Butterfield’s Mini Enterprise
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Carries – Total Bee Plus
Bee Keeping
Link to a great article on beekeeping from one of our favorite websites, Hand Picked Nation here. The article talks about reproduction, the environment and swarming.
Category: general info |
Bee Venom Therapy
One of the questions we’re asked periodically is why we do not offer honey bee venom.
The fact that we don’t sell bee venom does not necessarily mean that we don’t consider it as potentially beneficial.
Bee venom is produced in the abdomen of worker bees and is a colorless liquid comprised of a blend of different proteins. Many people think of this substance as a kind of toxin or poison, and to susceptible individuals it can have a toxic effect. So why would people use it?
In some instances it is used in a similar way to bee pollen. Many people who suffer the affects of airborne allergies take bee pollen in a controlled way to desensitize there system and build an immunity to local allergens. Likewise, under certain controlled conditions, bee venom can be taken to build an immunity to bee stings.
In the clinical world it is also used as a treatment for rheumatism and joint disease. It provides anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to offer some people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, nerve pain (neuralgia), multiple sclerosis (MS) some benefits.
Bee Venom Balm is also available and in this form it is less potent but may still offer some benefit. Otherwise, the substance is generally injected under the skin. This form of immunotherapy provides a high percentage of protection from reactions to bee stings and the benefit is generally retained long after the treatments stop. Unlike other substances from the hive, the FDA has approved purified bee venom for medical use.
If you suffer severe negative reaction to bee stings, have arthritis or other types of conditions which may be treatable by this type of therapy, the discuss it as a possible option with your healthcare practitioner.
Category: bee products |
April discount for bee products…
Hi folks,
We’re celebrating our new product ‘look’ by giving our visitors a discount code for use on any of our bee products. april2012 is the code, just use it on the order checkout page for an instant discount on anything of $25 or more.
Cheers!
Category: company info |
Royal Jelly and Fertility
Royal jelly obviously affects fertility in bees but research at the Biotechnology Research Center in Toyoma, Japan found that royalactin also affected the reproductive ability of fruit flies, a distant relative of the honeybee. The coinciding factor appeared to be EFGR, a protein shared by both species that senses hormones called epidermal growth factors. Additionally, a 2010 study conducted at Alexandria University in Alexandria, Egypt found that royal jelly increased the fertility of “heat-stressed” male rabbits while a 2006 study conducted at the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan found that female sheep injected with royal jelly were as fertile as those treated with a follicle-stimulating hormone and more fertile than the control group.
Can the reproductive benefits apply to humans? According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center website, royal jelly has estrogenic effects in females, meaning it affects the production of estrogen and stimulates estrus, the period of sexual excitability just before ovulation, and may also help with male infertility. A study conducted in 2008 at the Sohag University in Egypt found that a combination of honey and royal jelly applied into the vagina before intercourse increased the motility of sperm in men with a form of infertility called asthenozoospermia.
Anecdotal evidence based on personal experiences seems to support the researchers’ findings. Internet forums on infertility and reproductive issues are abuzz with claims that royal jelly (especially when taken with bee pollen) increased the number of follicles and normalized hormone levels that were previously low. Low hormone levels can prevent implantation and pregnancy rates. Posters claimed that taking royal jelly for three months seemed to make a positive difference in blood tests that measured reproductive hormones.
Because royal jelly contains so many beneficial nutrients, increased fertility could also be due to an increase in overall cell health. When cells receive adequate vitamins, minerals and enzymes, they perform better and heal faster. Additionally, bee products may increase the body’s ability to process insulin and access energy stores. Increased energy could result in better fertility.
Royal jelly can be mixed with a liquid and taken orally. Due to its delicate components, it should not be mixed with a hot liquid. Royal jelly also comes in gel capsules, powder and premixed with honey. Because it is rare, royal jelly can be expensive.
While more research is needed on the reproductive benefits of royal jelly, the evidence seems to indicate that it may help with infertility and possesses few, if any, side effects. Because royal jelly is produced by bees, individuals with sensitivity to bee stings may experience a reaction, including itching, hives, and swelling. In allergic individuals, a more serious reaction can occur, which can include breathing difficulty, shock or death. People with hay fever or allergies to bees or bee products should consult a qualified medical professional before taking or using royal jelly. [read more on: royal jelly and its impact on fertility in both men and women] [Blog post on fertility benefits for men]
Category: royal jelly |
New information on bee pollen.
Just a quick post to let people know that we have a new report published, covering ‘Bee Pollen, it’s Benefits and History and a Look at Weight Loss‘
The report takes a look at the use of bee products through the ages and gives us a number of important nutritional facts along with some research references.
Category: bee pollen |
Bee Pollen Benefits to Energy and Health
Bee Pollen Benefits to Energy
Bee pollen has many nutritional and health benefits, and is considered one of the super foods of today. It will give you lasting energy throughout the day; unlike those so-called ‘energy’ drinks that are laden with caffeine and sugar, and make you crash an hour after you have one. Most people would agree that having a balanced amount of energy throughout the day is a much better strategy.
