New Skin Care Line Available Soon!
Well, we’re edging ever closer with our new skin care line!
It isn’t exactly new per se, but it’s reformulated and repackaged with a few exciting add-ons!
First and foremost the products are going to be the best that they possibly can be. We’re using ingredients such as royal jelly, propolis, Mango, Cucumber and many more all-natural substances to enhance and support the skin in a variety of ways.
So far our line will include -
Royal Jelly Eye Creme
Royal Jelly Facial Creme for Night/Day Use
Omega-3 Hemp Body Lotion with royal jelly
Worker Bee Hand Salve
And more to come!
Another aspect of which we’re particularly proud is that we’re making our packaging as eco-friendly as is humanly possible. We’re selecting reusable tins for most of the line, biodegradable cardboard packaging, water-based inks on recycled paper labels, and much more.
Bookmark this blog post and we’ll be back to update you in a couple weeks when items start to hit the online store. If you’re interested in carrying our brand in your retail store, or selling amongst family and friends for a profit, just send us an email or contact us here
Competition Time! – Win a 3 month supply of bee products here
Yep, it’s that time of year again! Your chance to win 3 bottles of our Total Bee Plus, and there’s a couple of runner-up slots available too.Royal Jelly and its Potential Benefits to the Immune System
A Look at Royal Jelly and its Potential Benefits to the Immune System
Nurse bees, baby bees that feed the newly-laid larva, produce a rich, milky substance called royal jelly. They produce this substance and give it to the larvae for their first three days after their creation. After that, the only larvae that get royal jelly are the ones designated to become queen bees.
Royal jelly’s high-quality nutritional components enable the queen to grow bigger and more fertile than the other bees. Due to its effect on the queen’s endocrine, hormonal and metabolic systems, her royal jelly diet also grants her long life; the queen lives up to six years, in contrast to a worker bee’s typical 4-6 week lifespan.
Royal jelly is a nutritional dynamo. The food of the bee goddess contains B-complex vitamins, including pantothenic acid and pyridoxine. And, while royal jelly is more than 65 percent water, it contains 12.5 percent protein, including several amino acids. The jelly is also relatively high in beneficial fatty acids, including hydroxyl acids, which are essential to a healthy immune system. To sweeten the pot, royal jelly also contains minerals, enzymes, antibacterial and antibiotic components, and trace amounts of vitamin C. But the arguably miraculous component that turns the ordinary bee into the supreme ruler appears to be a single protein called royalactin.
According to the science journal, Nature, royalactin appears to activate several proteins in bees that cause an increase in overall body size and ovary development. However, Ryszard Maleszka from the Australian National University in Canberra warns, “There are dozens of potentially important components in royal jelly and giving a special rank to one of them is misleading.” The queen’s size could also simply appear larger when contrasted with worker bees whose growth hormones were deactivated.
The nearly-supernatural effects of royal jelly reach beyond the hive. Research has uncovered a honeycomb of royal jelly’s benefits in humans, ranging from reduced anxiety to an improvement in varicose veins. Numerous studies, including several published by the National Institutes of Health, found that components of royal jelly (RJ) are especially beneficial to the immune system. In a study conducted in Belgrade, Serbia in 2007, researchers discovered the complexity of royal jelly’s biological activity and found some forms were able to improve or regulate immune function.
Another study, conducted in 2011 at the Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology in Tokyo, found that royal jelly extended the life of C. elegans, a multi-cellular roundworm. The researchers concluded that royal jelly may contain longevity-promoting factors that could affect humans as well. The increase in lifespan may be due to royal jelly’s unique ability to modulate insulin, promote immune function and neutralize free radicals.
Research conducted at the Giresun University in Giresun, Turkey, found that mice who were exposed to toxic heavy metals exhibited a significant amount of chromosomal damage while mice who were given royal jelly showed far less damage after the same amount of exposure. The scientists theorized that royal jelly may help prevent damage from oxidative stress, a key factor in the aging process.
For humans, this research translates to the possibility that royal jelly may indeed help prolong life by increasing immune function, decreasing undesirable factors such as high cholesterol and free radicals, and improving the quality of life in people with certain diseases and conditions. People with decreased immunity, such as cancer patients and those with AIDS, may benefit from daily doses of the nutritional elixir. Others who just want more energy and better overall mental, emotional and physical health may find that royal jelly helps with anxiety, depression, fatigue and sexual dysfunction.
