Repeated colds, heavy fatigue, lack of tone … bees are tireless workers for our health, especially our immune system. Honey or propolis, pollen or royal jelly? How to use these products of the hive whose natural side reassures. Let’s have a look at Beehive products to boost immunity.
Summary
- Honey, an easy-to-consume natural antiseptic
- Propolis a natural disinfectant
- Pollen to regulate the intestinal flora
- Royal jelly, a general stimulant
Harvested and processed by bees (honey, pollen, propolis), or completely made by them (royal jelly), bee products are considered food. This means without official medical claim even if, thanks to numerous studies, their capacity to stimulate the immune defenses is proven.
If you are allergic to pollens (grasses, birch …), asthmatic or atopic tendency, or even allergic to mites or animals, it is better to refrain from using beehive products. Royal jelly and propolis are the most allergenic, including in the form of a spray or toothpaste. Even honey, because it often contains pollens or proteins from the salivary glands of bees, can be!
Honey, an easy-to-consume natural antiseptic
It comes from the nectar of flowers that the bees pump. When it arrives in the hive, it is mainly composed of water (up to 85%) and sugars (15%). Thanks to successive regurgitation by worker bees , which each enrich it with enzymes, it becomes concentrated to 80% of sugars.
Why it is effective: Honey consists of water, sugars (mainly fructose and glucose), minerals (potassium, calcium… depending on the harvesting area) and proteins, amino acids and enzymes behind its activity antibacterial and healing on wounds. It also contains inhibins that prevent the multiplication of microbes and defensins, immunostimulatory peptides.
To these antiseptic compounds are added flavonoids and carotenoids rich in polyphenols, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. “If it is fresh (harvested for less than six months), you will also find a specific flora of the bee and its hive, with beneficial bacteria against skin germs or against Helicobacter pylori that infects the stomach, ”says experts. Finally, its pH is acidic, which is not conducive to the proliferation of opportunistic microbes.
The instructions: Take all winter in support of immunity tablespoon (15 to 20 g) of honey per day. We choose the one we like because “all honeys have stackable effects,” says experts. The plant especially gives its taste, its smell. The only difference: the more amber, the richer it is in polyphenols. “
Special precautions: Honey is not good for children before 1 year due to a potential risk of botulism. In case of diabetes, take a tablespoon in the morning before physical exertion.
Propolis a natural disinfectant
Propolis comes from tree resins harvested by bees to seal, coat and sanitize their hive.
I composes of 50-55% of resins, a high proportion of essential oils (7%), 20 to 40% of wax, all forming a pale yellow glue. There are also vitamins, trace elements and many flavonoids. If the hive is not a culture broth while more than 400 different germs coexist there and thousands of bees are activated in it, in a hot, humid and ultra-sweet atmosphere, it is thanks to the propolis! It is effective against bacteria, fungi and viruses.
The manual: Brown propolis in flu cases or infections exhausting form of alcoholic extracts, powder or mixed with honey. For its immunoregulatory and antiviral effects, during the flu, take 3 capsules morning, noon and evening with a propolis sufficiently supplied with flavonoids (extra-strong poplar from Pollenergie at 200 mg including 50 of polyphenols).
“ Poplar propolis is also indicate to prevent a profound immune deficiency following the initiation of radiotherapy or chemotherapy. It protects healthy cells, ”adds experts.
A special precaution: Before chemotherapy, take only on medical advice.
Pollen to regulate the intestinal flora
When the bees forage, they carry with them the pollen (the male seed of the flowers) and carry it towards the hive by making balls of it.
This is why the pollen present on the flower is different from that dropped into the hive.
Why it works: it is the most protein-rich beekeeping product (23.7%). It also contains sugars (27%), minerals (potassium), and lactobacilli when fresh and frozen immediately after harvest. “The germs contained in fresh pollen rebalance the flora and guarantee the health of the intestines,” explains experts. In the pantheon of pollens, that of chestnut, very antioxidant, and that of rockrose, powerful support of the intestinal immune system. “
The instructions: Take one tablespoon daily of fresh pollen in courses of 5 to 6 weeks in the fall and spring.
A special precaution: We prefer it fresh, dry pollen being just a good source of protein.
Royal jelly, a general stimulant
It is the only hive product that does not use any vegetable raw material. Royal jelly is made using only the secretions of young foster bees to feed the larvae and the queen, throughout its life. It is also the rarest product, a hive producing only 300 grams to 1 kilogram of royal jelly.
Why it works: Made up of sugars and proteins, it contains amino acids including lysine, proline and acetylcholine. It is a good source of B vitamins and vitamin C. Bactericide, virucide, royal jelly strengthens the body . In the immune system, it activates the production of white blood cells, key cells of immunity.
The manual: “The dose depends on the situation: 1 to 0.5 grams or one teaspoon per day in maintenance treatment of 3 weeks, 5 g once daily to treat an acute infection “Suggests experts.
A special precaution: It is stored for 6 to 8 months, to protect from air and at 4-5° C. Note, it remains totally contraindicated during chemotherapy.
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