What is Royal Jelly?
Royal jelly is a milky substance produced by the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of nurse bees between their 5th and 15th days of age. All bee larvae are fed royal jelly for the first three days after being laid. After that only the larvae designated to be the queen are fed royal jelly. The components of royal jelly help the queen mature into a large, fertile and longer-living bee. Worker bees live from 4-6 weeks, whereas the queen lives up to 6 years and lays 2.5 times her weight in eggs a day. This is due to royal jelly's powerful effects on the bee's endocrine, hormonal, and metabolic systems.
Medicinal uses of Royal Jelly
The Chinese are the world's largest producers and consumers of royal jelly. Royal jelly has played a key role in traditional Chinese medicine, and is still used today to prevent and ameliorate a wide variety of medical conditions. These include, but are not limited to: anxiety, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, bone fractures, asthma, depression, fatigue, lack of sexual desire, hair loss, impotence, insomnia, liver and kidney disease, stomach ulcers, menopausal symptoms, varicose veins, a weak immune system, high and low blood pressure, and a variety of skin conditions. Royal jelly, which is high in B vitamins, has a metabolic stimulating action, which aids in the processing of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. It also increases oxygen consumption, improving endurance and decreasing fatigue. As a powerful antioxidant, royal jelly decreases levels of free radicals which are thought to cause aging. Royal jelly has a direct effect on the adrenal glands leading to an increased secretion of adrenaline which can be cardioprotective. With its protective effects on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and immune systems, it is no wonder royal jelly is a prized commodity in many cultures.
The effects of royal jelly on specific conditions may be amplified when taken in combination with other bee products. One recently discovered property of royal jelly is its ability to provide protection against the negative side effects of chemo and radiation therapies, especially when given with propolis. This combination can also be used with positive effects for viral infections including shingles and hepatitis.
While there is still much to be learned about royal jelly, there are many recent studies from Europe and Asia which show how useful it can be. A Japanese study found that royal jelly has an anti-fatigue effect in exercising mice. In China and Russia, royal jelly was effective in treating chronic viral and bacterial infections, anorexia, varicose veins, and stomach ulcers. During a flu epidemic in Yugoslavia, it was noted that those who consumed royal jelly daily were less likely to get the flu. A study done in Egypt in 1995 revealed that royal jelly was capable of killing several kinds of bacteria, including E.coli. In another study it was found that people taking 50-100 milligrams of royal jelly per day decreased total serum cholesterol by 14% and lipids by 10%.
Royal jelly helps promote collagen synthesis and is beginning to be found in many topical dermatologic products. Royal jelly is also used in healing from prolotherapy treatments and other injuries.
Royal Jelly and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis sufferers are going to be very excited about this. Recently a group of scientists got together to develop a potential medicine for rheumatoid arthritis. They choose to study a compound in royal jelly called 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid. We'll just call it 10H2DA for short though.
Researchers found was that the 10H2DA blocked two pro-inflammatory signaling pathways.This means that one of the benefits of royal jelly is that it helps 'turn off' the message that your body wrongfully sends out when autoimmune issues are present telling your body to 'create inflammation'.
Inflammation is a natural and needed response for healing when you have an actual injury. In conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, there is no injury to repair so excessive inflammation is not needed. It is through this process that the body wrongfully attacks the tissue and over time, destroys the joint. Preventing this response from your immune system is vital and royal jelly may have a role in supporting optimal immune health.
Increase Sperm Count and Testosterone
Adult male rats who were given royal jelly experienced a significant increase in the weight of their testis and sperm counts as well as testosterone levels. They also experienced an increase in the percentage of live sperm while reducing the percentage of abnormal sperm. Royal jelly is known as a sexual tonic and used for treatment of impotence, infertility, and significantly increase lutinizing hormone levels. This effect could be attributed to the central effect of royal jelly.
Royal Jelly is Anti-Bacterial
In a Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry looked at an antibacterial compound found in Royal Jelly called Royalisin.While the details of the study was that this compound in Royal Jelly, Royalisin, displayed strong antibacterial activity against several common bacteria.
It is good taking Royal Jelly throughout the cold and flu season each year. There have been other studies on the immune modulating properties of royal jelly that reported on and this recent study further verifies these studies as well as the excellent results which seen in the real world. Taking both royal jelly and bee propolis is a bulletproof way to protect yourself each winter from those nasty colds that make the rounds!
