ROYAL JELLY IS A HONEY BEE SECRETION THAT IS USED IN THE NUTRITION OF LARVAE, AS WELL AS ADULT QUEENS. IT IS SECRETED FROM THE GLANDS IN THE HYPOPHARYNX OF WORKER BEES, AND FED TO ALL LARVAE IN THE COLONY, REGARDLESS OF SEX OR CASTE.
WHEN WORKER BEES DECIDE TO MAKE A NEW QUEEN, BECAUSE THE OLD ONE IS EITHER WEAKENING OR DEAD, THEY CHOOSE SEVERAL SMALL LARVAE AND FEED THEM WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF ROYAL JELLY IN SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED QUEEN CELLS. THIS TYPE OF FEEDING TRIGGERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUEEN MORPHOLOGY, INCLUDING THE FULLY DEVELOPED OVARIES NEEDED TO LAY EGGS.
ROYAL JELLY PROVIDES ANTIOXIDANTS.
ROYAL JELLY IS USED IN HERBAL MEDICINE AS A NUTRITIVE TONIC.
CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS
IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING, CONSULT A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PRIOR TO USE.
HYPERSENSITIVITY/ALLERGY HAS BEEN KNOWN TO OCCUR; IN WHICH CASE, DISCONTINUE USE.
Reference
BARNUTIU LI, MARGHITAS LA, DEZMIREAN DS, MIHAI CM, BOBIS O. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ROYAL JELLY - REVIEW. SCIENTIFIC PAPERS: ANIMAL SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGIES 2011; 44(2): 67-72.
BARTRAM T. BARTRAM'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBAL MEDICINE. LONDON (GB): ROBINSON PUBLISHING LTD. 1998.
BULLOCK RJ. FATAL ROYAL-JELLY INDUCED ASTHMA. MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA 1994;160:44.
CHERNIACK EP. BUGS AS DRUGS, PART 1: INSECTS. THE "NEW" ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY? ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE REVIEW 2010;15(2):124-135.
EFSA 2011. EFSA PANEL ON DIETETIC PRODUCTS, NUTRITION AND ALLERGIES (NDA). SCIENTIFIC OPINION ON THE SUBSTANTIATION OF HEALTH CLAIMS RELATED TO: ANTHOCYANIDINS AND PROANTHOCYANIDINS; SODIUM ALGINATE AND ULVA; VITAMINS, MINERALS, TRACE ELEMENTS AND STANDARDIZED GINSENG G115 EXTRACTS; VITAMINS, MINERALS, LYSINE AND/OR ARGININE AND/OR TAURINE; PLANT-BASED PREPARATION FOR USE IN BEVERAGES; CARICA PAPAYA L.; "FISH PROTEIN"; ACIDIC WATER-BASED, NON-ALCOHOLIC FLAVOURED BEVERAGES CONTAINING CALCIUM IN THE RANGE OF 0.3 TO 0.8 MOL PER MOL OF ACID WITH A PH NOT LOWER THAN 3.7; ROYAL JELLY; FOODS LOW IN CHOLESTEROL; AND FOODS LOW IN TRANS-FATTY ACIDS PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 13(1) OF REGULATION (EC) NO 1924/2006. EFSA JOURNAL 2011;9(4):2083.
EL-NEKEETY AA, EL-KHOLY W, ABBAS NF, EBAID A, AMRA HA, ABDEL-WAHHAB MA. EFFICACY OF ROYAL JELLY AGAINST THE OXIDATIVE STRESS OF FUMONISIN IN RATS. TOXICON 2007;50(2):256-269.
HARWOOD M, HARDING S, BEASLEY R, FRANKISH PD. ASTHMA FOLLOWING ROYAL JELLY. THE NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL JOURNAL 1996;109:325.
KARADENIZ A, SIMSEK N, KARAKUS E, YILDRIM S, KARA A, CAN I, KISA F, EMRE H, TURKELI M. ROYAL JELLY MODULATES OXIDATIVE STRESS AND APOPTOSIS IN LIVER AND KIDNEYS OF RATS TREATED WITH CISPLATIN. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2011;1-10.
This page is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the medicinal ingredient.