Because royal jelly is a naturally-occurring substance, it has few negative side effects. Some people may experience an allergic reaction when coming into contact with bee products. Because bees collect and use pollen from flowering plants, people with hay fever, asthma and other allergies may experience itching, swelling, hives or a more severe allergic reaction. In very rare cases, the reaction can be life-threatening.
Natural substances are also harder to regulate and standardize. Because royal jelly is a supplement, it is not regulated by the FDA. Therefore, the strength of jelly taken from one hive could differ from the strength of that taken from another. Also, because the substance is relatively rare and difficult to obtain, it is expensive, which could cause some manufacturers to dilute the product. The quality measurement for royal jelly is it’s percentage of 10-HDA. Lower grade royal jelly, measured at 1% or 2% 10-HDA is suitable for use in skin care and cosmetic products but often finds its way into imported supplement products. For supplement use, 4% to 6% 10-HDA is optimal.
Learn more about the health benefits of royal jelly here | Buy it here
Information on the uses of propolis
Here’s a recent addition to our resources section ‘Historic uses of propolis’
There’s an interesting section in the above article which explains that propolis is actually derived from two sources. Many people know that it is collected by the bees from plant resins, but it is also formed by digesting the outer casing of bee pollen. The two origins result in a product with distinct uses within the hive!
Have fun!
One Penny Shipping Offer
Hi Folks,
We’re winding the clock back a few years to a time when offering free shipping wouldn’t break the bank (Thanks to USPS, our average package cost is now at $8.00 !)
For the next few days we’re offering $0.01 shipping for any package destined for a USA address.
A tip – order 4 or more bottles, select 1 penny shipping, and we’ll send your package Priority Mail for a penny!
Order our bee products today before this offer closes!
Cheers
Our Bee Products vs Our Competitors
Occasionally people will ask us for more information on how our products compare to other manufacturers’ products. Obviously when surfing the web, a wide variety of bee products can be found and many, on the surface, look very similar.
So let’s take a quick look at ‘Total Bee Plus‘, our most popular combination beehive supplement.
Total Bee Plus as most of you know by now contains a blend of royal jelly, bee pollen, propolis and honey, all combined together in one vegetable based capsule. These substances from the hive contain a range of benefits. [royal jelly health benefits here] [bee pollen health and weight loss benefits here]
Sure, there are a couple products around which look similar. One of the things missing from other products is usually ‘honey’. Honey is often underrated as a nutritional supplement when in actual fact it’s a very effective substance.
Honey is made by bees from plant nectaries which are buried within the flower. Worker bees actually collect the nectars and transport them in sacs contained essentially within their own digestive systems. The nectars are processed by an enzyme contained within the bee sac and it is then placed within small storage cells in the hive, where it ripens over a period of a few days.
People often ask us for a breakdown of the vitamin and mineral content of our products, but it’s difficult to provide this information due to wide regional and seasonal variations. Such is the case with honey, which can be collected from a wide range of plant types, each having its own set of nutritional properties. These plant types affect the color of the honey, its perceived sweetness and bitterness, its vitamin, mineral and amino acid properties and its antibacterial properties.
On the last point, ‘antibacterial properties’, its important to remember that honey is used in many ways as a natural food preservative. Occasionally, manufacturers will add honey to royal jelly to help preserve the royal jelly for a longer and more effective shelf-life. We don’t use our honey as a preservative for royal jelly, we use it for its unique and valuable set of nutritional properties.
What else is different about our Total Bee Plus? – Well, when you look at other ‘similar’ products you’ll generally see a lot more bee pollen and a lot less royal jelly in their formulations. Why is this? It’s generally for commercial reasons. Bee pollen is far more abundant and therefore far less expensive, so competitors stack up their combination products with bee pollen to save on costs. As an example, 1LB of premium quality 6% 10HDA royal jelly can cost around $150.00, where 1LB of wholegrain bee pollen would cost in the region of $10 – $15.
