Royal Jelly is high in essential nutrients and is taken widely to promote energy and boost the immune system.
The medical community man has shown much interest in this
royal jelly, regarding it as the ‘elixir’ or ‘crown jewel’ of the beehive. Various studies have been performed to try to establish its nutritional content and the effect of its nutrients on man.
Despite these extensive studies, certain aspects of the actual chemical make-up of royal jelly remain something of a mystery. It is associated with benefits to bronchial asthma, insomnia, and many skin problems. It is known to support the immune system and may be of benefit in liver, kidney, and pancreatic diseases as well as stomach ulcers and bone fractures. But it doesn't end there. With it's high amino acid content, it may have benefit to a very wide range of health conditions as an amino acid supplement.
The amino acids in royal jelly are of significant interest to nutritionists. Long associated with the ability to fight ‘free-radicals’ in the body, amino acids form the basis of our chemical make-up, and are essential to growth and the ability to fight infection and disease. In most cases we cannot create our own amino acid, so we must ingest them through the foods that we eat. Royal Jelly also contains the amino and gamma globulin, which helps your immune system fight off viral infections. It also contains sterols, phosphorous compounds and acetylcholine, which is needed to transmit nerve messages from cell to cell.
Chemical composition of Royal Jelly - contains approximately 12% protein, 5-6% lipids and 12-15% carbohydrates. It’s B Vitamin content is high, and with 17 amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids, it is a nutritious hormone-rich substance with a wide spectrum of potential benefits. Royal Jelly also contains around 15% aspartic acid, which is important for tissue growth, muscle and cell regeneration.
Vitamin Content
Vitamin B I (Thiamine) .................... 1.5 to 7.4 mcg.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) .................... 5.3 to 10.0 mcg.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) .................. 2.2 to 10.2 mcg.
Niacin (nicotinic acid) .......................91.0 to 149.0 mcg.
Pantothenic Acid ..............................65.0 to 200.0 mcg.
Biotin .............................................. 0.9 to 3.7 mcg.
Inositol .............................................78.0 to 150.0 mcg.
Folic Acid ........................................ 0.16 to 0.50mcg.
Vitamin C .......Trace
Also of significance, Royal Jelly has been found to be of great help in boosting the body’s resistance to the harmful side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These treatments attack the immune system at its very core, and in many cases the actual treatment delivers a debilitating blow and not the illness itself. Royal Jelly with its high amino acid content can help the immune system and provide a basic defense against external elements that ordinarily attack the immune system and reduce our body’s capability for defense. Supplementing our diet with Royal Jelly helps to rebuild the good cells that are destroyed by chemotherapy and helps to strengthen the immune system.
Associated Benefits*:- Many of the benefits of Royal Jelly are associated with its high concentration of essential amino acids, and we refer you to the preceding information for more details.
In short, Royal Jelly has been noted for its positive benefits on:
* energy
* chronic fatigue
* skin / hair / nails / bones / joints
* hormonal regulation
* asthma
* sexual vitality / impotence
* weight regulation
* rejuvenation - recovery from illness
* immune system stimulant
* cholesterol levels
* cardiovascular health
* anti-depressive / anti-anxiety
* high blood pressure
* mental condition / memory
* depression
* arthritis
* liver ailments / conditions
* eczema / impetigo / skin disorders
* diabetes
How is Royal Jelly Processed for Human Consumption? – it is a liquid containing approximately 67% water, and as such is prone to contamination once it is removed from the sterile environment of the beehive, so once removed from the hive it must be processed quickly to prevent contamination, ideally within two or three hours. It can generally be processed in one or a combination of the following steps:
* Treating the product with a chemical preservative.
* Lyophilizing the product (removing the water, often termed freeze-drying)
* Adding a natural preservative like honey.
* Freezing the substance or attempting to maintain it in a refrigerated state.
The favored process is lyophilizing or freeze-drying [freeze dried royal jelly - the most common form]. This removes the water without effecting the nutrient quality of the product and creates a white powder which can be capsulated for human consumption. Once it has been capsulated, the product generally has a shelf life of 4 years and does not require refrigeration.
Many questions are raised about the nutritional quality of Royal Jelly, and usually relate to the issue of processing:- "freeze-dried versus non-freeze dried".
Freeze drying ‘locks-in’ the nutritional content of the product and removes any doubts about handling the product down the line. For example, if you choose liquid royal jelly which is sold as ‘requiring refrigeration’, how do you know that the product has been stored and transported in a refrigerated state, and that it isn’t in a partially decomposed state with diminished nutritive properties?(beehivestore.com)
