Bee pollen is actually flower pollen, the male seed of the plant. It's collected by bees and transported back to hive to be used as food for baby and queen bees. A single bee would have to gather pollen eight hours a day for an entire month to collect enough to make 1 tsp. of bee pollen, which contains more than 2.5 billion grains of flower pollen. Considered to be one of nature's most perfect foods, bee pollen cannot be synthesized in a laboratory. It is 40 percent protein and has almost all the nutrients needed for optimum human health.
Step 1
Start with a very small dose of bee pollen, to test for an allergic reaction. Wheezing, asthma and skin rashes are all possible signs of a bee pollen allergy. If you have asthma or flower pollen allergies or are allergic to bee stings, use caution when taking bee pollen. Serious reactions may require hospitalization.
Step 2
Use bee pollen to relieve seasonal allergies. Much like a vaccine introduces a small amount of a virus to allow your immune system to make antibodies, you can introduce small amounts of pollen to be used as a spore antidote before allergy season begins. For the best results, start taking bee pollen six weeks before your seasonal allergies normally begin.
Step 3
Boost your immune system with bee pollen. A Romanian study, published by the Agronomic Institute, Department of Zootechnics, titled "Comparative Studies Concerning Biochemical Characteristics of Beebread as Related to the Pollen Preserved in Honey" by Drs. E. Palos, Z. Voiculescu, and C. Andrei, suggests that bee pollen may increase your body's production of white blood cells, used by your immune system to fight infections and detoxify your body.
Step 4
Take 1 tsp. of bee pollen daily. You can add the granules to juice or a smoothie, or sprinkle them in a peanut butter sandwich or on top of a salad. You may increase the dose to 1 tbsp. daily, which will add 45 calories and 5 g of protein to your diet.
Tips and Warnings
- Bee pollen may be thermogenic, meaning it can increase your metabolism slightly and help you burn more calories.
- Very little hard scientific data backs up the health claims for bee pollen; most evidence is anecdotal. Bee pollen may not be the miracle food some people claim, but unless you have an allergic reaction, adding bee pollen to your diet won't hurt you.
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