Lastly, the quality of our raw materials sets us apart from most of our competitors. Take royal jelly for example. There’s a vast difference between available powders and their level of active ingredient. The standard of measurement for royal jelly powder is its 10HDA content, measured as a percentage of volume. It can be as low as 1% and upwards of 6% on the top end. We wouldn’t use a 1% 10HDA in any health supplement, but people do. We always aim for the top end of available 10HDA, 6%. This means more active ingredient per microgram powder weight and more benefit to the end user.
Other factors affecting the raw material involve how it is processed. We’ve talked elsewhere about the common practice of pasteurization, and obviously, that’s not a good thing to do to any nutritional supplement, particularly one as delicately balanced as royal jelly. But again, many manufacturers start with a base raw ingredient which has been previously pasteurized. You can’t restore the nutrients once they’ve been harmed by heat processing.
So it’s important to look beyond the label and understand more about the different substances, their nutritional properties and the importance of processing the raw ingredients into supplement form.
That’s why we consider our products to be the best available. We’ve been doing this for 15 years and we wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t for our expertise and attention to detail.
Bees at Risk yet stalled action..
This is a disappointing end to the week.”EU delays action on pesticides ban”.
This relates to scientists having identified 3 specific pesticides that are proven to be harmful to the honeybee population, and the European Union failing to agree on an action.
It’s yet another example of our bureaucrats getting together and being unable to do what’s right as a collective. Bees are at risk, this is nothing new. Everyone understands the importance of the honeybee in the supply of our foods. Specific pesticides have been identified as the cause of decline in the honeybee population. “A recent report by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) concluded that the pesticides posed a “high acute risk” to pollinators, including honeybees.”
Wouldn’t you think it a no brainer to prohibit their use? ..Apparently not. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21793365
Also, why do the companies continue to produce these problematic chemicals long after it is known that they’re harmful to the bees? – Obviously they’re just feeding their bottom line, is this where the term ‘bottom feeders’ came from? I’m not sure.
“Today’s vote flies in the face of science and public opinion and maintains the disastrous chemical armageddon on bees, which are critical for the future of our food,” said Avaaz senior campaigner Iain Keith.
The large corporations who manufacture these pesticides pay their lobbyists to sway the officials who are involved in the vote to pass legislation. It’s corrupt, and they’re playing dice with our food supply.
I’m annoyed over this to put it mildly.
Psoriasis – Pollen and Propolis potential benefits
We’ve just published some information on the skin condition ‘Psoriasis’. Anyone suffering from this condition, which manifests as red sores/patches on the skin, can read about a possible approach to treatment suggested by book author Dr. Felix Murat at this link: Psoriasis and Propolis/pollen
Last few days for Store Coupon
Hi Folks!
Our coupon feb13new expires on February 28th, so be sure to put it to good use while you can!
You can use the coupon during checkout for an instant discount on your order of bee products. Products like Total Bee Plus, royal jelly and bee pollen are always available at a discount when you purchase more than one bottle, and you can use the coupon on top of your volume discount, so you’re actually paying wholesale prices!
So stock up!
Bee Products – Benefits Explored, just what are they and what do they do?
I spend a fair amount of time reading and participating in blogs relating to natural health. I seem to see a fair amount of knowledge amongst bloggers when it comes to traditional natural medicines such as herbs, but when it comes to bee products like propolis and royal jelly, most people seem to draw a blank.
Now the exceptions are obviously bee pollen and honey, which are staples not just as natural supplements but also in the case of honey, as food products.
But royal jelly and propolis seem to fly under the ‘natural remedy’ radar – why is this?
I think to a certain extent it’s because these two substances require much greater care when processing than do your typical standard herbs and vitamins. What that means is that the majority of manufacturers who delve into the bee product market turn out an inferior product which doesn’t provide real and tangible health benefits. Obviously that doesn’t mean that they all do.
Royal jelly has an impressive array of vitamins and amino acids, it also contains an ‘unknown’ substance termed ‘royalactin’. It contains live enzymes in its raw liquid state and it needs to be processed in a specific way. For certain, it needs to be processed quickly, within 2 hours of leaving the sanitary confines of the beehive is ideal. Then it needs to be frozen, blended with natural preservatives like honey, or lyophilized to remove the 67% water content and prevent it spoiling.
