What Is Bee Pollen?

The Secrets of Bee Pollen Uncovered

Before you find yourself tempted to swat at that bee that has been buzzing around you this afternoon, stop and think about what that bee actually does for us.  That apple, those flowers, and even that chocolate bar you enjoyed for dessert are all thanks to bee pollen and pollination.

But that’s not all.  Not only is bee pollen the reason for so many fruits, vegetables and plantation we have outdoors, but the more we learn about bee pollen the more scientists recognize how beneficial bee pollen can be for our health.

What is in Bee Pollen?

Did you know that bee pollen actually has more than 96 nutrients in it?  Did you know that every single nutrient that is needed for us to live is contained within this finite dust?  Here’s a short list of the nutrients that can be found in bee pollen:

22 amino acids

B-Complex vitamins

Vitamin C

Folic acid

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

Enzymes

Carotene

Iron

Zinc

Calcium

Copper

Potassium

Magnesium

How can Bee Pollen Benefit Me?

Thanks to the numerous vitamins and minerals that bee pollen has to offer, taking approximately 35 grams of bee pollen every day can guarantee that your every nutritional need is being met.  When every nutritional need is being met, you are then able to enjoy the health benefits that come along with a healthier life style, such as:

Increased immunity.  Vitamins B, C, D, and E, as well as beta-carotene, calcium, selenium, proteins, magnesium, lecithin, cysteine and nucleic acids can all be found in bee pollen.  These have been proven to strengthen one’s immune system.

Become allergy-free!  Though pollen may be the cause for many of your sniffles and your red, itchy eyes, bee pollen can actually help you build up a resistance to allergens and prevent allergic reactions (such as hay fever).

Get Energized!  Many doctors and nutritionists believe that the long term use of bee pollen will also leave you with increased energy and improved endurance.

Reduce Stress.  Receiving the required amount of amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins help regulate your mood, thereby helping you cope and manage stress.  Plus, if you are feeling less fatigued and discover you have more energy, the exercise you’ll be able to take on will help you decompress and relax! 

Are there Any Side Effects I Should Know About?

If you are planning on taking bee pollen or any sort of bee pollen supplement, do be aware of any potential side effects, such as:

Coughing

Wheezing

Flushed Skin

Hives

Itchy/”Scratchy” throat

Anaphylactic shock

If you do have any history of pollen allergies, asthma, or bee sting allergies it is important to discuss the potential side effects with your health care practitioner.  Anaphylactic shock (which includes breathing problems, convulsions, and loss of consciousness) may also be a side effect.

When you do plan on taking a bee pollen supplement, do be sure to start with small doses so you can monitor your body’s reaction.  Should you notice no side effects, slowly increase the dose of bee pollen until you can be sure you do not have an allergy.

How Bee Pollen Nutrition Supplements can Help You

Looking for a new way to get the nutrition that your body needs?  Try bee pollen nutrition supplements.  Believe it or not, bee pollen supplements are just as – if not even more – complete than that multivitamin you have been taking.  Though many may frown upon the idea of taking a bee pollen nutrition supplement, chances are those people just do not know enough about the benefits of bee pollen.

First, it’s important to know what vitamins and minerals are part of a bee pollen nutrition supplement.  Bee pollen supplements contain a variety of different vitamins, which includes:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

When it comes to bee pollen nutrition supplements, they are also amongst the best kind of supplement to take when it comes to offering you the amounts of minerals you need each day.  Some of the minerals that can be found in a bee pollen supplement include:

Zinc

Iron

Copper

Potassium

Calcium

Manganese

Magnesium

In addition to the above vitamins and minerals, bee pollen is also loaded with antioxidants which help fight off any free radicals, which in turn reduces the risk of cancer and helps combat the signs of aging.

Though the actual composition of bee pollen varies slightly, generally all bee pollen is 24% protein, 27% carbs and 5% fat.

