Bee Pollen – Nature’s Most Perfect Food!

What Is Bee Pollen?

In its original state, pollen is a fine powder composed of thousands of microscopic particles which are discharged from the anther of a flower, and is the male element of the plant which fertilizes like plants. There are two kinds of pollen: anemophile (“friend of the wind”), and entomophile (“friend of the insect”). The former, which causes allergic reactions such as hay fever, is dispersed by the air. The latter, which is the subject of this information, is gathered by the honeybee, whose travels from flower to flower make possible the reproduction of more than 80% of the world’s grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. When pollen is collected for human consumption, “pollen traps” are placed on the hive. These traps remove the pollen granules from the leg of the bee and allow it to fall down into a tray for removal by the beekeeper. The bee pollen is then sifted to remove any foreign matter that is frequently found in the hive, such as, wings and legs. After removing the non pollen particles by fan, the pollen is dried and frozen and ready for resale.

Nutritional Benefits of Pollen

A supply of bee pollen is like holding a whole health food store in the palm of your hand. With the addition of roughage and water, the human body can survive on honeybee pollen alone. This is because it is the only food which contains, in perfect balance, all 22 known essential nutritional elements which humans require to achieve and maintain optimum vitality. Refer to the bottom of this page for an analysis of the average bee pollen content. Bee pollen may be eaten by the teaspoonful as a food supplement, 1-2 teaspoonfuls daily. Stir it into yogurt, honey, or applesauce. Sprinkle it on your salad or cereal or take it straight with water or fruit juice. Do not heat the pollen, however, since doing so will destroy many of the nutrients it contains. If you are a new pollen consumer, start off with small doses (4-6 pellets) to gauge how your body’s system will accept pollen. Doing so will help minimize a reaction to the natural substance. Like any food, there is a small chance of an allergic reaction to the pollen, if there is no reaction within 5 minutes, continue with larger doses.

Allergy Relief

In some cases, consuming bee pollen collected from your immediate area has alleviated allergy symptoms. Pollen will vary from region to region because the blooms vary. In treating allergies, pollen from your immediate area will be more beneficial than bee pollen from another region. In many cases it is not possible to get pollen from your immediate region, in which case bee pollen from other regions is still beneficial, especially for the protein and the nutritional value.

Other Information

It is recommended that you store your pollen in a dark, cool place, preferably the refrigerator or freezer. Pollen is a “food” that can spoil after a period of time at room temperature. Freezing the pollen will keep it fresh and at full strength for up to 2 years. Each ounce (2 tablespoons) of bee pollen contains just 28 calories. 1 pound of bee pollen contains approximately 31 tablespoons.

Bee Pollen Nutritional Analysis

(The following table provides an analysis of the average bee pollen content.)

VITAMINS MINERALS
1. Provitamin A 17. Calcium
2. B1 Thiamine 18 Phosphorous
3. B2 Riboflavin 19. Potassium
4. Niacin 20. Sulphur
5. B6 Pyridoxine 21. Sodium
6. Pantothenic Acid 22. Chlorine
7. Biotin 23. Magnesium
8.B12 (cyanocobalamin) 24. Iron
9. Folic Acid 25. Manganese
10. Choline 26. Copper
11. Inositol 27. Iodine
12. Vitamin C 28. Zinc
13. Vitamin D 29. Silicon
14. Vitamin E 30. Molybdenum
15. Vitamin K 31. Boron
16. Rutin 32. Titaniun

 

ENZYMES/CO-ENZYMES PROTEIN/AMINO ACIDS
33. Amylase 51. Isoleucine
34. Diastase 52. Leucine
35. Saccharase 53. Lysine
36. Pectase 54. Methionine
37. Phosphatase 55. Phenylalanine
38. Catalase 56. Threonine
39. Disphorase 57. Tryptophan
40. Cozymase 58. Valine
41. Cytochrome systems 59. Histidine
42. 24 Ixudiredyctases 60. Arginine
43. 21 Transferases 61. Cystine
44. 33 Hydrolases 62. Tyrosine
45. 11 Lyases 63. Alanine
46. 5 Isomerases 64. Asparatic Acid
47. Pepsin 65. Glutamic Acid
48. Trypsin 66.Hydroxyproline
49. Lactic dehydrogenase 67.Proline
50. Succinic dehydrogenase 68. Serine
69. Nucleic acids 83. Hypoxalthine
70. Flavonoids 84. Nuclein
71. Phenolic acids 85. Amines
72. Tarpenes 86. Lecithin
73. Nucleosides 87. Xanthophylls
74. Auxins 88. Crocetin
75. Fructose 89. Zeaxanthin
76. Glucose 90. Lycopene
77. Brassins 91. Hexodecanal
78. Gibberellins 92. Monoglycerides
79. Kinins 93. Diglycerides
80. Vernine 94. Triglycerides
81. Guanine 95. Pentosans
82. Xanthine 96. Alpha-aminobutyric acid

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