Did You Know…the “Food of Queens” can help you live a royally stress-free life?
If you’re a honeybee, it’s good to be queen. Queen bees can live up to seven years, whereas worker bees live only seven weeks. This remarkable discrepancy in lifespans is not due to genetics, rather, it is a reflection of diet. Queen bees subsist entirely on a substance called royal jelly.
Royal jelly, also known as bee milk, is produced by nurse bees who feed it to bee larva by secreting it from glands on the top of their heads. Packed with proteins, minerals, and antioxidants, this potent substance can dramatically impact human health as well. Royal jelly contains a plethora of important nutrients, such as…
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- A spectrum of B vitamins
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Potassium
- At least one dozen minerals
- Collagen
- 18 amino acids
- Lecithin
Research shows the jelly improves health and well-being in a number of important ways. The most major way, however, may be its effect on the adrenal glands. Royal jelly contains high concentrations of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), which is necessary for optimal adrenal function. And optimal adrenal function is, in turn, necessary for long-term health.
Stress Management Tip? Take Care of Your Adrenals
The adrenals are endocrine glands located on top of the kidneys. Your adrenals regulate your body’s stress response by generating and releasing certain hormones. These hormones directly influence processes such as…
Metabolism
Balance
Energy levels
Memory
Circulation
Blood pressure
Libido
When your adrenal glands become overwhelmed, they can’t regulate the hormones needed to keep those processes running smoothly.
The hectic pace of modern life makes it all too easy for stress hormones to spike to unhealthy levels. Excess quantities of stress hormones can result in adrenal exhaustion… adrenal atrophy… and even Addison’s disease, a serious condition characterized by progressive anemia, low blood pressure, extreme weakness, weight loss, and bronze discoloration of the skin.
Know What to Watch For
The main symptom of the early stages of adrenal fatigue is a difficulty or an inability to cope with stress. As your adrenal function becomes more compromised, other symptoms begin to appear, such as…
Lack of energy
Anxiety
Mental dullness
Brittle nails
Sugar and/or salt cravings
Back pain and muscle spasms
Circulatory problems
Moodiness
Insomnia
Taking royal jelly helps to strengthen the adrenal glands, and to protect them from dietary and lifestyle stresses. Researchers have found consuming royal jelly brings other amazing benefits as well, from lowered cholesterol… to improved skin tone and elasticity… to boosted liver function… to reduced joint pain.
The Royal Jelly ABCs: Always “Bee” Careful
Brenda Powell, MD, an expert on supplements and consultant for the Center for Integrative Medicine at The Wellness Institute of Cleveland Clinic, notes that royal jelly works best when taken in either fresh jelly or pill form. “Just take 500 mg of the royal jelly capsule, or a quarter-teaspoon of the fresh jelly daily,” says Powell. Experts traditionally recommend taking two to three separate doses of royal jelly each day, preferably between meals.
Important caution: if you are allergic to bees, you should avoid royal jelly and all other bee products. For those who are allergic, side effects can include minor to severe skin irritations, difficulty breathing, and in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock. If you are unsure whether you have a bee allergy, be sure to consult a health professional of your choice before adding royal jelly to your wellness retinue.
