Bee Pollen to Honey, Benefits of Bee Work for Health

Bee pollen is pollen from bees that contain carbohydrates, protein, fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals. Bee pollen is formed from a mixture of pollen, nectar, honey, and bodily fluids. While honey, bee propolis, and royal jelly are other products that can be obtained from bees. In recent years, bee pollen has become the center of attention because it is believed to have many benefits that are good for bodily health. Research has also been carried out to prove the various benefits of the bee products.

Benefits of Bee Pollen

There are several nutrients contained in bee pollen. Among these are vitamins, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants. Therefore, there are several benefits of bee pollen that are thought to be good for health, such as:

• Work as an antioxidant

As mentioned above, bee pollen contains antioxidants, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids, which are useful to protect our body from free radical attack, for example due to cigarette smoke or air pollution. Research shows that bee pollen provides protection to body cells against the effects of free radicals.

• Relieve inflammation

According to research, bee pollen can reduce inflammation and work almost the same as anti-inflammatory drugs. Unfortunately, this research has only been done on animals, not humans.

• Improve liver health

There are also studies that have found that bee pollen helps maintain liver health. Not only that, bee pollen can help the healing process of liver damage. This effect is related to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on bee pollen. However, the effect of bee pollen has not been widely studied in humans clinically.

• Speed ​​healing

Bee pollen is believed to accelerate wound healing, if applied to the skin. This bee-produced product works by increasing blood circulation, killing bacteria and moisturizing the skin.

• Boosts the immune system

There is research that shows that bee pollen has antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral properties that can help kill bacteria and viruses. The effect of bee pollen on the immune system is also seen to be able to prevent the growth of cancer cells, although it still needs to be studied further.

Until now there is not enough scientific evidence about the benefits of other bee pollen. The potential of bee pollen that is still waiting for further proof is to deal with the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, overcome thrush, improve appetite, overcome constipation and diarrhea, and lose weight.

Benefits of Various Other Bee Products

Besides bee pollen, bees also produce many other useful products. To learn more about bees, below are some of the products produced by bees:

• Honey

Honey is produced from flower nectar and bee digestive enzymes. Some studies show honey has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and good nutrition for the body. The clinical effect of honey is thought to help heal wounds on the skin. There is also some evidence to suggest that honey can be used as a cough medicine for children and might also help improve the health of children over one year of age.

• Propolis

Besides bee pollen, bees also produce propolis. Propolis is formed from beeswax and bee manure itself mixed with certain tree sap. Actually, bees use propolis as a coating when building their hives. The use of skin and beauty products that contain propolis aims to treat wounds on the skin. The medical world says this product might be effective for treating herpes in the mouth and genital herpes. While the benefits for thrush, minor burns, upper respiratory tract infections, and tuberculosis, have not been supported by sufficient medical evidence.

• Royal Jelly

You might not know that worker bees produce substances in the form of thick, white liquid like milk. This substance is called royal jelly. Just like other bee products, royal jelly is also used in the medical world. Several studies have shown that royal jelly can reduce menopausal symptoms, protect nerves, strengthen immunity, and inhibit aging.

Now you know, it's not just bee pollen that can be produced by bees and used by humans. Some of the results of the bee products above you can also consider for medicinal materials and to maintain health. However, the various bee products above may cause side effects such as allergic reactions, skin irritation, and increased effects of blood thinning drugs. Therefore, you should consult a doctor before using bee pollen or other products from bees for health.