It’s not every day that you come across a single food that contains all of the B-complex vitamins, pure acetylcholine, vitamins A, C, D, and E, 18 amino acids, enzymes, hormones, and antibacterial/antibiotic substances. This healing food really does exist and it’s called royal jelly.
Royal jelly is a thick, milky substance that is secreted from the glands of young nurse bees. It is created by worker bees for nourishing larvae and the queen bee. Larvae that are fed only royal jelly become queen bees, while the rest become worker bees. It is interesting to note that, while worker bees have a life span of only sixweeks, the queen lives for four to six years! She also grows up to 60% larger than the workers and is responsible for laying approximately 2,000 eggs per day (female worker bees are infertile).
Not surprisingly, royal jelly has been used in the treatment of a number of conditions. It can be useful for asthma, liver disease, skin disorders, kidney disease, and pancreatitis. Now the latest health news is that royal jelly may have a protective effect against cognitive impairment.
Royal Jelly and Brain Function Improvement: Study
A research team prefaced a recent clinical study by explaining that Trimethyltin (TMT) is a toxic compound that induces acute neuronal death selectively in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) (an area in the brain that helps you to think) followed by cognition impairment. They therefore set out to investigate whether royal jelly stimulates the regenerating processes of the TMT-injured hippocampal DG. They found that orally administered royal jelly significantly increased the number of DG granule cells and simultaneously improved the cognitive impairment. They concluded that the orally administered royal jelly may be a promising means for improving neuronal function by regenerating hippocampal granule cells that function in the cognition process.
The best place to look for royal jelly is at your local health food store. Keep in mind that royal jelly spoils easily. It is best to buy it combined with honey to preserve its potency. You can purchase honey with royal jelly added and use it as a tasty spread or simply have a spoonful on its own. Just remember to keep it refrigerated and make sure that it is tightly sealed before you purchase it. Some people are allergic to royal jelly, so try just a little the first time you have some. If you are allergic to bees or are sensitive to honey, you’ll want to avoid taking royal jelly.