There are two ways to take these; as a supplement that you ingest just as you would regular vitamins; or as granules that you can sprinkle on your food. They are excellent in salads, smoothies, cereal, yogurt and even soup. It is completely up to you whether to take the pill form or the granule form; the granules are less processed, but both will give you the same great benefits. You may want to try both before you decide which method you prefer using.
Bee pollen contains a multitude of vitamins and nutrients, including vitamins A, B-1, C, B-12, D, E, H, and K, as well as Thiamin, Riboflavin and a host of other essential nutrients and antioxidants. It is high in protein, and contains a total of 11 enzymes, 14 fatty acids and over a dozen vitamins.
It is not only used for increased energy; it has been used for centuries as a way to prolong life, prevent allergies, and is also believed to prevent cancerous tumors from forming (this is because it fights the free radicals in our bodies.) With all of the toxins and chemicals in our environment today, taking a daily dose of this super food has never been more important.
As with any food (and it is considered a food, not a supplement,) you should err on the side of caution when first taking it. Start off with just a few bee pollen granules and gauge your body’s reaction. If you have certain types of allergies you should talk to your health care provider before you start taking the granules or capsules.
When you take bee pollen on a regular basis it may work to strengthen your immune system and help with detoxification. This may contribute to an increase in energy levels and an improvement in overall well being and vitality. If you suffer from seasonal allergies such as hay fever, you may experience a decrease in symptoms or they could even cease altogether, but again, you should consult with your health practitioner first.
Bee pollen, as with most foods and supplements, should be checked for purity and freshness. The best product comes from remote areas where pollution is at a minimum. Parts of British Columbia, Alberta and certain areas of the U.S. are excellent sources. Be wary of anything that comes from China, because of the pollution levels and also the chemical which might be in use on the hives. New Zealand is another excellent source for these products, as they are very conscious of their pollution levels and are environmentally responsible.
With so much conflicting information and experts ‘opinions’ on health issues, it can be difficult to know who to believe. The best judge of what’s right for you, is your own doctor. No one better understands your body and how certain products and foods can make you feel. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to talk to your health care provider for advice and feedback.
While this is considered a super food, it will not work miracles. Consider it only one part of your healthy lifestyle. You will need to exercise regularly, get plenty of rest and eat properly at every meal. Get lots of fruits and vegetables into your diet; walk instead of driving; take the stairs instead of the elevator; cut down on processed foods which are laden with sodium and chemicals.
Category: bee pollen |
Fighting (against) The Common Cold
Many of us catch what we understand to be ‘the common cold’ on an almost yearly basis. The virus which most widely causes cold symptoms is the rhinovirus and it is basically a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. We’re all familiar with the symptoms of the common cold which include coughing and sneezing, a runny nose, fatigue, sore throat and fever.
It’s surprising that there is no medication available to actually treat or cure the common cold, just a vast number aimed at making the symptoms a little more tolerable. Some go a step further by helping to reduce the chance of the cold developing into a more serious form of infection which can take weeks to recover from.
The key to the common cold should be prevention. There are some methods we can adopt to help reduce the chances of contracting these cold symptoms and we need to use these methods particularly during the peak cold season. Maintaining a healthy immune system is the body’s main defense against viral infection, so we should look to improve the effectiveness of our immune system when we are most at risk. Vitamins, minerals and specific types of nutrients may help with boosting our immunity to viral infections and other types of infection which attack the immune system.
and in fact, the ways of treating them once the occur are similar in some respects to the forms of prevention.
including nutrients, hormones, and sometimes drugs, along with getting as much sleep as possible.
In the USA it is estimated that around 500 million colds afflict the population in the course of a single year, which equates to almost 2 colds for every man, woman and child in a single season (Spring and Fall are when most colds are recorded).
Once infected with the cold virus the immune system reacts by: releasing inflammatory cytokines and increasing mucous production and it is in this early stage of the symptoms developing that we need to take rapid action to prevent the symptoms developing further.
Many people think that once they have the early cold symptoms, it’s impossible to prevent the cold running its usual course. This isn’t true, you can do things to minimize the discomfort and actually shorten the duration of the common cold.
The factors which lead to one becoming more susceptible to catching the cold virus are:
- insufficient vitamin C
- poor sleeping patterns
- high stress situations
- lack of exercise
- poor overall diet
- other inherent factors which result in a weakened immune system such as an existing illness or medical condition.
Anti viral medication can be obtained by prescription whereas most of what you can buy without a prescription is going to be aimed at masking the symptoms rather than removing them. There are vitamin supplements with anti viral properties and these include bee propolis. These products may be beneficial as a preventative and to impact upon the symptoms once they’ve been contracted, but there are no real conclusive medical studies relating to human beings. Generally, any vitamin, nutrient etc with a known capacity to support immune system health may be beneficial in helping to reduce the severity and duration of a common cold.
Amino acids are present in bee products like royal jelly, propolis, bee pollen and honey, so these may help if you’ve contracted a cold. Many people increase their intake of the C vitamin once a cold has been contracted and the general consensus is that this is beneficial. (Taking more fluids, consuming fluids high in Vitamin C like orange juice etc).