Propolis too needs to be handled properly. Solvents such as food grade alcohol or glycol are used to leach out the active ingredient, separating it from the waste organic compounds of the plant residues. This needs to be done whilst retaining is bioflvonoids, which are the active compounds responsible for delivering its health benefits. You can read more about this propolis extraction process here.
So clearly a high skill level is required to take these products from the hive and process them as effective natural supplements. It’s necessary to look for a ‘specialist’ manufacturer to obtain the requisite standard of product, one which will deliver the full potential of benefits to your health. What are these benefits? You can learn about the benefits of royal jelly in this article.
The above links will also direct you to pages where you can but these bee products from a reputable source.
Labeling Update on Total Bee Plus
Some people have been asking about the different label details on our Total Bee Plus product.
Around 6 months ago we made a labeling change to the Total Bee Plus in order to remain compliant with FDA requirements. The product ingredients are exactly the same as they have always been since we started making it over a decade ago. The label change relates to the way we specify the concentrated powders in the Supplement Facts panel.
The formula has always been from a daily dose of 2 capsules:
Royal Jelly 1200 mg from a 3:1 concentrated powder
Bee Pollen 800 mg
Total of 2500mg active ingredient from 2 caps.
Since we are no longer allowed to use the concentrated powder equivalent, we have to use only the actual powder weight on the label Supplement Facts panel.
With the concentrated powder, we start of with fresh liquid royal jelly, which has around 67% water content, then we remove the water. So from 1000mg of liquid royal jelly we extract around 333mg of dry powder.
The propolis is extracted via a different process, it has less moisture content and we finish up with a 2:1 powder.
So the actual powder weight is:
Royal Jelly 1200mg / 3 = 400mg powder weight
Bee pollen 800mg
Propolis 400mg / 2 = 200mg powder weight
Honey 100mg
Therefore the total powder weight for 2 capsules is 1500mg as shown on the new label. But the actual potency is still 2500 mg per the old label, factoring for the concentrated powders.
Propolis
We’ve updated our resources section with a new article on Propolis – here
The article discusses the health benefits of propolis on conditions such as mouth ulcers / cankers, sunburn and more. Propolis is used for its natural antibiotic properties both as a health supplement and topical skin care product.
Our product page can be located here, we have double strength (1000mg) propolis for the price of 500 mg.
Our best seller ‘Total Bee Plus’ also contains propolis alongside royal jelly, bee pollen and honey. Use the image to the right to visit our Total Bee product page. Or learn more about royal jelly benefits here.
Use your health supplements responsibly. If you have a medical condition do not self-diagnose or self-treat, consult with your healthcare practitioner first.
New article on bee products
We’ve just published a short intro to bee products and their health benefits, for those new to the subject – ‘Do Bees Hold the Secret to Better Health?’
The article has links to more in-depth information on royal jelly benefits, bee pollen and weight loss and propolis and the immune system.
Bee products can work for many people to provide a much needed and all-natural health boost. Do Bees hold the secret to better heatlh – click here to find out.
A Message from the Queen Bee – Here’s Why We Both Need Royal Jelly
OK, so I know you’ve probably done some research on royal jelly, but you haven’t heard from the real expert… me!
That’s right. You don’t really know what royal jelly is capable of until you talk to the King of all Experts… um… well… in this case, the Queen. So, take it from me (the Queen Bee), royal jelly really is all it’s cracked up to be, and more!
How do I know?
Well, I start feasting on it before I’m even born! While I’m developing, my larva is surrounded by royal jelly. So, by the time I’m ready to grace the world with my presence, I’ve got super-bee strength.
And, trust me, I’ll need it! Throughout each egg-laying season, I’ll lay over 1,500 eggs per day. That’s one egg every 30 seconds! (And, no, we don’t have epidurals in the hive. So you’ve really got to bring your A-game if you’re the Queen Bee!)
You’d think I’d be exhausted from single-handedly keeping the population of my hive going, but I actually live 40 times longer than my worker bees. I’m also twice their size and double their weight. While none of this would be considered great if I was a Hollywood actress, it’s a real head-turner if you’re a bee… Trust me!
Genetically, though, I’m no different from all of those worker bees. The only difference between me and them is the royal jelly. You see, they don’t get to feast on it like I do. Oh sure, they get it for a couple of days during their development. But after that, it’s all mine!
