Useful and medicinal properties of royal jelly, application

One of the most valuable and amazing products of beekeeping is royal jelly. This is a miraculous elixir, with the help of which the bees feed their offspring and the head of their family – the queen, who will replenish the hive with more and more diligent workers. Royal jelly can be considered an analogue of milk, since all mammals on our planet, including humans, feed their children with this highly nutritious liquid and put all the best into its composition. However, bees do not have mammary glands, but, nevertheless, they manage to make their milk one of the richest and richest substances in wildlife. How do they succeed, and what does the use of royal jelly give a person? You will learn the answers to these and many other questions from our article.

What is royal jelly?

Bees are a vivid example of diligence and a strict social hierarchy. All the inhabitants of the hive, as parts of a complex mechanism, have a different morphological structure, their own range of tasks, and only they have inherent behavioral features. Royal jelly is produced exclusively by worker (raid) bees of five to fifteen days of age. This substance is produced by their pharyngeal glands in the process of chewing honey and bee bread.

“Bee-cows” give two different types of milk – worse and thinner, for feeding ordinary larvae, and better and thicker, for feeding the future queen – the queen bee. The first type of royal jelly is found in combs and serves as a diet for newborn bees in the first few days of life. This potential is enough for them to live their short, fruitless life – 1,5-2 months. But the queen on a special diet grows twice as large, lives up to 6 years and acquires the ability to reproduce, thanks to hormones, the content of which in milk of the second type is 10 times higher than in milk of the first type.

The royal diet is stored in oval wax flasks, and the queen bee larvae living in them are fed with super-nourishing milk throughout the entire period of development. The flasks are called “queenies”; of them in the apiary and produce milk for use in medical and cosmetic purposes. The best period for this is summer, when “fertilization” (mating of a drone with a queen bee) has passed, and new queen cells with young larvae and fresh milk have appeared in the hives.

Royal jelly has a creamy consistency and a similar color – white or slightly creamy. It has a sharp characteristic smell and a burning, sweet and sour taste. The standard pH level is 3,5 to 4,5. In the open air at room temperature, royal jelly deteriorates very quickly – it turns yellow, oxidizes, and loses its beneficial properties. Therefore, the production, preparation and storage of this product should be carried out by experienced specialists who have at their disposal the necessary material and technical base.

From a medical point of view, the Polish doctor Jan Dzerzhon looked at royal jelly for the first time with interest. In 1848, his scientific study was published on the chemical composition and benefits of using royal jelly. But this scientific work did not cause much resonance in medical circles, since it was not supported by data on practical application. Much later, in 1922, the French biologist Remy Chauvin managed to substantiate the exceptional value of royal jelly for humans by presenting a report on the treatment of real patients to the public. This step provoked a real “uterine milk boom” in Old Europe. And although passions subsided over time, royal jelly is still actively used in medicine and is produced on an industrial scale in some Asian countries.

The chemical composition of royal jelly

The composition of royal jelly is represented by four hundred biologically active components, the ratio between which is surprisingly harmonious. The most valuable amino acids for humans – lysine, proline, asparagine, glutamine – are contained here in the highest concentration. No other organic product of animal origin, be it milk, meat or eggs, can boast so many essential proteins that are close to us in cellular structure.

In percentage terms, the composition of royal jelly is as follows:

• 60-70% — water;

• 30-40% – dry matter, represented by 20-50% proteins, 10-40% carbohydrates, 5-15% fats, 1,5-3% vitamins, minerals, hormones, enzymes and other biologically active substances.

As you can see, the nutritional and medicinal value of royal jelly can vary greatly. The richness of the composition depends on the well-being of a particular bee family, and in general – on the characteristics of the climate, weather conditions and harvesting technology. The regional factor also affects the vitamin and mineral composition of the product.

