What Is Pollen?

Pollen is the second product bees produce the most. It is in the form of small oval granules. Pollen is among the most nourishing foods because it contains almost all the nutrients the human body needs.

How Do Bees Collect Pollen?

Bees collect pollen from the male flower seeds. They mix it with enzymes from their salivary gland and roll it into small balls. Bees collect pollen from a lot of different flowers, so the collected granules are particoloured, varying from pale yellow to black. It is interesting to know that it takes a bee one month to collect a teaspoon of pollen.

Bee pollen cannot be artificially synthesized in a laboratory. When some attempts were made to feed bees with artificial pollen, they died, although all known ingredients had been added. This demonstrates that pollen contains substances which have not been identified yet. So far, almost all the elements of the Periodic Table, even gold, have been discovered in its composition in a form assimilable to the human body. Pollen contains a number of minerals like potassium, magnesium, titanium, silver, zinc, copper, chromium, vanadium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, gallium, zirconium, manganese, phosphorus, silicon, calcium, iron, aluminum, barium.

Fresh pollen contains: 20-40% protein substances; 30-60% sugars in the form of nectar carbohydrates; vitamins C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B8, E; provitamin A, folic acid, biotin; ferments; antibiotic substances; minerals; biologically active substances; lipids, aromatics and pigment substances. Carbohydrates are an important ingredient of pollen. The following substances have been identified: glucose, fructose, sucrose, arabinose, ribose, galactose, raffinose, stachyose, xylose, dextrin, starch, cellulose and lactose. Its composition also includes amino acids that are essential to the human body: arginine, isoleucine, histidine, leucine, lysine, fenilatin, threonine, alanine, glycine, asparagine, glutamine, serine, proline, tyrosine, cystine, cysteine. Furthermore, decanoic, palmitic, linoleic, oleic, linoleic, stearic, lauric, and behenic acids have been ascertained.

Health Benefits Of Bee Pollen

It increases the body resistance. Pollen is full of enzymes that favor the proper functioning of all processes in the human body. Its consumption improves the skeletal system development, normalizes blood pressure, strengthens blood cells. Lecithin normalizes fat metabolism, helps in regulating the weight and eliminates cellulite. It can be used in the treatment of thyroid gland, nervous dieases, colitis, constipation, anemia, and many others, including menstrual pain. It is extremely beneficial for the heart and the circulatory system, and increases potency. Pollen is very rich in selenium, which acts prophylactically in some cancers and helps the body get rid of heavy metals.

Storage

Bees collect pollen intensely during the spring months – April and May. Beekeepers obtain it by placing special pollen traps in the hives. The bee passes through small grates (holes) to get into the hive, the pollen falls and is collected in special trays, while the bee remains intact. Beekeepers dry pollen in dry, dark, and well-ventilated places, as room temperature is most optimal for this purpose. Pollen should not be dried in sunlight which destroys some of its beneficial properties.

You can keep the valuable product in a glass container in a cool and dark place, preferably in the refrigerator. Pollen can be best preserved in honey, thus keeping its beneficial properties most successfully. The proportion is as follows: 100 gr. of pollen is added to 1 kg. of honey, as the mixture should be stirred periodically to the dissolution of the granules.

Intake

Pollen has a specific, rather pleasant taste. There are several intake options. One of them is direct consumption, preferably in the morning on an empty stomach, one hour before breakfast. Or it could be dissolved in a spoonful of honey or a glass of water, but never in hot beverages such as tea or coffee, as high temperatures prevent its useful actions.

The recommended daily dose is 1 tablespoon, as the manner of consumption is up to you. For children, the recommended dose is one teaspoon. If you have never used the product before, it is good to start with a small teaspoon a day and gradually increase the dose.

Pollen can be used not only as a food supplement, but in cosmetics as well, as it has a very strong rejuvenating and regenerating effect. For example, if you add some amount of pollen to your shampoo, it will dissolve and enrich the shampoo with its vitamins. You can do the same with your face cream and hair mask.

Desislava Dimanova