Want some scientific proof to back me up? (I know how fussy you humans can be about science!)
Luckily, there are plenty of non-bee scientists that have devoted a whole lot of time and energy to figuring this stuff out. They’ve even given royal jelly to fruit flies, and the results were the same. The ones who got the royal jelly were bigger, stronger, and lived longer. [you can read more about the benefits here]
So, as you can imagine, there are all kinds of humans who want in on this royal jelly action. (I can’t really blame them. After all, us Queen Bees ARE pretty fabulous, in my humble opinion!)
While it won’t make you bigger and stronger (sorry to all of you who dream of being an All-Pro linebacker one day), royal jelly will help you do some pretty amazing stuff.
Just ask the Ancient Egyptians. Even without the benefit of all your fancy modern science, they knew that royal jelly was pretty awesome. In the days before you humans had your expensive skin care lines, the Ancient Egyptians used royal jelly as a face cream. Now that you think about it, have you ever seen a picture of an Ancient Egyptian (or a bee, for that matter) with wrinkles? I didn’t think so!
But royal jelly won’t just help you have the smooth, flawless skin of a Queen Bee. Its benefits go way further than that.
While it may not help you have as many kids as I do, royal jelly can maybe help boost your sexual performance. And, if you’re lucky enough to have a “hive” of your own to take care of one day, it can also help fight off insomnia, exhaustion, and anxiety. Trust me, as someone who (literally!) has thousands of kids swarming around, I know how debilitating those things can be when you’re trying to be a good parent!
And while you may not live as long as I do (thanks to royal jelly, some of us Queen Bees can live up to 7 years – compared to worker bees who only live 7 weeks!), royal jelly and it’s presence in a healthy diet can help you live longer. That’s because it has been shown in studies to have the capacity to help prevent serious health problems like heart disease, liver problems, asthma, and gout – thanks to its incredibly rich supply of vitamins and minerals.
But what good is living longer if you don’t feel your best? Luckily, royal jelly might be useful in helping you fight off some of the tell-tale signs of aging – like menopause. (And, take it from me, that’s a biggie. No one likes a cranky Queen Bee!)
Even the littlest “bees” in your “hive” can benefit from royal jelly. In Germany, a group of doctors gave royal jelly to premature, underweight babies – just like I got it as a baby bee. The result? They all gained weight! In fact, they each reached a healthy weight and enjoyed a more stable nervous system.
Bottom line – it’s not every day that a distinguished member of royalty shares her secrets with you. So, take a lesson from this Queen Bee, and get your hands (or your stinger, as the case may be) on some royal jelly!
The Queen Bee!
Happy 2013!
Happy New Year to all our friends, customers and visitors!
We hope it’s a great year for everyone.
We’re working on a few programs to help you (and us) get fit and in shape this year, so keep in touch…better still, sign up for our ‘Natural Weight Loss’ newsletter here.
We’re looking at some new products for 2013, including the revival of our popular skin care line and a lower cost alternative to our Total Bee Plus.
Our Lac Verde skin care products became popular when we first released them, but sky-rocketing raw ingredient costs resulted in a ‘pause’ in production. But we have some options on organic royal jelly for our skin creme along with bee pollens and beeswax, so we’re looking at bringing those back to you quite soon.
Likewise, we’ve fought hard to avoid price increases on our bee supplements, and we know just how sensitive an issue price is to people these days. So we have a new formulation in the works which combines our favorite royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis for a lower-cost alternative to Total Bee Plus. That’s a little ways off yet so stay tuned.
Have a great 2013!
CH
Product Integrity and Cost Considerations
We’ve just added a new page which touches on some of the considerations when shopping around and comparing the cost of different royal jelly and bee pollen supplements. You can visit the page here
Happy Holiday Season!
We hope you’re all having a great Holiday season so far, and perhaps even cutting back on intake for a week or two in prep for the over-indulgence to follow!
Well, whatever happens make sure you keep your strength up and keep your immune system in top shape. So don’t forget to take your Total Bee Plus over the holiday and be sure to get a good balance of sleep and exercise.
For those who haven’t yet tried bee products, or whose supply is close to being depleted, you can take advantage of our final sale of 2012. Just use the code: TBP55 on the checkout page for an instant discount on our already discounted product line.
