Bees maintain a vital function to maintain life on Earth. Without their tireless pollination work many foods would not reach our table. But in addition, from them we obtain other products that are very beneficial for our health: honey, pollen, royal jelly and propolis. Today, with the help of Sakai , pioneer in food products and phytotherapy, we are going to talk about the advantages of these last two.
What is royal jelly
Royal jelly is a substance produced by worker bees in their first 5 to 14 days of life through glands that they have in the pharynx. Its texture is creamy, its whitish color and has an acidic flavor.
Basically, jelly is the food that bees provide to newborn larvae until their third day, to queen larvae until the fifth day and to the adult queen bee throughout their life. Its richness in nutrients is as complete as cow’s milk for calves, not in vain it has also been called “the milk of bees” or the “super-food of the hive”.
Jelly Advantages
Among the properties of royal jelly we can highlight that it is attributed a stimulating, toning and rebalancing effect of the nervous system, as well as an ability to improve brain oxygenation, regularize digestive disorders and provide the necessary extra energy to children and adolescents of age school, especially during exams or sports competitions.
In addition, it is an excellent food supplement in states of weakness or physical or psychological exhaustion and has a stimulating action of metabolism, improving oxygenation, appetite and the general state of the body. On the other hand, used in the dermatological and cosmetic field, it has demonstrated an obvious revitalizing, anti-aging and moisturizing action of the skin.
He is also credited with a vasodilator action that favors the proliferation of red blood cells, which is why it is used in cases of anemia or in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Another property of jelly is its antimicrobial power, which is why it is recommended to prevent influenza and as a boost to the immune system of the most vulnerable groups: children, the elderly and weakened people.
What is propolis?
The propolis or propolis is a sticky substance, usually brown in color, which is made by the bees from the resin and the rubber that they collect from the damaged parts of plants and trees. The bees use it for the construction, repair and protection of the hive and in this way keep it dry, protected from drafts, safe and clean.
Like honey, propolis changes its composition depending on the place of origin and according to the plants that visit the bees.
Propolis Benefits
Since ancient times, propolis has been used in Europe and North Africa to heal wounds and treat infections of the mouth and throat, as well as caries.
In food technology, the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal properties of propolis can offer a wide variety of applications, with the advantage that their waste can be beneficial for human health. Its use as a preservative of frozen fish and in post-harvest and fruit conservation treatment has been proposed. Likewise, its application as a pesticide and fungicide is under study.
In Dermatology, propolis is used in cosmetics mainly as a deodorant and preservative. In addition, it regenerates epithelial tissue by stimulation of different enzyme systems, cell metabolism, circulation and collagen formation. In addition, thanks to the presence of arginine, it is useful in cases of acne and burns.
In ophthalmology, propolis, rich in antioxidants, prevents in 70% of cases the formation of cataracts induced by exposure to selenium.
In Dentistry, alcoholic propolis extracts have a local anesthetic action and, finally, in Otolaryngology, a study conducted in children showed their beneficial effects on the acute and chronic inflammatory processes of the upper respiratory tract.
