What is Royal Jelly - Origins, Production, Benefits, Contraindications and Other Information

Are you wondering - what is royal jelly?

Royal jelly is honey bee secretion that is used in the nourishment of larvae, the colonies' future worker bees. It is secreted from glands in the heads of the workers (hypopharyngeal), and used as food throughout the incubation time.

It is a complex chemically structured substance that, though not as well known as bee pollen, at least equals it in its health promoting effects and benefits.

When worker bees decide it is time for a new queen (old one becoming weak, killed, or has died), several small larvae are selected, placed in special chambers, and fed with enormous amounts of royal jelly. This in turn triggers the bee's specific, as well as incredible, ability to morph into a queen rather than just another worker bee.

What is royal jelly named after?

Royal jelly is milk-like and so named because it serves as the sole food for the queen throughout her whole lifespan of 5 to 6 years (average span of the worker bee's life is about 35 to 40 days only). As the queen bee is very prolific from this point on (fertilized just once, from that moment on the queen will lay up to three thousand eggs a day), the royal jelly will supply her everything, including the B complex vitamins she will need. This provides an insight into what is royal jelly made of, in terms of nutritional content.

Also, along with more than a dozen key minerals and the 18 amino acids it contains, royal jelly includes the DNA / RNA the queen will need for morphing.

Next, what is royal jelly production process, as far as health supplements are concerned?

Bees are stimulated to continue producing queen bees even though in reality they do not need another, with movable frame hives that are taken away and put back as necessary. Although a ration of royal jelly is fed to all larva, special queen chambers are saturated with it (larva actually swims in it).

The royal jelly is collected from the honeycomb when the larvae of the queens are about four days old, and it is estimated that a well-managed hive can produce 450 to 550g during a season (5 to 6 months). It is then sold as a dietary supplement.

Though royal jelly claims are abundant, its overall composition is about 70% water. Outside of its approximate 15% protein (amino acids), 10% simple sugars (monosaccharides), and a relatively high amount of fatty acids (5%), it also contains some essential enzymes, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial (wound healing) and antibiotic properties, as well as a small amount of vitamin C, making it useful to more than just the bees.

It also contains specific and vital factors for human cell regeneration that act as biocatalysts, even though fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K, are not found in it at all.

What is royal jelly good for, in terms of addressing health conditions and diseases?

Studies have shown the effectiveness of royal jelly to some degree for the following conditions and ailments: tiredness from overwork, loss of bodily strength (asthenia) and general exhaustion diseases, anxiety, insomnia, bronchial asthma, hepatitis or other liver ailments, anorexia, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, gout, arthritis, atherosclerosis, kidney diseases, skin disorders, insufficiency of the ovaries, for the reversing of the aging process, stimulating and regenerating the nervous system, or for accelerating the healing of fractured bones. Finally, it also makes claim for promoting sexual rejuvenation.

In learning about what is royal jelly, it would be also important to note its potential side effects, contraindications and adverse reactions.

Because bee products can cause allergic reactions in some people, it is recommended that care be taken, especially if there is any sensitivity to bee or wasp stings. If you are pregnant or breast feeding, you should consult your physician before using this product.

To learn more about what is royal jelly, read the other related royal jelly articles and pages.

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