Stay safe over the Holiday and have a great end to the year and an even better 2013!
All the staff at TNS
Honey Bees’ Genetic Code Unlocked
Below is a short yet rather interesting article on honey bees, their function around the hive, and the selection process where specific bee larvae are fed royal jelly to develop them into Queen bees.
The research is primarily focused on gaining a better understanding into how the honey bee is affected by its environment, with a view to understanding and hopefully ‘resolving’ such issues as Colony Collapse Disorder – Read the article here
Chinese Bee Pollen Weight Loss Supplement Recall
There’s been a lot in the news lately about the recall of a popular weight loss supplement, origin China. This has made the news with a splash, but in reality it isn’t anything new. Products have been coming into the US market for years which are mislabeled. Sure, the ‘deception’ isn’t always as sinister as with this recent episode, but deception is what it is and it’s harming the consumer.
In case you haven’t heard, a rather large and popular Chinese herbal manufacturer (who shall remain nameless here, you can Google their name if you wish), decided that adding a prescription drug to their herbal formula would produce better results for their users. The drug added, sibutramine, was removed from the market in the USA as it was found to have harmful side effects – including increasing blood pressure and raising the level of risk in persons with cardiovascular problems. And of course the added substance was not declared on the product ingredient label, it couldn’t be or it would never have made it to the shelf.
The insult to the consumer is a double whammy in this instance. People who might take sibutramine for its appetite suppressing properties, but could not do so due to having high blood pressure, found themselves taking it anyway, unknowingly.
Let’s stop there with the focus on a single incident, as I said earlier, this has been going on for many years.
But how does it happen within an industry so carefully regulated?
It’s simple really. When herbal products are manufactured overseas, they usually arrive here already packaged, labeled and ready to hit the shelf. There isn’t a legal requirement to break open the package and test the contents, so the onus is on the integrity of the manufacturing company and their observing local regulations in the country of origin.
But what are their local regulations? We don’t know. Of course the FDA and FTC require supplements to be labeled in a specific way and of course they require the label to accurately reflect what is inside the product. But the trail is retroactive. For a problem to be found there has first to be an issue, after which the FDA can work backwards to the source of the problem.
For products manufactured here in the USA it’s a different scenario. All herbal/drug/pharmaceutical companies are regulated by the FDA. To package products for the US market it is necessary to do so from within a FDA licensed facility. The FDA do not just grant a license then walk away, they subject the facility to frequent inspections.
A typical inspection involves the manufacturer producing a complete list of all products made between inspections. With this list is attached the product label. With the product label is attached a Certificate of Analysis for all of the product ingredients. The C of A is produced by the raw ingredient supplier for the manufacturer. The manufacturer/processor must test individual ingredients against a list of specific requirements. If the ingredients on the label include weight(mg), then the final blended product must be further tested to determine that the powder weight for each of the active ingredients is what it says on the label.
So there’s a very clear and concise path through all stages of procurement, manufacture and supply, to determine the integrity of the ingredients and the accuracy of the product labeling. This isn’t checked retroactively, it’s checked proactively during periodic inspections.
That’s not to say that it’s perfect by any means, but it’s a lot closer than anything coming into the country from overseas.
To summarize, when you buy imported products, you are at risk of consuming something containing harmful ingredients which are not listed on the label. You are at risk of consuming a product which is ineffectual because what IS printed on the label is not actually contained within the product. (Some Chinese origin bee pollen products are notorious for being made up of filler with very little active ingredient).
The choice is yours. Since it’s your choice, your money and your health, we recommend that you buy USA made products.
Product Testimonials – using common sense
In the business of selling bee products for almost 15 years, we’ve received countless testimonials from happy customers who’ve been taking our bee products, products like Total Bee Plus or our premium grade royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis.
We tend not to publish these testimonials too frequently as it may lead people into making decisions about their health which could turn out to be erroneous and harmful.
We’ve had all manner of feedback from customers, from comments such as “this product has cured my fibromylgia”, to “my persistent migraines have ceased”, to “I haven’t had a cold in 5 years of using this product” to more basic feedback like “I feel more healthy and energized”.