Royal Jelly Protects You Against Environmental Pollutants
The amount of environmental pollutants accumulating in our water, air and land is staggering. Unfortunately, there is no way to completely avoid exposure to all of these toxic substances. The next best thing is to protect yourself with compounds that have the ability to limit the cellular damage that these toxic compounds cause in the body.
The Scientists took onion cells and exposed them to both toxic petroleum waste with royal jelly and without at different doses. What they found was that each dose of royal jelly provided protection against the wastewater toxicity, and the strongest protective effect was observed at the highest dose.This means Royal Jelly is a strong anti-oxidant. Also, it appears to show promise in being able to protect us from the many toxins in the environment today. Its benifical by taking royal jelly daily for environmental and anti-oxidant protection.
Boost Your Antioxidants With Royal Jelly
The scientists investigated the protective role of royal jelly as an antioxidant against cadmium, a highly toxic heavy metal that causes damage to your genes. Cadmium also induces oxidative damage in various tissues by altering your antioxidant defense systems. This tends to lead to cancer and premature aging. What the scientists found was that Royal Jelly benefits your antioxidant levels; it significantly suppressed the gene damaging effects of toxic cadmium and also boosted protective enzyme levels in the liver and kidneys. It is a very exciting news.
Protection From the Side Effects of Chemo
Meanwhile, chemo has saved many lives, the fact that it is so potent often causes dreadful side effects in patients.This grim reality lead scientists to investigate the protective effect of royal jelly against the toxic effects of cisplatin on the reproductive organs. Cisplatin is a powerful chemo drug used to treat several types of cancer.
Royal jelly was administered daily for 10 days to rats. The scientists monitored traits of the reproductive organs such as sperm characteristics and testosterone levels as well as damage in the testicles. What they found was that by giving the rats royal jelly daily while they were on this toxic chemo drug, toxin levels in the rats decreased while antioxidant levels increased.It actually means a great deal. Royal jelly can protect you from some of the most toxic substances on the earth, substances that we are exposed to on a daily basis in our water, food and air.
In a study presented at the 7th German Apitherapy and Bee Products Congress in 2009, it was reported that royal jelly benefits eye health.
In patients with nearsightedness who used royal jelly supplements, visual acuity and contrast sensitivity improved. In patients with Grave's ophthalmopathy (an autoimmune inflammatory disorder affecting the eye), an improvement of visual functions and reduction of retinal blind spot was found.
Furthermore, in patients with age-related macular degeneration who used royal jelly, an improvement in overall visual functions was found.The reason royal jelly benefits eye health so much is it's extremely high antioxidant content. These powerful compounds prevent further damage in the eye and by the sounds of this research, even help to repair damaged tissue.
Antioxidants are all the rage today and for good reason. When your cells oxidize, YOU oxidize and that leads to greater instances of cancer, heart disease and other degenerative conditions.
We've all seen a peeled apple turn brown within minutes - well, that is literally what happens to your cells over our lifetime. But scientists have discovered certain foods have massive amounts of antioxidants that slow and even stop this process.Royal Jelly just so happens to be one of these foods. As reported in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry in 2008, Royal Jelly contains very high amounts of several antioxidants .
And what the scientists learned was that royal jelly had higher amounts of these antioxidants when the royal jelly was fresher. So when buying royal jelly, ensure that you are buying fresh, frozen product to maximize the vitality of the product.
Autoimmunity is a state in which the body's immune system attacks itself. Disease like Rheumatoid Arthritis and many allergies are autoimmune disorders.
Because Royal Jelly is being indicated to have immuno-modulatory potential for humans, a group of scientists at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan undertook a study to determine whether royal jelly could alter the development of systemic autoimmunity in mice. These mice were genetically predisposed to get Lupus, a serious auto immune disorder! During the study, the scientists found that the mice getting the royal jelly supplement saw a significant delay in getting Lupus and once they did get it, lived significantly longer than the mice that didn't get the supplement.
This study certainly supports the many testimonials of people who have reported using Royal Jelly to boost or balance their immune systems.