Let’s analyze the main components of royal jelly in more detail:

• Amino acids – asparagine, cysteine, arginine, lysine, leucine, valine, proline, glutamine, gamma globulin, gelatin, isoleucine, hydroxyproline and others, 22 items in total;

• Micro- and macro elements – zinc, manganese, cobalt, iron, aluminum, chromium, bismuth, mercury, gold, nickel, calcium, arsenic, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, copper and many others, about 100 items in total;

• Carbohydrates – glucose, fructose, ribose, sucrose, maltose;

• enzymes – invertase, amylase, catalase, protease, glucooxidase, phosphatase, cholinesterase, ascorbinoxidase.

In addition, royal jelly contains phytoncides (natural antibiotics), hormones, immunoglobulins and other active components that affect human health. It is believed that this amazing product consists of about 5% unexplored components. Scientists have yet to figure out all the secrets that royal jelly hides in itself.

To appreciate the biological power of this substance, think about it: thanks to it, in just three days, ordinary bees turn from a microscopic larva into an adult insect, increasing their weight by one and a half thousand times. And the larva of the future queen manages to gain weight three thousand times in a week!

Useful properties of royal jelly and the effect on the human body

Royal jelly has a beneficial effect on almost all organs and systems of the human body:

• Nervous system – enhances resistance to stress, stimulates the growth and division of cells of the spinal cord and brain, accelerates the absorption of glucose, ensures the elasticity and integrity of the optic nerves, helps to preserve a good memory for a long time;

• The cardiovascular system – eliminates the phenomena of vegetative-vascular dystonia, harmonizes blood pressure (high reduces, low raises), strengthens the walls of blood vessels and capillaries, regulates blood composition, prevents the formation of blood clots and cholesterol plaques;

• The body is the CSO – stimulates the secretion of gastric juice, improves appetite and accelerates the absorption of nutrients from food, helps build muscle mass, normalizes digestion and eliminates chronic disorders;

• Endocrine system – optimizes the hormonal background, stimulates adequate production of hormones by the adrenal cortex and thyroid gland, improves reproductive function, prevents the occurrence of autoimmune diseases;

• Locomotor apparatus – relieves inflammation in the joints, helps to recover from severe injuries and bone damage, prevents the development of osteochondrosis, gout, osteoporosis and other age-related degenerations of the skeleton;

• Genitourinary system – helps to cope with acute and chronic diseases of the intimate sphere, prolongs the period of fertility and sexual activity, alleviates the effects of menopause, increases potency, facilitates menstruation and pregnancy, saves from infertility and improves lactation;

• Metabolism – promotes detoxification of the body, removes salts of heavy metals and radionuclides, accelerates cell division and tissue renewal, allows you to prolong youth and preserve the beauty of skin, nails and hair for a long time;

• Respiratory – accelerates recovery from viral, fungal and bacterial diseases of the nasopharynx, throat, trachea, bronchi and lungs, helps to cope with complex chronic diseases (tuberculosis, asthma);

• The immune system – increases the body’s resistance to external threats, simplifies rehabilitation after severe illnesses, allows a person to better adapt to adverse environmental factors and quickly neutralize the harmful effects.

In what form is royal jelly sold?

If you do not have a beekeeper you know, reasonable questions arise: where to get royal jelly, and how not to make a mistake with the choice? There is a wide range of medicinal and cosmetic forms on the market, but which product is preferable, and, most importantly, of better quality? Let’s figure it out.

Royal jelly in granules (adsorbed dry)

The adsorption method allows you to remove all moisture from royal jelly and leave only dry matter, which is a concentrate of benefits. The density of the dry product is 1,1 g per cubic centimeter. In an airtight container, such granules are stored for two years and do not lose their healing properties. Almost all dosage forms produced in Russia (starting with the well-known drug Apilak) are precisely dry, adsorbed royal jelly.

The granules are easily soluble in liquid, so they can be taken in two ways: add to drinks or dissolve under the tongue. The second option is preferable, because this is how the product is absorbed best. Depending on the type of disease, doctors usually recommend taking 5-10 granules 1-3 times a day for 2-4 weeks.

