Learn About Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is a milky substance secreted by nurse honey bees and fed to the queen bee. The queen bee feeds exclusively on royal jelly during her lifespan. Royal jelly has long been used by humans as a dietary supplement.
How is Royal Jelly made?
Only young nurse bees that have not transitioned to nectar foraging and honey production can produce royal jelly. Royal jelly is secreted from glands in the heads of these nurse bees. Royal jelly is fed to all bee larvae for the first three days of their life cycle. Only the larvae chosen to become the queen bee continue to be fed royal jelly past the third day.
For human consumption, beekeepers must mimic the conditions of natural queen rearing to encourage worker bees to create more royal jelly. When a hive is in need of a new queen, worker bees will create queen cells which are larger and more elongated in shape than a regular honeycomb cell.
Beekeepers use specialized royal jelly grafting frames that contain small plastic cups in the shape of queen cells. Young bee larvae are transferred to these queen cups and the frame is placed in the hive, where worker bees feed the larvae royal jelly. The beekeeper will harvest the royal jelly approximately every 2 to 3 days.
A single hive can produce approximately 500g of royal jelly in a season!
Photo: Qizhong Pan
The royal jelly is immediately frozen to protect bioactive compounds in the royal jelly that are very sensitive to heat and light. The quality of royal jelly will degrade if stored at temperatures of 4°C or above.
Most of the proteins in royal jelly are classified as Major Royal Jelly Proteins (MRJPs). MRJPs are said to be the medicinal component of royal jelly when used in traditional medicine.
The main bioactive compound in royal jelly is 10-HDA (a type of fatty acid) that accounts for 50% of all fatty acids in royal jelly. Dr. Bee always ensures that our royal jelly contains the highest content of this beneficial compound.
Health Benefits
Royal jelly is frequently used in traditional medicine to treat a number of ailments. Royal jelly can be consumed in its natural form, on its own or mixed with foods and beverages. It can also be found in various supplements such as capsules or powder.
Nutritional & Digestive Health
Royal jelly is often consumed for the variety of nutrients it contains. Royal jelly contains carbohydrates, proteins, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.
- Royal jelly may help manage cholesterol levels and diabetes.
Immune Function & Chronic Diseases
Royal jelly may improve overall immune function when taken regularly. Royal jelly has shown to have significant antioxidant properties which may be associated with reducing inflammation and anti-aging properties. Some studies show that royal jelly may improve memory function and cognitive health
- Royal jelly may improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
- Royal jelly may improve bone density and help combat osteoporosis
Sexual Health
Royal jelly is popularly used to address sexual health concerns.
- Royal jelly can improve menopausal symptoms and premenstrual syndrome
- Royal jelly may improve male fertility
Dermatological Effects
Royal jelly can be consumed or used topically to improve the appearance of skin. Consuming royal jelly has shown to decrease skin dryness and improves moisture retention.
- Royal jelly can reduce skin aging due to UV light exposure
- Royal jelly may improve skin pigmentation
