Bee pollen: what you need to know about bees’ superfoods

Bee pollen: what you need to know about bees’ superfoods

Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / congerdesign

Bee pollen is considered a superfood because it contains many healthy ingredients. But what exactly do they have and how do they actually come about? Find out everything you need to know about bee pollen here.

Bee pollen: how is it made and how is it harvested?

Bee pollen is made from pollen: bees collect it from the stamens of plants and then enrich it with nectar and enzymes. This causes the pollen to stick together to form larger grains. What we call pollen is a collection of thousands of tiny grains of dust that together form what is known as a panty. Panties are six to ten milligrams of grain.

The bees not only add nectar and enzymes to the pollen so that it becomes manageable and they can bring it back to the beehive in small portions. A certain enzyme also ensures that the pollen can be kept and is protected from germs and fermentation processes. The enzymes make the pollen into a food that is also edible for humans and because of its ingredients as Superfood applies.

Actually, bee pollen naturally serves as food for the bee colony: bees use it to feed their offspring and store bee pollen stocks for bad times. That is why beekeepers should only collect a fraction of the pollen from inside for human consumption. The beekeepers succeed in collecting them: inside by means of a special attachment that they attach to the entrance of the beehive. If the bees laden with the harvest happen to do this, they lose some of the pollen they brought with them. Then they can simply be picked up.

Ingredients of bee pollen: It’s in the small grains

Bees collect pollen and enrich it - this is how pollen is produced.
Bees collect pollen and enrich it – this is how pollen is produced.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / maria-anne)

Bee pollen has been known as a superfood for some time, which is a very nutritious food. According to study from 2015 (“Bee Pollen: Chemical Composition and Therapeutic Application”), bee pollen is made up of around 250 components. The exact composition of these components varies depending on the origin of the bee pollen, the plants from which the bees collect it, and climatic conditions. As some of these components, a Overview study for example, from 2009 to:

  • Vitamins
  • Minerals
  • Proteins
  • carbohydrates
  • Fats
  • Enzymes
  • essential amino acids

Bee pollen are also great protein rich. The protein content can fluctuate, but according to the 2015 study it is around 23 percent. This considerable amount is not surprising, because the young bees depend on food that provides a lot of protein.

The study also breaks down that bee pollen accounts for about ten percent essential amino acids contain. These protein elements are vital because the body cannot produce them on its own. That is why we are dependent on a sufficient supply of essential amino acids in our diet.

According to the study, there is also one Range of vitamins in bee pollen: the globules contain provitamin A and vitamins E, D, B1, B2, B6 and C.

With regard to the Minerals lists the Medical Tribune Bee pollen, for example, as good zinc-Suppliers on. They also contain copper and iron.

In addition to all the healthy ingredients, there can also be less desirable substances in the pollen: For example, they can contain residues from pesticides exhibit. There are also dangerous ones Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in it, with bee pollen from Europe the amount is loud Experts but harmless.

Bee pollen: this is what they do

Bee pollen is said to be able to help with hay fever - or aggravate the allergy.
Bee pollen is said to be able to help with hay fever – or aggravate the allergy.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / sweetlouise)

This abundance of nutrients is said to make bee pollen real miracle helpers for health. The small globules are said, among other things, that they

  • the immune system strengthen and increase vitality,
  • Build and supply muscles,
  • strengthen the bones,
  • Fight asthma and allergy symptoms,
  • improve sexual performance,
  • Digestive problems remedy,
  • prevent certain diseases and alleviate their symptoms, for example Colds or gastrointestinal discomfort.

However, you should be skeptical about such health promises: The actual therapeutic effect of bee pollen has not yet been scientifically proven. Until now, tests could only be carried out on laboratory animals.

One of these Testing found, for example, that bee pollen can actually increase bone density in rats with osteoporosis. Another study on mice found that the contained in the bee pollen Flavonoids have great health-preserving potential: Flavonoids are secondary plant substances that have an antioxidant effect on the body. Scientists: inside could also prove that a preparation made from bee pollen has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects on mice. Investigations that can reliably prove all these results and modes of action also in humans are still pending.

Bee pollen are also considered a means to treat allergies to pollen and are said to have a positive effect on people with, for example hay fever to have. Some Studies have shown, however, that treatment with bee pollen can also cause the exact opposite, namely increased allergic reactions. That is why it is especially important for allergy sufferers: inside, pollen only below expert medical guidance to try out.

Bee pollen: recommendations for purchase and consumption

You can often obtain bee pollen directly from beekeepers.
You can often obtain bee pollen directly from beekeepers.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Hans)

Take bee pollen

Bee pollen is a natural product, the exact ingredients of which can vary. It is therefore not possible to predict in general terms how they can work individually. In any case, it is important to take the pollen exactly as instructed by the manufacturer. Basically, you should start with a low dosage first and then slowly increase it.

Buy bee pollen

If you want to try bee pollen once, we recommend that you keep a few things in mind when shopping:

  • Bee pollen come in different Dosage forms available, for example as granules, in combination with other bee products (for example in Royal jelly or propolis), in capsule form or in drinking ampoules. With these products, pay attention to whether and which additives are in them.
  • Do you want pure bee pollen you can buy them straight from an apiary Respectively. Many of them now offer bee pollen as standard and are happy to answer any questions about where the bees collected their pollen.
  • If you have bee pollen regional you also avoid emissions from the transport of the granules: imported pollen often comes from Greece or Spain, for example.
  • Make sure Organic bee pollen to buy. These come from controlled organic beekeeping and beekeeping. Maybe you have a beekeeper on site – or you search for one online ecological beekeeping. Ecological beekeeping means, for example, that the bees are allowed to build their own honeycomb structure. By opting for organic products, you also reduce the possibility of pesticide residues in the pollen – organic beekeepers have to set up their beehives according to special specifications. It must be ensured that there are nectar and pollen costumes within a radius of three kilometers, which essentially consist of ecological crops and / or wild plants and / or crops that are treated using methods with low environmental pollution. That gives the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture binding before.

Read more on Techzle.com:

  • An overview of honey types: You should know these
  • Medical honey: difference, effects and uses
  • Is honey suitable for babies? You should know that
  • Bee-friendly plants: the best ideas for the garden and balcony

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