Brain Function Enhancement
Scientists fed rats a toxic compound designed to kill brain cells and then gave them Royal Jelly. They found that not only did the royal jelly protect the brain, but it also stimulated cognitive function and repair to the brain.
While, the scientists in Turkey fed royal jelly to mice that had been given a liver toxin. They found that the administration of royal jelly as a liver protective agent for only 7 days exhibited a marked protective effect on liver tissue from the liver toxin.
A tremendous amount of research is now showing that chronic inflammation is one of the root causes of heart disease and other degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers disease, arthritis and even some cancers.
The pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1. High levels of these compounds indicate high levels of inflammation.The scientists found that the administration of Royal Jelly suppressed these pro-inflammatory compounds and concluded that royal jelly has anti-inflammatory actions.
So, if you have a history of heart disease or Alzheimer's disease in your family or better yet, you've had your IL-6 levels tested by your doctor and they are elevated, Royal Jelly is likely an excellent supplement for you.
Skin Healing and decreasing exudation of collagen
Scientists at the Department of Pharmacology, Nihon University in Japan set out to discover whether or not Royal Jelly can augment wound healing.
They fed rats various amounts of Royal Jelly daily and found that it showed anti-inflammatory activity by decreasing exudation and collagen formation. Royal Jelly also shortened the healing period of skin lesions, enough so that the scientists stated that Royal Jelly is able to augment wound healing.
This comes as no surprise to those of us who have used royal jelly for skin health over the years. Royal Jelly contains specific nutrients and vitamins that support skin renewal such as flavonoids, nucleic acid, decanoic acid, enzymes, and hormones.It also contains numerous vitamins and minerals such as vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, acetyl-choline and zinc, all of which are excellent for the skin. Studies indicate that the acids found in Royal Jelly contribute to its collagen production and promotion.
Take one quarter teaspoon of fresh royal jelly powder per day to optimize your skin health.
Diabetes and Blood Sugar Control
Earlier studies have shown that royal jelly has insulin-like activity. However, there have so far been no clinical trials to support these findings. So, a group of German doctors at the Justus-Liebig University Hospital in Germany had twenty volunteers undergo the standardized oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and afterwards a second OGTT after ingestion of 20 g of royal jelly.
The doctors found that after 2 hours, the serum sugar levels of the 20 volunteers were much lower after taking the 20 g of Royal Jelly than when they didn't take it.
So, if you have any type of blood sugar issue, try supplementing with Royal Jelly if you are on insulin or Glucagon, make sure you monitor your levels carefully, because Royal Jelly will reduce your sugars.
Osteoporosis & Bone Loss
A group of Japanese scientists hypothesized that Royal Jelly may have beneficial effects on osteoporosis.
After conducting a study on both rats and in a test tube, the doctors found that Royal Jelly may prevent osteoporosis by enhancing intestinal calcium absorption, making it an effective preventative aid for osteoporosis.
It makes a lot of sense to supplement with Royal Jelly along with your calcium and vitamin D, if you are suffering from osteoporosis or have a history of it in your family. According to this study, Royal Jelly will enhance your body's ability to absorb the calcium and in turn deposit it in your bone structure.
In the study of protective effect of Royal Jelly on breast cancer cells, the scientists found an anti-environmental estrogen effect of royal jelly. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental estrogen found in many plastics that stimulates the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.
The study found that Royal jelly inhibited the growth promoting effect of BPA on breast cancer MCF-7 cells, even though it did not affect the proliferation of cells in the absence of BPA.
We are all exposed to dozens of cancer causing environmental estrogens every day now through our drinking water, our cosmetics, plastics and our food. You may be wise to protect yourself from these cancers with a daily dose of fresh royal jelly.
A group of researchers in Japan decided to examine the effects of Royal Jelly on blood cholesterol levels in 15 volunteers.
They gave half the volunteers 6 grams of Royal Jelly per day for 4 weeks. Those taking the Royal Jelly saw their total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) decreased significantly compared with those who didn't get the Royal Jelly. HDL (the good cholesterol) levels didn't change in either group, nor did triglyceride levels.
So, it appears that Royal Jelly lowers bad cholesterol and total cholesterol while not harming good cholesterol levels. It is an Amazing gift to the humans!
If your doctor is telling you to get your cholesterol levels down, perhaps Royal Jelly is a safer, natural option for you.