So what do these nutrients mean for you?  Not only do these supplements mean that you will be living a healthier lifestyle, but it also means that you will be combating illnesses better than ever.  Having a full compliment of nutrients strengthens your immune system and will keep you from falling ill.  The bee pollen nutrition contained with these supplements also helps people stave off long-term illnesses and diseases, control diabetes, and lose weight.

But that’s not all.  Did you know that taking a bee pollen supplement can also boost your sex drive AND your fertility at the same time (yes, this applies to both men and women)?  You’ll feel more energized, less depressed, and taking on a bee pollen nutrition plan will also help you fight any pollen-related allergies in the future.

Not all bee pollen supplements are as good as the other, however.  Many commercial bee pollen supplements are frozen or heat dried, which may deplete the bee pollen of the essential enzymes that help improve our health.  The form of bee pollen also makes a difference of its quality and the amount of benefits you will enjoy from it.  If a bee pollen nutrition supplement comes in a:

Capsule

Tablet

Liquid

…then it may not be as easily absorbed into the body as if you were to take it in its purest state:  a raw granule.

Raw bee pollen can be found in a couple of ways:  online or through a bee keeper.  Trying to hunt down a bee keeper may seem like a complex task, but a quick call to your local Chamber of Commerce will offer you a name or two of the closest bee keepers in your area.  Give them a ring and see if they sell raw pollen.  When online, be sure to compare prices, quantities, and quality of the products any company offers.  Once you find a company that sells bee pollen nutrition products, begin researching the product and try to find customer reviews.

NOTE:  Before starting any new bee pollen nutrition routine, be sure to discuss the supplement with your health care practitioner to learn about the benefits and potential side effects.

Why Raw Bee Pollen is Better For You

Perhaps you have heard all about the wonderful health benefits that bee pollen has to offer, but you aren’t quite sure how to begin finding and taking it.  Knowing which form of bee pollen you would like to take will go a long way in helping you begin improving your life with bee pollen supplements.  Let’s begin by describing the different forms of bee pollen.

Raw Bee Pollen versus Freeze- and Heat-Dried Bee Pollen

If you have already begun checking out bee pollen online or in your health store, you will notice that most – if not all – were probably a freeze-dried or heat-dried variety of pollen rather than raw bee pollen.

Freeze- and heat-dried pollens come in several different forms, whether it is a capsule, a tablet, a liquid or a powder.  The way that the pollen is dried allows the bee pollen to have a longer shelf life, so it will not become moldy and become poor in quality while it is in your refrigerator.  The downside, however, is that the way the pollen is dried may actually kill off many of the beneficial enzymes, thus making the bee pollen less effective in improving your health.

Raw bee pollen, on the other hand, is fresh and has not been dried in any way other than air dried.  Just as eating fresh fruits and vegetables are better for you than eating a canned variety, raw bee pollen is also arguably better for you as well.  Raw bee pollen has not been over processed, bleached, colored, heated, ground up, preserved or crushed.  Leaving the raw bee pollen in its natural state prevents the destruction of essential nutrients.

You can find raw bee pollen in a few different forms: in raw unpasteurized honey, in royal jelly, or in the form of granules.  The only drawback to buying raw bee pollen is that it tends to go bad fairly quickly, even when refrigerated, so be sure to only buy small quantities, and to buy it often.

How do I Buy Raw Bee Pollen?

Many natural health stores in your area will offer “raw” bee pollen, though be sure to check out other resources too such as the Internet and local bee keepers.  The products on the Internet and from a bee keeper may either be a better deal or of better quality than those that line the health store shelves.

Next, it is important to avoid any pill or tablet form of bee pollen if you are looking for genuine raw bee pollen.  Buy raw bee pollen that is bottled or bagged, and be sure that you can actually see the granules inside.  It is important for raw bee pollen to have a wide variety of colors.  If the raw bee pollen you’re buying only has a couple of different colors in it, go find yourself raw bee pollen of better quality.

It is important to also find out how the raw bee pollen was dried.  As discussed, the freeze- or heat-drying of bee pollen may very well kill off many nutrients, so the best way for raw bee pollen to be dried is air dried.   