We still maintain that prevention is the best course of action, so adopting immune system strengthening supplements year-round is our favored course of action in dealing with (or not having to deal with) the common cold.
Category: general info |
Royal Jelly for Men
If you look around the web at the many sites promoting bee products, you’ll see many references to royal jelly and -
- hormonal regulation
- skin care
- fertility
As such it might erroneously be considered to be a ‘woman’s health supplement’, whereas it can be equally beneficial for men. I recently spoke with the owner of a nutritional store specializing in energy and training products. Their product range included body-building supplements, products to boost testosterone, energy enhancement supplements etc. Their customer base was around 70% male and their best selling products were aimed at building muscle and losing fat. Quite surprisingly, the store had just begun selling a royal jelly and bee pollen blend, and the feedback was that it sold well, but mostly to women. I think this is simply a perception born from online marketing, which seems to pitch the products mostly towards women. Those of us in the know realize that bee pollen has been taken by athletes (men and women) for centuries and that royal jelly is taken to promote energy, something required by both men and women!
If you look at the list above, men seem to confuse the meaning of ‘hormonal regulation’ and think it to be something specific to the females of the species. Likewise with fertility.
So royal jelly can be a very useful supplement to men, as can bee pollen, propolis and honey. It might not be something the body building crowd would flock toward, but both products are high in amino acids, which seems to be the key ingredient in training and body building supplements.
It’s also worth mentioning that in the training world, the dosages of powdered supplements tends to be much higher. Many of the amino acid supplements suggest dosages upwards of 10,000mg daily. With bee products, the dosages tend to be much lower, but generally there’s no reasons why people cannot take higher dosages, assuming they’ve become accustomed to taking the products without any negative affects.
People do buy pollen powder and consume it by the teaspoon or more (5,000mg+) but generally not royal jelly or propolis, why is that?
The simple point is that bee products may be just as beneficial to men as they are to women, there’s nothing but vitamins, minerals and amino acids etc in these products, so they should be equally beneficial to men and women alike.
Category: bee products, royal jelly |
Royal Jelly Capsules
I’ve covered this here and there, but the subject cropped up again recently via an email from a customer. What’s actually in royal jelly capsules and is it fresh liquid royal jelly?
There are 4 types of capsules / tablets on the market.
Solid Bee Cap – termed a caplet or tablet
These bee caps are hard tablets and are made from pressed royal jelly powder along with a non nutritive compound to facilitate the forming and shaping of the caplet. The powder which forms the active ingredient is the same powder found in royal jelly capsules.
Royal Jelly Capsules
These are the most common types of packaged vitamin you’ll find. The capsules are generally made from gelatin, which is derived from animal products, usually bovine. Some manufacturers use a natural vegetable gelatin (we do) which includes non nutritive substances like vegetable cellulose and vegetable staeric acid. These sound like chemicals but they are plant based and are used in the capsule shells and/or as excipients in the capsulating process.
These royal jelly capsules are generally white in appearance (the shell is semi translucent and you’re seeing the white powder withing) or sometimes the capsules can be color-died to give them more of a pharmaceutical look.
The gelatin shell is a two-piece shell which can usually be pulled apart easily and the contents removed. With our royal jelly and Total Bee Plus capsules we suggest to people who have trouble swallowing pills to just pull the capsules apart and empty the contents into a cold drink. They’re not completely water soluble but mostly so.
Soft Gel Royal Jelly Capsules
Here we start with a little controversy. Many people who buy soft gel caps believe they’re actually buying fresh liquid royal jelly inside a capsule. Most manufacturers who make their caps this way do little to point out the fact that this is incorrect. The royal jelly contained within most soft gel caps has usually been freeze dried then reconstituted with a solution for encapsulation. So it might look like fresh liquid royal jelly but it’s important to understand that it has been freeze dried.
Liquid Royal Jelly in a Capsule
Some manufacturers do package liquid royal jelly in a capsule but it’s generally combined with other substances to help preserve it. These can be natural preservatives and/or chemical preservatives. Oddly enough the liquid royal jelly has most likely been pasteurized prior to capsulation, so the process doesn’t really fit in with the end product. It’s being sold as being somehow beneficial but it’s actually a damaged product due to the heat processes involved. Also, when you package your royal jelly in this way it cannot be concentrated. So generally the liquid caps you’ll encounter contain only around 150mg of active ingredient, where the freeze-dried caps contain 1000mg or more.
So these are the most common types of royal jelly caps. We favor the second option, using freeze dried powders in the 2-piece veggie cap shell. The powder is never heated, it’s had only its water content removed, and the cap is not an animal based product. You can see our royal jelly caps here
Lastly, there are 2 common capsule sizes used in the vitamin supplement industry. The size O and size OO. Using the smaller size O cap we can get up to 1000mg of concentrated powder (3:1) and using the larger size OO cap, which we use for our Total Bee Plus, we can get 1250 mg of active ingredient from a combination of concentrated and non concentrated powders.
Category: royal jelly |
Lower than Wholesale pricing on four or more. Suggested Retail $39.95