Frozen royal jelly

Immediately after sampling from the mother liquors, the milk is sealed in an airtight container and cooled, however, at the standard temperature of a household refrigerator, this product is stored without loss of quality for a maximum of a couple of weeks. To avoid spoilage and extend the shelf life up to one and a half to two years, the technology of deep dry freezing allows. In special chambers, royal jelly is cooled to minus 17 degrees Celsius.

Usually, manufacturers package such a product in a small convenient container, which allows you to purchase the desired volume, put the milk at home in the refrigerator, wait until it reaches a higher temperature, and you can take a little. The standard course of treatment is half a teaspoon three times a day sublingually in pure form or mixed with honey for a month or two.

Honey with royal jelly

Mixing royal jelly with honey is very convenient, as it prolongs its shelf life and improves the taste. You can do this at home, but if you do not have such an opportunity (or desire), use ready-made products. One of the best examples is the preparations of the Russian brand “Tentorium”. High temperatures, preservatives and chemical additives are not used in their production, and the assortment pleases with variety.

Tentorium offers several honey compositions with the addition of royal jelly, as well as propolis, pollen, pine nut extract and other useful ingredients. One 6-gram jar contains 2 g of pure royal jelly, that is, about XNUMX%. There are also milkshakes and skin care products. By the way, Tentorium is far from the only brand that produces high-quality products based on honey and royal jelly.

Altai beekeeper Dmitry Pergoff offers a product with a higher concentration – 50%. The stability of the composition is ensured by vacuum drying the mixture. Read more on his website: honey with royal jelly.

Royal jelly capsules

Asian manufacturers, whose products can be found in many online stores of nutritional supplements and health products, offer mainly capsules with freeze-dried royal jelly. Freeze-drying is a state-of-the-art technology that ensures excellent quality and long shelf life: milk is gently dried, where it is frozen and then placed in a vacuum chamber where it is dehydrated. Royal jelly has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine since ancient times, therefore it is produced by these countries on an industrial scale and is actively exported to the world market.

A standard Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai-made plastic jar contains 100 capsules, each containing 10-20 mg of royal jelly. According to the recommendations of oriental naturopathic doctors, such a product should be taken in courses of 2-3 months 3 times a year, 1 capsule per day half an hour before breakfast. The manufacturers themselves position these capsules as a remedy for senile debility and impotence.

Collection and storage of royal jelly

Harvesting sufficient volumes of royal jelly is possible only during the period when queen larvae appeared in the hives, and worker bees created queen cells for them. Approximately on the fourth or fifth day after the construction of the “royal apartments”, the highest concentration of milk is observed in them – up to 400 mg. The larva of the queen at such a young age does not have time to eat all the treats that her subjects carefully treat her to. And as they grow older, the mother liquor is sealed, and the grown larva eats up the reserves.

The task of the beekeeper is to interrupt this scenario and remove royal jelly in time. To do this, bees need to be artificially encouraged to breed queens and create new queen cells. Such measures have a bad effect on honey production – the level drops by 30 percent or more. Therefore, you should immediately decide what is more important: to get healing milk, or to prepare more honey.

Harvesting of royal jelly is carried out in several stages:

• Larvae are transplanted onto a special “grafting” frame;

• A family-educator is being prepared to feed them. To do this, the family is deprived of the existing uterus and a grafting frame is placed in the hive;

• When the queen cells are filled, they are removed from the family;

• Milk is extracted, it is cleaned of larvae and wax;

• The product is packaged and frozen for storage.

The lids of the queen cells are cut off with a sharp knife or wire. The larvae are removed with tweezers or a special small spoon. And milk is usually collected with a simple sterile syringe. But in foreign stores for beekeepers you can also find complex devices worth up to five hundred dollars. Such devices have an environment with reduced pressure inside, quickly collect milk and provide high-quality storage. But even with the use of modern technology for sampling, the apiary must have good refrigeration units, and all actions related to the harvesting of royal jelly must be carried out professionally and promptly.

How to take royal jelly correctly?