Lastly, it is important to know when the raw bee pollen was bagged and/or bottled after it was dried.  Look into how long it took for it to be stored (it should be within a couple days of harvesting) and whether or not it was frozen or refrigerated.

I hope these tips help you on your raw bee pollen journey!

Why Honey Bee Pollen is Good for You

Wondering what the “buzz” about honey bee pollen is all about?  Pollen is more than just an irritating dust that causes several people to suffer from mild to severe allergic reactions each spring.  Honey bee pollen is a “super food” that contains all of the nutrients we need to sustain our lives.  It is natural and safe for most people to take on a daily basis.  So just where can we find this honey bee pollen?

Where to Find Honey Bee Pollen

You can find honey bee pollen in a number of places these days.  You can purchase commercial bee pollen from almost any health food store.  Commercial honey bee pollen is often freeze- or heat dried so that its shelf-life is extended.  It is argued, however, that both the freeze and heat drying process of honey bee pollen kills off many of the beneficial enzymes, though very little research that proves or disproves this occurs

TIP:  If you are seeking a commercial brand of honey bee pollen, be sure that the company you purchase it from is a GMP (pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice) compliant facility.  These facilities must comply to the highest manufacturing standards.

Another option is to find a local bee keeper who offers bee pollen (you can locate a bee keeper by contacting your chamber of commerce).  Their honey bee pollen is 100% natural, though bear in mind that it needs to be refrigerated and bought in small quantities as bee pollen can “go bad” fairly quickly.  

TIP:  If you choose to visit a local bee keeper to check out their honey bee pollen, be sure that the pollen they offer has a variety of colors.  This ensures that you are receiving the maximum amount of nutrients from the pollen.

The most convenient way of purchasing honey bee pollen is to do so over the Internet.  Buying honey bee pollen over the internet allows you to compare prices, quantities, and the type of pollen you are interested in (i.e. raw pollen, freeze dried pollen or heat dried pollen).

What Forms can I Find Honey Bee Pollen In?

Honey bee pollen comes in an amazing amount of forms for you to use.  This includes:

Capsule

Tablets

Lotions and Creams

Liquid 

Powder

Granules

You can even find honey bee pollen in many natural honey products, including natural unpasteurized honey itself.

How can I Get the Most from my Bee Pollen Supplement?

To gain the most nutritional benefits from your honey bee pollen, buy it raw and in a granule form.  It is more costly this way, but the raw granules definitely offer the most nutrients at the best absorption rate possible.

To ensure that your body does absorb as much of the honey bee pollen as possible, take the granules and soak them in juice or water for up to 12 hours (the longer, the better).  This soak will break down the shell that you will find encasing the honey bee pollen which in turn allows you to absorb close to 90% of pollen (as opposed to the 7% that would be absorbed otherwise).

What You need to Know about Bees Pollen

When we think of a honey bee’s pollen, we tend to think of buzzing insects and flowers.  We think of allergies and runny noses and endless sneezes.  As bee’s pollen is explored and dissected further, we are also finding that bees pollen is incredibly healthy and good for us too.

Where does a Bee’s Pollen come from?

A bee’s pollen comes from the ever so tiny male seed particle that you can find on almost every flower blossom around the world.  It is a dusty substance that collects on a bee’s legs as they buzz to every different flower blossom.  As it is collected, the bees produce enzymes which are then infused into that pollen.

To collect the pollen for human consumption, bee keepers will create a grate that they then place over the hive or honeycomb. The grate will “brush” the bees pollen from their legs and can then be collected by the bee keeper several times a week.  The bee’s pollen is typically stored in a frozen state until it is ready for human consumption.

What is In Bees Pollen?

Would you believe that there are over 96 nutrients in that dusty substance?  Or how about how bees pollen actually has each and every nutrient that we as human beings need to survive?  Bee’s pollen is becoming all the rage since it is a natural supplement that human beings can take that guarantees that we are meeting our daily nutritional needs.

