November 19, 2010 – Bees are very hard working insects. As they buzz out of their nests, fly out on a cool shinny morning caressing the beauty of the gardens, they just don’t marvel at the scenery, they collect and piece together the sweetest flavors, and return home with the good news. This honey goldmine is highly protected and fortified that even the hornets that are known to feed on bees cannot just walk in to the nest and do their pickings. If you wan to dispute this fact try putting your bare hand into the bees nest and you will live to tell this story in a better way.
Types of bee products
The medicinal value of Honey varies among different types. Evidence suggests that Manuka Honey also called Leptospermum scoparium from NewZealand may be the most potent Honey. Honeydew Honey found in the conifer forests of mountain regions of central Europe also has superior antimicrobial effects. Bee products also come in different composition namely;
•Bee pollen, a mixture of bee saliva, plant nectar and (true) pollen. This pollen is purely from plants and is essential for the fertilization of plants and has less allergic reactions.
•Honey, an extract of nectar and a combination of bee saliva and enzymes that transform it to simple sugars. The worker bees collect nectar from various flowers and store it briefly in its “honey-bag” also known as the crop. The nectar is enzymatically acted on by secretions from glands in the bee’s head and thorax leading to the conversion of Sucrose into the simple sugars; Fructose and Glucose. When the worker bee returns to the hive, she regurgitates the liquid as honey into the honeycomb where you and I enjoy this sweet tasting natural product.
•Royal jelly, a thick, viscous, white pharyngeal gland secretion of worker bees that is fed to Queen Bees and all Bee larvae (young bees). The larvae are fed exclusively on Royal Jelly for the first three days of their lives. This extract leads to stamina and extends the lifespan of queen bees.
•Propolis, a mixture of viscous gums, resins and balms collected by the bees from the buds and bark of mainly coniferous trees, vegetables and flowers.
The medicinal value of bee products
Bees are now taking their stings on various human ailments such as sinusitis, stomach ulcers, cough and many more. Below are some of the benefits of the products.
Bee pollen
•It has been proven that lung cancer patients can prolong their lives by taking pollen products. The pollen increases the effectiveness of the cancer drugs.
•Studies done on animals show that pollen prevents liver damage and an increase in cholesterol in blood.
Honey
•If you have ulcers or frequent indigestion, buy some honey. This product is good at your stomach that it even kills bacteria such as the famous H Pylori and helps cure ulcers. Manuka honey is so effective in this according to the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine ref: 87:9-12, 1994. Honey also kills other bacteria such as typhoid causing bacteria, E coli and cholera. It has also been shown to have an effect of some fungi.
•Those with skin infections or ulcers from herpes, wounds or burns can also benefit form the Manuka honey. Applied to the skin few times a day it help accelerate the healing process.
Royal jelly
•By eating royal jelly throughout her life made the queen bee able to live 40 times longer than worker bees, approximately four to six years. This was even studied on mice for weeks at the Fujisaki Institute, Hayashibara Biochemical Laboratories, in Okayama, Japan. The average mice lived 79 weeks and the high dose fed mice, 110 weeks!
•It has been shown to reduce the cholesterol levels from your blood if taken as 50 to 100mg per day.
•If you want good looking skin, no wrinkles and treated the skin ailments, then look for this jelly. Diabetic patients can use it too for their wounds.
Propolis
•Most of the propolis actions are almost the same as the ones mentioned above with emphasis on the liver, joints and kidney protection.
Above all, please buy original honey products if you want to see these good results.