What is bee pollen?

Imagine having 200 plus micronutrients in one single food item. That is what you're getting when you take bee pollen. The superfood has been around for decades and has been used in almost every situation! Nowadays, pollen is often recognized as the “only perfectly complete food”.

So what is in Bee pollen? Well a lot of the pollen composition relies on what flowers the bees are pollinating from, what time of year the pollen is harvested from the plants, what type of soil the flowers are growing in, and what type of bees are collecting the pollen. Typically pollen is 22.7% protein on average (lots of amino acids) 30.8% carbohydrates and about 5.1% lipids. After these three items there are quite a few other nutrients that include flavonoids (such as quercetin), vitamins, and macro nutrients like minerals (calcium, selenium, and iron). Again all of these numbers can change based upon the previously listed variables. 

Bee Pollen has been used in the past to help heal wounds, lower inflammation, and may help your liver detox better. Animal studies have found that bee pollen may enhance its detoxifying abilities.

“In older animals, bee pollen boosted the liver’s antioxidant defense and removed more waste products, such as malondialdehyde and urea, from the blood. 

Other animal studies show that bee pollen antioxidants safeguard the liver against damage from several toxic substances, including drug overdoses. Bee pollen promotes liver healing as well.”

 **noted that these studies need more research on humans

One other item that bee pollen has potential to help with is Menopause. If taken over the course of time some studies show that bee pollen can alleviate some of the hot flash, sleep disturbances and mood swing symptoms. ​

​”A 2015 study among 46 menopausal women compared the effectiveness of taking a daily pollen and honey mixture versus pure honey, on alleviating hot flashes. In the end, 71% of women taking the combination mixture reported an improvement in symptoms. 

An older 2005 study among 54 menopausal women found that taking an herbal remedy made from pollen extracts for three months significantly improved hot flashes and reported quality of life, compared to a placebo.” 

Fun facts about bee pollen 

• According to National Data, one bee colony gives 1 to 7 kg of pollen a year

• Bee pollen is the combination of pollen from flowers bee saliva and honey

• Pollen is used to make bee bread, the food of the bees 

• If you are allergic to bee venom it does not mean you're allergic to bee pollen

Let us know if you use bee pollen or want to see a bee pollen product from Bizi! 

SOURCES

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4377380/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bee-pollen

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7023195/

https://blog.lisahealth.com/blog/2019/10/17/benefits-of-bee-pollen-for-menopause-and-midlife#:~:text=Interestingly%2C%20some%20women%20have%20found,taken%20consistently%20for%20three%20months.