By far the best way to take royal jelly is sublingual. A fresh product is placed under the tongue and slowly absorbed until completely absorbed. Through the mucous membrane of the mouth, the milk penetrates directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the aggressive environment of the stomach. On the day, doctors recommend consuming from one hundred to five hundred mg of fresh royal jelly, depending on the severity and type of disease. This should be done half an hour before meals 2-3 times a day, and no later than 3 hours before going to bed, as the product activates the nervous system. The standard course of treatment is 1-2 months.

Milk in tablets and capsules is a concentrated medicine, so it is enough to take 2-3 tablets with a dosage of 10-20 mg per day according to the same scheme. Putting a capsule or tablet should also be under the tongue.

In a hospital setting, injections and droppers with a solution of lyophilized royal jelly are sometimes used. The daily dosage for an adult is 2 mg. Such treatment allows you to support a patient with a serious illness, whose body is extremely depleted.

At home, fresh or frozen royal jelly is recommended to be mixed with honey in proportions of 1:100, 1:200 or 1:300, depending on the disease. And they take it again, sublingually, putting a teaspoon under the tongue 2-3 times a day before meals.

From royal jelly, you can prepare an alcohol emulsion at the rate of 1 part milk per 20 parts vodka. This medicine is taken 15 minutes before each meal at a dosage of 5-10 drops dissolved in a tablespoon of pure water. It is necessary to keep the emulsion in the mouth as long as possible.

Treatment of newborn children with royal jelly, as well as adult patients suffering from diseases of the urogenital area, is often performed using rectal or intravaginal suppositories.

Local procedures using royal jelly have proven themselves well: rinsing, irrigation, enemas, baths, cosmetic masks and body wraps.

The use of royal jelly in various diseases

Indications for the use of royal jelly are very extensive:

• Blood diseases – iron deficiency anemia, clotting disorders and lipid-salt balance;

• Diseases of the cardiovascular system – ischemia, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypotension, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, thrombophlebitis;

• Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system – rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis, acute respiratory infections, influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma;

• Oral lesions – stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease;

• eye Disease – glaucoma, cataract, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, blurred vision;

• Diseases of the digestive tract – gastritis, pancreatitis, gastric ulcer, enterocolitis, flatulence, diarrhea, heartburn, hemorrhoids, constipation, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, cholelithiasis;

• Pathologies of the kidneys and urinary tract – renal failure, chronic pyelonephritis, sand and kidney stones;

• Nervous diseases – insomnia, psychosis, depression, alcoholism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, neurosis, migraine;

• Diseases of the musculoskeletal system – injuries, fractures, bruises, sprains, arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, osteoporosis, gout, sciatica;

• Autoimmune diseases – diabetes mellitus, lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, eczema, multiple sclerosis;

• Diseases of the skin and hair – dermatitis, neurodermatitis, acne, dandruff, baldness, wounds and burns;

• Problems of the female intimate sphere – unstable cycle, painful menstruation, amenorrhea, infertility, miscarriage, toxicosis, menopause, lack of lactation, inflammatory diseases, endometriosis, polyps and other neoplasms;

• Men’s issues – prostatitis, prostate adenoma, premature ejaculation, infertility, impotence;

• Endocrine diseases (including obesity);

• Slow development in children;

• Senile weakness;

• low immunity;

• Oncological diseases (read also: cancer treatment with folk remedies).

Royal jelly for skin, face and hair

This wonderful product can help not only in the treatment of diseases and healing of the body, but also in maintaining youth and beauty. The richest vitamin, mineral and amino acid composition of royal jelly will allow you to significantly improve the condition of your skin and hair, solve the problem of dryness, wrinkles, acne, baldness and dandruff.

Skin care with royal jelly

If you have fresh or frozen royal jelly, feel free to add it to any natural mask: half a teaspoon will be enough to enrich the composition of your favorite home cosmetic product:

• Classical mask for the care of any type of skin of the face, hands and décolleté, prepare as follows: mix a tablespoon of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of royal jelly. You need to withstand it for 15-20 minutes, and use it 2-3 times a week.

