You may have been to the health food store and wondered what that container of orange, yellow and brown bee stuff was for. The answer to the question is as complex as bee pollen's nutrient profile. Most people use bee pollen as a nutritional supplement, eating it in smoothies or on top of their breakfast cereal. Others use it to try to combat the symptoms of a variety of health problems, from allergies to cancer. While the Brigham and Women's Hospital points out that bee pollen's effects haven't been widely studied and verified by science, natural health practitioners would argue that its healing powers are top-notch.
Nutrition
The vast majority of bee pollen users lean on it for nutritional support. Bee pollen boasts a complete nutritional profile, containing all the essential components of life, according to Shirley Lipschutz-Robinson of Shirley's Wellness Cafe. North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension puts bee pollen's nutritional makeup at 30 percent protein and 55 percent carbohydrates. It also contains between 1 and 2 percent fat and 3 percent minerals. All the vitamins are represented in trace amounts.
Allergy Prevention
One theory of allergy management is to introduce the body to small amounts of the allergen so it can build up an immunity. According to the article "Bee Pollen," published on natural health website Mother Nature, adding small amounts of bee pollen to your diet and gradually increasing the amounts can help alleviate pollen and other seasonal allergies. For those with severe allergies, bee pollen can cause a severe reaction, so begin using as few as three granules per day and work up to 1 to 2 tbsp.
Medical Symptom Management
Natural health practitioners prescribe bee pollen for a wide variety of ailments. It's used to lower cholesterol, to detoxify the liver, to increase sex drive, balance hormones and to reduce depression. It's also sometimes used for bleeding and respiratory disorders. None of these treatment claims is well substantiated, according to Brigham and Women's Hospital. It recommends avoiding bee pollen to treat health conditions due to the risk of serious allergic reaction.
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