The use of royal jelly as a nutritional supplement and medicinal remedy dates back to ancient Egypt and Aristotle’s Greece. When eaten or applied to the skin, royal jelly supplementation may boost the immune system, reduce premenstrual symptoms, help with diabetes, and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Read on to find out more.<\/p>\n
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Royal jelly is a milky substance secreted by <\/strong>honey<\/strong><\/a> bees<\/strong> and fed to developing offspring. Nurse bees feed royal jelly to all larvae, which serves as the primary signal for a larva to mature into a queen. Like honey, royal jelly can be harvested by beekeepers from honey bee colonies grown in unique queen-making beehives<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The ancient Greeks were the first to describe royal jelly as part of the nectar of the gods, and Aristotle thought it important enough to set as the daily breakfast for his students. Royal jelly was traditionally used throughout other cultures too – believed to be one of Cleopatra’s beauty secrets, food of pharaohs, and a key to longevity<\/a> and medicine by ancient dynasties [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Royal jelly remains a commercial beauty and diet product in many countries today<\/p>\n Royal jelly is an acidic jelly substance composed of [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n The exact composition of royal jelly varies with geographic location, season, and types of flowers in the region. Small amounts of pollen grains from nearby plants end up trapped in royal jelly, introducing trace plant proteins as well [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The most studied active compound is the aptly named royalisin<\/strong>, a fatty acid with potent antibacterial properties<\/strong>. Jelleines<\/strong>, peptides also found in royal jelly, have antibacterial properties as well [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Royal jelly contains 185 biologically active ingredients.<\/strong> Hormones, such as testosterone<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> progesterone<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> prolactin<\/strong><\/a>, and <\/strong>estradiol<\/strong><\/a>, have been identified. Royal jelly can also contain flavonoids (antioxidant chemicals found only in plants), which provide some of its potential health benefits [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Although chemically diverse, royal jelly mostly acts by [R<\/a>, R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Honey and royal jelly are both products of honeybees and have some similar effects on health. The flavonoids in both royal jelly and honey carry antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing benefits [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Honey, however, has a much higher sugar content than royal jelly. It also contains a variety of organic acids and other antioxidants not found in royal jelly. However, the most studied compounds from royal jelly are not found in honey and it may have a much broader scope of action <\/strong>[R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Royal jelly is described as yellowish-white, creamy, and with a strong odor and taste. It\u2019s often described as spicy, acidic, and a bit bitter-sweet. Taken alone, it tastes nothing like honey, but rather has a \u201cmedicinal\u201d flavor. Most people need to acquire the taste for it if they want to eat it straight up, as opposed to capsules or jelly mixed in honey.<\/p>\n Since honeybee royal jelly varies based on the local flowers, some texture differences are common. Sometimes, royal jelly is a bit grainy due to the presence of undissolved particles [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n<\/a>Components<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>How It Works<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Royal Jelly vs. Honey<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>What Does Royal Jelly Taste Like?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Health Benefits of Royal Jelly<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/a>Possibly Effective for:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n