Obviously if we print all of these comments they may be happened upon by other people with similar symptoms who might unwisely forgo the correct path to treatment, which should always be via a certified health practitioner.
Earlier this week we received an email from a customer inquiring about a friend who had cancer, and asking us which product would we recommend for cancer and what dosage? Clearly this is taking the benefits of health products to the extreme, if there were such simple cures for cancer, we’d all be aware of them, I’m sure.
Of course that’s not to say that bee products don’t provide support to the immune system which in turn helps us fight off free-radicals in the system, which can cause many diseases such as cancer. And lets not forget about research into propolis which has unveiled some anti-tumor properties when tested on lab animals, but really, we need to keep things in perspective. If you have a serious ailment, please consult with your healthcare provider for the best course of treatment.
Win a 3 month supply of bee products!
Competition Time at TNS!
We have a free to enter competition running until November 5th. Just register here for a chance to win one of three prizes!
You don’t have to do anything to win, but if you use the ‘share’ buttons after you register you can earn more entries and increase your chances of winning! So if you have a Facebook or Twitter account it’s perfect.
We’ll post the winner via FB/Twitter/Blog/email – so register now, it just takes a few seconds!
Total Bee Plus Updated Formula
Total Bee Plus Updated Formula – Even Better Than Before!
For almost 12 months we’ve been working at improving our Total Bee Plus formula, with the constraints of avoiding a price increase and avoiding a move to a larger capsule.
In the first step we improved our Propolis extraction process to gain more active ingredient and a more pure extract.
The new process brought a few comments about a slightly stronger Propolis scent in the new pills.
We’ve now increased the grind mesh so we produce a finer powder and most of the Propolis scent has gone.
The appearance of the powder has changed as a result of the finer grind on the Propolis.
Bee Pollen is yellow, Propolis is dark brown/black, royal jelly is off-white and honey powder is off-white. As a result of the finer grind on the Propolis the blended powder now has a slightly more grey appearance and the dark specs of Propolis chunks visible in the past are no longer present in the powder.
Lastly, we’ve been required to make a small labeling change to stay in compliance with the new FDA regulations on product labeling.
Enjoy Your Total Bee Plus!
From 4 veggie capsules daily –
Royal Jelly 2400mg (600mg per cap, 3:1 concentrated powder)
Bee Pollen 1600mg (400mg per capsules)
Propolis 800mg (200mg per cap, 2:1 concentrated powder)
Honey 200mg (50mg per cap)
New Website!
Well, we finally got around to giving our website an overhaul. Still chipping away at some loose ends, but it’s 99% there.
If you have an problems, please let us know. We rely on your feedback to make this a better place!
We’ve also added a new and simple ‘auto ship’ feature so you can get your Total Bee Plus shipped out to you automatically each month. We’ll be adding the royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis products to Auto Ship soon. You can see the ‘Subscription’ button on most pages, and we offer a discount and free shipping on auto-ship products.
CH
Bee Propolis Capsules – color – taste – odor
There are a number of ways to extract the active ingredient propolis, from the sticky, resinous substance that is removed from the beehive. The type of extraction process used can and usually does add to the odor of the finished propolis capsules.
Alcohol, or food grade ethanol is often used in the process. The extractant is fully evaporated during the process but can leave behind a fairly distinct odor. The odor is less prominent once the propolis is capsulated but it can still be quite noticeable.
Recently we’ve changed the extraction process for our propolis and the odor level has increased a little. We’re in the process of countering this by using a much finer mesh to grind it into a powder, which helps release some of the odor during the grind.
The finished propolis capsules have a fairly acrid flavor and a lightly pungent odor, not unpleasant, but certainly not something you’d want to take for flavor alone!
Our next batch of Total Bee Plus, coming through in October, will have a much lighter odor and a sightly different color. The color has changed as we’ve ground the black propolis into a much finer powder, so when mixed with the white royal jelly, the white honey powder and the yellow bee pollen, the resultant color is a greyish tan.
Tell your friends about us!
Just a quick post to ask you, our visitors and customers, to tell your friends about us, The Natural Shopper!
We try to manage our costs so we can avoid having to pass a high overhead on to our customers via higher product pricing, which doesn’t leave a whole lot in the budget each month for advertising and marketing.