• A truly royal tonic can be prepared from royal jelly: you need to dissolve 1 ml of the product in 100 ml of pure water at room temperature. It is most convenient to apply the tonic with a sterile swab. This procedure will replace the morning wash for any woman with aging, sensitive skin.

• Homemade cream will allow you to eliminate skin imperfections and visibly reduce wrinkles in a few weeks. Beat 50 ml of quality olive oil with a blender, add 15 g of melted beeswax and 50 g of cocoa butter to it, then 10 ml of royal jelly, and at the very end, without ceasing to beat, one tablespoon of distilled water so that the cream has a comfortable consistency. You need to apply it on clean skin of the face and décolleté every morning, and remove excess with a clean napkin.

Masks with royal jelly for the face

• Rejuvenating mask. Prepare a decoction of one tablespoon of string, one teaspoon of celandine and a glass of boiling water. Keep it for 15 minutes in a steam bath, and then another two days in a dark, cool place. Then strain and refrigerate. To make an anti-wrinkle mask, mix half a teaspoon of royal jelly with two tablespoons of warm honey and one tablespoon of herbal decoction. Apply this composition on your face for 30 minutes, rinse first with warm and then cold water. Repeat the procedure three times a week for two months.

• Nourishing mask. For this recipe, royal jelly in granules will do – just dissolve half a teaspoon of powder in half a glass of warm water. Take honey heated in a water bath (one tablespoon), the same amount of apricot kernel oil and royal jelly solution. Mix everything and apply on the skin of the face and décolleté for 20 minutes, and then rinse with warm water. Repeat a couple of times a week to provide nourishment to the skin, especially in winter.

• Moisturizing mask. For young, problematic skin, a mask made from fresh strawberries, banana, natural yogurt and royal jelly is very good. Take a teaspoon of each product, and half of the milk. Apply the mixture on a clean face and leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing off with cool water. Repeat the procedure three times a week for a month to get rid of oily sheen, peeling and acne.

Hair masks with royal jelly

• Mask for hair loss. Mix a teaspoon of royal jelly with two tablespoons of burdock oil and the yolk of one egg. Apply to the roots of wet hair, rub lightly, cover your head with a plastic bag, wrap a towel on top and soak for an hour, then rinse with running water. Use the shampoo before, not after, the procedures, and repeat them for two months a couple of times a week.

• Dandruff mask. Mix three tablespoons of castor oil, two tablespoons of cognac, one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of royal jelly. Apply the mask to dry hair, distribute thoroughly, wrap your head with polyethylene and a towel for an hour, then rinse. Wash your hair no later than 8 hours after the procedure. It is advisable to start a mask in the morning on a day off, and wash your hair in the evening, or vice versa. The course of treatment for dandruff is 1 month.

Harm of royal jelly and contraindications for use

There are few contraindications to the use of royal jelly:

• Allergy or individual intolerance to bee products;

• Infectious diseases in the acute phase with fever;

• Dysfunction of the adrenal cortex (Addison’s disease);

• Severe form of arterial hypertension;

• The period immediately after a heart attack or stroke;

• Hypercoagulation of blood (increased clotting).

If the dosage is exceeded, side effects may develop:

• Insomnia and increased nervous excitability;

• Feeling of dry mouth;

• constipation or diarrhea;

• Local skin reactions – redness, rash.

As soon as the dosage is reduced or the treatment is completely canceled, the unpleasant symptoms immediately disappear. It is impossible to get poisoned with royal jelly or cause serious harm to the body – the excess amount of incoming substances is usually simply not absorbed. However, laboratory tests on mice have shown that when receiving a dose of 15 g per 1 kg of body weight, animals die. In any case, you should not deviate from the treatment regimen prescribed by your doctor. The maximum daily dose for an adult is 500 mg of royal jelly (fresh).

Reviews of royal jelly

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