USSR's chief biologist (and
botanist) and an acknowledged expert on geriatrics, spent quite a few
years pursuing the secrets of the many in what was the Soviet Union who
live extraordinarily long lives. He visited the numerous small villages
that dot the landscape high up in the Caucasus mountains, where the air
is always clear and sweet. In summer, the breezes there are perfumed
with the scent of thousands of wild flowers. The villagers work their
small farms and tend their kitchen gardens without the dubious
"benefits" of the space-age technologies employed by agribiz
conglomerates. This is one of the few areas left in the world where the
old ways still prevail.
The stalwart families who make their homes in the mountainous regions of
the former Soviet Union are some of the most long-lived people in the
world. On examination, many exhibit signs of "silent" heart disease,
scars of "silent" heart attacks that would have almost certainly been
lethal to a modern man or woman.
The hard physical work they do every day well into what some of us in
the so-called civilized world consider old age plays a part in their
remarkably healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Tsitsin was amazed to find more than 200 individuals over 125 years
of age, all still working every day and participating actively in
village life. The hard facts of their daily existence partially
explained the extended life span they achieved, but Dr. Tsitsin remained
puzzled. He knew there had to be some other factor entering into the
equation. He set himself the task of finding the common denominator.
Then he stumbled upon it.
These people kept bees. Beekeeping is a profession that in itself a
historically confers some sort of "magical" life protection on its
members, a fact validated by today's scientific research.
Still, only very well informed, modern beekeepers are knowledgeable
about the many health-promoting benefits of bee pollen and regularly
serve it at table. The villagers didn't fit the profile. Dr. Tsitsin dug
deeper.
He found the answer. These beekeepers, happy and fulfilled though they
were with their almost idyllic pastoral existence, were very poor.
Bartering among themselves to exchange homegrown or handmade products
for services was the accepted way of life. They had little cash
available to them, so they regularly harvested-and either sold or
bartered away the pure, clear honey from the combs of their beehives.
What they kept for themselves and ate regularly was the thick residue
that accumulated on the bottoms of their hives.
When he was served some of the sweet, sticky stuff in the home of one of
the villagers, Dr. Tsitsin realized that this was the magic elixir that
contributed to the remarkable longevity. The tasty but unattractive glob
was rich with golden granules of bee pollen. Dr. Tsitsin attributed the
remarkable health and extended life spans of these particular Russians
to the scientifically documented action of bee pollen. He concluded his
report by saying, "Taken regularly and in sufficient amounts, bee pollen
will prolong the life span of man for many years."
Another Russian scientist, Naum Petrovich Ioyrish, chief of the Academy
of July 26, 1997Vladivostok and author of Bees and People, agrees. In
1975, Dr. Ioyrish reported without any qualification, "Long lives are
attained by bee pollen users. It is one of the original treasure houses
of nutrition and medicine. Each grain contains every important substance
necessary to life."
How to Use Bee Pollen
Each golden granule is densely packed with live enzymes, just about
every nutrient that has a name, and some elements that science has not
yet identified or labeled. Your digestive system may not be accustomed
to such intensely rich food. If you are a beginner, introduce bee pollen
into your diet slowly, a granule or two at a time. Don't cook with the
granules or add powdered granules to anything that requires heat. Heat
destroys the live enzymes and reduces the nutrient value. Otherwise, the
sky's the limit.
You can: Powder an ounce or two of granules and add cinnamon to taste.
Cinnamon adds a delightful spiciness and aroma to the sweetness of
pollen Stir powdered granules into vegetable juices, or even into water
sweetened with raw honey. Whirl the powder into salad dressings.
Sprinkle whole or powdered granules on toast topped with peanut butter.
Before taking a full dose of pollen it is very important to test for a
possible extreme allergic reaction by ingesting just one pellet. Then
gradually build up over a week or so to the correct dose.
The optimal dose of pollen varies with individual needs. For allergy
prevention all that is required is about one teaspoon per day. You
should gradually increase your dose to one tablespoon. It will give
about five grams of protein which is a good addtion if you already have
some proteins in your meal, such as a legume dish.
Since your pollen is really a type of food and there are some fats in
it. It is important to keep it refrigerated.
Note: Every reasonable care is taken over the information offered here, however no responsibility or liability whatsoever will be taken for any consequence relating directly or indirectly to any information, treatment, or application of any recipes or tips presented herein"