Our best and most effective marketing tool is word of mouth, so please spread the word about our great royal jelly products amongst your friends.
It’s easy to do if you have a Facebook account, just Like our page here, and ‘share’ one or more of our status updates with your friends.
Or, just remember to drop our name and web address to your friends via Smartphone or email.
We really appreciate your help in spreading the word!
Cheers
TNS
Bee Pollen
Hey Folks!
For a limited time we’re offering our whole grain bee pollen in bulk, by the pound. It’s the same great stuff we use in our capsules, only in bulk form. The capsules have been extremely popular since we introduced them a few months back so we thought we’d see if some of you would prefer to just buy the bulk granules. Obviously it’s less expensive to buy in bulk as you’re not paying for packaging.
We also plan to introduce a 1000mg whole grain bee pollen capsule pretty soon, so stay in tune for that.
For now, visit this page for bee pollen granules.
Info on royal jelly
Thanks to TNS for the new article explaining some history behind the use of royal jelly. You can read the royal jelly article here
It’s interesting to bear in mind that in ancient times the people who administered medicine did not have access to labs and test equipment, so treatments and cures evolved based on a simple trial and error method. Those cures that withstood the test of time must have been ‘real’ in the sense that they continued to be utilized for many centuries. This is certainly the case with royal jelly and also bee pollen.
So have a read at the link above and enjoy.
Bee Pollen – Granules or Powder – what’s the difference.
Many people obsess over the bioavailability of bee pollen. Well at least over the bioavailability of the nutrients contained within bee pollen, to be exact. So surely the form in which the pollens arrive on your table has some bearing on how easily (or otherwise) your digestive system will take anything of worth from the pollen. I know, you’re jumping up and down right now uttering the words ‘potentiated bee pollen‘.
The potentiation process is supposed to make the substance more available and absorbable in a nutritional sense. So what’s that all about? Well, bee pollen granules do have a fairly hard outer shell, and it does take time for your digestive system to eat it’s way through that shell in order to get at the vitamins and minerals contained within. A simple way to accelerate the process is to crack the whole grain granules or even grind them into a powder. But you don’t want to do anything crazy like dehydrate the substance to make it easier to grind, at least not with heat.
Speaking as a manufacturer and an avid end-user, I like to take the fresh, raw, moist pollen granules and freeze-dry them using cold air, as the word ‘freeze’ clearly implies. Then, give the dry granules a quick spin around in the grinder, just to crack them up a little without turning them into powder.
Then, either package them in tubs or capsulate them. Which method is best is highly debatable. I tend to prefer capsulation, as it does help preserve the freshness and integrity of the bee pollen. Packing in 1LB bags or screw-top containers is OK if you get through the stuff at a reasonable pace. But if 1 pound in weight is going to last you a year or so, I’d prefer to have it in capsule form. Sure, it’s going to be more expensive, but it’s worth it in my opinion.
You can get what I’m describing from various sources, including this one: The Natural Shopper’s Bee Pollen. There are other places too, but beware of the Chinese stuff that’s imported in capsule form, as it may not be quite as fresh and potent as you think.
As far as dosage is concerned, well it’s another debatable issue. Firstly, so long as you’re not allergic to bee pollen there’s not really any fear of overdosing, which many people seem to misunderstand. It’s classified as a food, so you could probably eat too much bratwurst and get sick and you could probably eat too much bee pollen and get sick, but it wouldn’t be easy to do. Your body will take what it needs and what it can efficiently absorb, and discard the rest.
Update on Royal Jelly backorders
Hey folks!
We’ll be shipping out royal jelly back-orders on Friday this week (17th August).
Apologies to those of you who have had to wait a little while to get your order. Unfortunately there has been a national shortage of the premium quality royal jelly we use in our products. We’ve overcome that issue now and we’re sending out all orders tomorrow.
Cheers
TNS
Lower than Wholesale pricing. Suggested Retail $34.95 save $96 on a 6 month supply!
Contains royal jelly - bee pollen - propolis - honey in one capsule. 120 caps for a 1 month+ supply, 5000mg active ingredient from 4 caps daily. Learn More Here
| Quantity | Price |
| 1-1 | $23.95 |
| 2-3 | $22.95 |
| 4-5 | $21.95 |
| 6+ | $18.95 |
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