An excellent bee product is bee pollen, a mixture of flower pollen, nectar, enzymes, honey wax, and bee secretions. Bees collect pollen in their pollen basket and carry it back to the hive. An interesting fact to note is that only the worker honey bee is equipped to do this task. In the bee hive, pollen is used as an essential source of protein to raise the bee brood.
Bee pollen contains B-12, and a rich supply of minerals, trace elements, and enzymes and hormones which stimulate the sex glands.
Bee pollen also contains a wide range of antioxidants and protects your body from potentially harmful moleculres known as free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to your body and are linked to chronic diseases such as cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that antioxidants from bee pollen reduce chronic inflammation, elimniate harmful bacteria, fight infections, and combat the growth and spread of tumours.
Besides that, bee pollen could boost liver function and protect your liver from toxic substances. Did you know that the liver is responsible for filtering toxins out of the body? Researchers found that in rats, bee pollen helps keep the liver healthy and can even help the healing process after liver damage.
Several studies have proven that bee pollen has antibacterial properties. It was found that bee pollen kills potentially harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as those that cause staph infections.
A great news for women going through menopause: bee pollen also alleviates menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes, and sleep disturbances. Studies have found that more than 60% of women felt that their menopausal symptoms improved after consuming bee pollen.
Other benefits of bee pollen include :
- Lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol
- Aids wound healing
- Prevents infections
- Enhances absorption and utilization of nutrients
