Articles and Resources
Welcome to our beehive resources section. Here we have a selection of articles and information on the main products from the beehive - royal jelly, bee pollen, propolis and honey.
I am working to expand this section of our website, so that our visitors may become more knowledgeable and more able to make informed decisions when considering sources of bee product supplements.
I must state however that I am not a medical practitioner, my experience comes from around 12 years in the industry during which time I have researched, formulated, manufactured and tested various products utilizing the main ingredients from the beehive. I take products like "Total Bee Plus" myself on a daily basis and can attest to its effectiveness. I am not qualified to dispense advice on treating serious health conditions and any texts found anywhere on this website are not intended to make recommendations of products or diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or ailment. These texts and the products referred to have not been assessed by the FDA. The FDA have not certified any bee products nor have they made any suggestions that they intend to certify bee products or any other vitamin supplements, in fact, quite the opposite. We live in a time where steps are being implemented to force natural treatments and remedies off the market, leaving only pharmaceutical products as an option for preventative medicine or cures for ailments. This is a tragedy, but unfortunately due to the tremendous influence of the large drug companies, it looks like a certainty that eventually it will happen.
Meanwhile please enjoy the information at our website and if you would like to submit an article or anything that you think might be of interest to our readers, please do so here
Last Updated (Tuesday, 13 July 2010 14:35)
How to research, select and purchase royal jelly productsWe've covered the topic of 'what to look for when buying royal jelly' in other forums, but it's always worth revisiting since it's probably the most important and often the most misunderstood aspect of purchasing bee products, and in particular, royal jelly. Let's start by outlining the different forms in which royal jelly appear for purchase -
Fresh Liquid royal jellyWe know from our research that fresh liquid royal jelly contains approximately 67% water and must be kept refrigerated or frozen. The question arises however, "what happened between the beehive and the packaging?" It's nice to think that the fresh liquid royal jelly you are using in your drinks and cereals was properly handled before it came to you, but the chances of a safe passage from the hive to your table are pretty slim, at least when it remains in liquid form through the various stages. This is important. Firstly, the vast majority of royal jelly is imported from Asia, usually China. It is either imported in powder form for subsequent processing at a facility here in the USA or it is imported in liquid form. The powdered royal jelly is processed at a facility in China using a technique called lyophilization which we'll cover in a moment. But what happens to the liquid royal jelly, if it is to be exported that way? - well, it is usually handled like any other type of food product with water content, it is 'pasteurized'. We all know what the pasteurization process involves, - heat. Royal Jelly contains live enzymes and it is critical that these enzymes remain intact, nutritionally speaking. But that isn't likely to happen when the product is pasteurized. The upshot is, when the "fresh" liquid product arrives at your favorite USA bee product manufacturer, it has already been mistreated and much of the benefits of the royal jelly product have been neutralized through the pasteurization process. That isn't to say that it still won't have some nutritional benefit, but it's not what it should be. Oddly enough, I've researched several of the USA's leading bee product processors, and from the 4 I spoke with directly, not one of them acknowledged that their royal jelly was pasteurized, in fact they each firmly denied it. In one instance, I purchased several cases of sample products from a leading producer of bee products and their warehouse re-packed and shipped the products in a container that had been used originally to ship royal jelly to them for reprocessing. Clearly marked on the outside of the shipping container were the words "royal jelly - pasteurized at source". This company had vehemently denied that their product was pasteurized! Of course there is some royal jelly produced here in the USA and it is possible in some cases to have a product reach your table that has not been pasteurized, but the chances are very slim. And if you ask the supplier, clearly, if the product has been pasteurized, then in most cases the information you will receive will be false - I have proof of that. So what is the best way to preserve the nutritional integrity of royal jelly -? Freeze Drying Also known as lyophilizing, freeze-drying is a dehydration process which removes the water from a substance by exposure to dry, freezing air. No heat or chemicals should be involved. Lyophilized royal jelly is a freeze-dried powder in which all the nutrients of fresh royal jelly are still present. In this state it can be stored at room temperature and thus has more uses and a longer shelf life, three years. It can be transported and exported without the need for pasteurization. It is simply a natural product in its pure state, without the water content and with the full benefits of royal jelly intact. Certain 'marketing' companies try to make the case that freeze dried royal jelly is somehow inferior to liquid royal jelly, when all the time the know full well that their product has been pasteurized and mixed with other preservatives, often chemicals. Once the product is in powder form it is more stable and can be capsulated for consumption. This is the safest way to consume your royal jelly products and to have access to their full range of health benefits. Naturally it is critical that USA processors work with trusted suppliers and that the processes are tested and verified, otherwise, it could be the same low quality substance that arrives in liquid form. Garbage in, garbage out. So basically, all royal jelly products are derived from one of the above two types of raw ingredient. Quality control is aided by the implementation of a standard termed 10-HDA, which is talked about here
Last Updated (Tuesday, 13 July 2010 14:25) Royal Jelly and Bee PollenWhat are your thoughts and experiences using bee products?Well, we're through the 10 year mark now of providing premium royal jelly and bee pollen products, not forgetting propolis and honey! It's funny how many times over the years I've been asked, "do you take the products yourself?" - naturally I do, I can't think of being without my daily Total Bee Plus. Oddly enough I started out in the vitamin supplement business focusing on 'common' herbal products like Ginseng, St. Johns Wort, Ginko Biloba and a few others. The thing that was unusual was that people would read about the product, take them for a couple months then forget they ever existed. It wasn't until we/I got involved in beehive products around 10 years ago that I found people that would actually take the products long-term. That told me everything I needed to know about royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis - they really are effective as natural health supplements. So I wonder if you'd care to share your experiences taking these, or any other vitamin supplement products. I might even send you a free bottle if you have an interesting story to share! CH Last Updated (Tuesday, 13 July 2010 14:26) |
Bee Products - royal jelly | bee pollen | propolis infoWhat are bee products?A venture into the typical beehive will reveal a host of different substances, 4 of which are the subject of this review. Last Updated (Tuesday, 13 July 2010 14:33) Help Feed the Honey Bees!With phenomenon like CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) affecting the honey bee population worldwide, we need to do all that we can to nurture and protect the precious honey bees. One way you can help is in your selection of organic pesticides to treat your garden. Certain pesticides that are in use in the USA have been banned across much of Europe due to their harmful impact on the bee population. Switching to an organic pesticide will help in more ways than you can imagine, not just in protecting the honey bee population but the human population too. Pesticides are getting into our body/systems due to their widespread use. I heard a program on NPR just a couple nights ago that reminded us of just how harmful these products can be. When applied to a lawn or garden, the UV effect of the sun causes the chemical content to dissipate quite quickly, however, when we walk on a treated lawn surface, we bring the chemicals into our homes, where they can exist for a year or more in our living environments. These are in many cases, cancer-causing pathogens, and our kids are exposed to them each time they play on the lawn! Another way to protect the bee population is to encourage their growth by encouraging the type of plant growth that will attract and help to feed the honey bees. Here are a few plant types which will help - Baby Blue-Eyes Remember that the honey bee is essential to crop pollination and to keeping us supplied with our favorite royal jelly products! |