Bee’s pollen is made up of 3.5% ash, 48.5% carbohydrates, 9.9% fatty acids, 14.2% fiber and 21.2% protein – all nutrients that are essential to our health, and in healthy quantities.  In addition to this, you will also find:

Retinol (vitamin A)

Thiamine (vitamin B1)

Riboflavin (vitamin B2)

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)

Pantothenic Acid (part of the B-complex vitamins)

Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C)

Tocopherol (vitamin E)

Nicotinic Acid (nicotinamide)

NOTE:  The best way to ensure that you are receiving all nutrients from bees pollen is to mix the bees pollen supplement you are taking.  Plan on taking not only a local bees pollen supplement (such as if you went to a bee keeper to obtain your bees pollen supplement), but also a bees pollen from another part of the continent or area of the world.

What Can Bees Pollen Do for Me?

Apart from bee’s pollen helping keep us in tip top shape, you can enjoy these other benefits from a bee pollen supplement too:

Weight Control

Reduced cholesterol

Resistance to allergies

Increased energy

Increased fertility for both men and women

Restoration of sexual desire 

Relieves a number of prostrate issues

Alleviates menstrual cramps

Alleviates headaches (migraines in particular)

Quickens the healing of wounds

Gets the digestive tract back ON track

Helps cure depression and chronic fatigue

Before taking a bees pollen supplement, be sure to discuss the benefits and potential side effects (such as a flair up of allergies or asthma) with a nutritionist, natural health practitioner or with your doctor for further information.

Why a Bee Pollen Vitamin is Right for You

As those around me go on about their over-marketed mass produced multivitamin that they take every morning, I continue to take my bee pollen vitamin.  Though it may sound odd and a bit off the wall to be taking a bee pollen vitamin to ensure that my nutritional needs are met, the fact of the matter is that bee pollen is a natural source of each and every nutrient that we human beings need to survive.  Proteins, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals can all be found packed into these tiny pollen granules that come from the plants and flowers that bees pollinate.  

The History of the Bee Pollen Vitamin

If you think that taking a bee pollen vitamin for your nutritional needs is some new fad, think again.  Bee pollen has been used by the Chinese for thousands of years as an herbal medicine.  They recognized long ago that the nutrients found in a bee pollen vitamin help build up one’s immune system and that it keeps us healthy.

As the bee pollen vitamin becomes more widely recognized by Western physicians and health practitioners, scientists have set about trying to create a synthetic version of bee pollen – only to have no success.  The synthetic pollen that was created for testing was fed to worker bees, resulting in those bees dying within a week’s time.  No science thus far has been able to replicate and produce what can literally be viewed as a “dust” which contains 97 nutrients, all of which we need and benefit from.

What Is Bee Pollen?

Pollen is a dusty substance that can be found in flowering plants.  As bees move from flower to flower to gather nectar, this fine dust (pollen) collects on their legs.  The pollen is collected for human consumption by bee keepers who set up a specialized grate in front of the honeycomb or hive.  As the bees enter the hive, the pollen is then brushed off of their legs and is gathered to be made into a bee pollen vitamin.

What Benefits will I Get from Taking a Bee Pollen Vitamin?

Apart from optimizing your health, you will enjoy other benefits from taking a bee pollen vitamin, such as:

Reduce and alleviate migraine headaches

Heal and relieve several prostrate-related problems

Increase both male and female fertility

Lower cholesterol

Increase energy

Lower and alleviate both fatigue and depression

Control your weight

Build up a resistance to other airborne pollen-related allergies

Restore your sex drive

Ease menstrual cramps

Speed up the healing of wounds

Get your digestive tract back on track

All of these benefits from a natural food supply.  A bee pollen vitamin has been recognized for years as an optimal food source for men and women.  Be sure to speak with your dietician, nutritionist, physician and/or health care practitioner more about taking a bee pollen vitamin and how it can benefit you and your health.  You will be thrilled with the results!