Honey is produced when worker bees fly from flower to flower collecting the nectar formed in the flower. The bee ingests the nectar, rich in sugars, vitamins, and minerals, storing it in its honey sac. During flight, bees remove water from the nectar, causing it to dehydrate and become viscous.
Upon returning to the hive, bees store the nectar in the honeycomb. Other bees process it, enriching it with enzymes. The hive acts like a dehydrator as bees exchange air several times an hour and release heat. The nectar continues to dry and becomes increasingly viscous.
The highest quality honey is obtained by centrifugation, i.e., cold extraction. It is very important to consider the geographic origin of the honey—the area where the bees were located during foraging.
Honey from areas sufficiently distant from urban regions is virtually free of contaminants and pollution, making it 'Ecological Honey' produced in ecologically pristine environments.
Honey is a sweet, thick, and viscous product of honeybees with a distinctive taste and aroma that acts bactericidally (inhibits bacteria and prevents their growth) and antimycotically (prevents fungal development). It is easily digestible and therefore an ideal food that is almost completely utilized. Honey improves metabolism and the function of all organs, thereby strengthening the body's resistance.
It cleanses the blood of toxins and facilitates the absorption of substances (medications, vitamins, hormones, active herbal compounds). Consuming honey in the morning promotes body cleansing, while in the evening it has a calming effect. Honey contains over 180 different components, including numerous organic acids, various vitamins, minerals, enzymes, wax, pollen grains, and essential oils. It also includes different sugars, essential amino acids, fruit acids, antibiotics (phytoncides), antioxidants—essential substances for human health.
Due to its balanced composition, honey is a nutritionally valuable food for children and adults. It is easily digestible, rapidly and almost completely utilized. Because of its enzyme content, honey is among the most important food products and is a natural source of energy. Regular consumption builds physical endurance and mental stability.
Bee pollen is a product that worker bees collect from flowering plants, process with nectar and their own enzymes, form into granules, and store in the wax cells of the hive. Pollen is the primary food for bees and is essential for the development of bee brood.
The chemical composition of pollen includes: cellulose, acids, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements, enzymes...
Bee pollen is used in its raw and stabilized (lyophilized) forms. Raw pollen may be in granule form or ground. It is stored mixed with honey, in dark packaging, hermetically sealed or lyophilized.
Each pollen grain contains ingredients essential for the initiation and development of life.
It contains proteins, vitamins, amino acids, fats, carbohydrates, enzymes, coenzymes, and hormones.
Propolis (bee glue) is a bee product made from a mixture of resinous substances collected by bees from the buds of woody plants and natural beeswax.
The term propolis is Greek and translates as: pro–before, polis–fortress, meaning protection of the city/fortress. In the world of bees, propolis serves as a building disinfectant; bees use it to fill cracks, stabilize the comb, disinfect and polish the cells, and reduce the hive entrance for safer defense against invaders.
If stored at room temperature in a dry, ventilated place wrapped in parchment paper, propolis can retain its qualities for up to three years. Its medicinal effects are multiple: antimicrobial (bacteriostatic and bactericidal), antiviral, and biostimulatory.
Royal jelly is a secretion from the glands of young bees used to feed the queen. Queen larvae are also fed royal jelly. It can be marketed in its raw form or stabilized (lyophilized). Raw royal jelly is milky in color with varying consistency, a sweet-sour taste, and a distinct aroma. Lyophilized royal jelly is a white to light-cream powder that is highly hygroscopic. Dry, stabilized (lyophilized) royal jelly stored at 0–14 °C retains its biological properties for up to five years, and at –20 °C retains quality for up to seven years. It contains all essential substances for the construction and sustenance of living organisms: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, hormones, macro- and microelements, etc.
To be suitable for use, royal jelly must meet the following conditions:
- that it does not contain more than 70% water
- that it contains at least 30% dry matter
- that it contains at least 11% protein
After numerous studies, it was found that royal jelly’s chemical composition is very complex (as listed above), but what gives it a unique character is the presence of various vitamins.
Beyond its nutritional value, royal jelly is renowned for its medicinal effects—antimicrobial and antiviral. Some research has shown that a 1:50 000 royal jelly solution can destroy certain viruses in just four minutes!
What royal jelly is most known for is:
- therapeutic effect on endocrine glands
- immunostimulant (increases the body's resistance to diseases)
- stimulates blood formation, increases hemoglobin levels
- improves myocardial and vascular function
- balances metabolism
- enhances work capacity and memory, sleep, and appetite
- slows down the aging process
- regenerates the exhausted body
- natural biostimulator and antioxidant
Royal jelly contains acetylcholine, responsible for transmitting nerve impulses and brain development; collagen, which helps maintain youthful appearance; and gamma globulin, which boosts immunity.
Royal jelly is most often used as a preparation, typically mixed with honey as its most natural “preservative.” Thus, royal jelly can be considered a superfood for the human body.
Why is royal jelly an ideal food for humans? Studies have shown its positive effects on various conditions such as weakened vision, varicose veins, malnutrition, early menopause symptoms, sexual dysfunction, infertility, hormone deficiencies, hair loss, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms, and immune stimulation. Royal jelly significantly lowers cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of arteriosclerosis. It stimulates antibody production, which eliminates pathogens of many infections, toxins, and free radicals. Royal jelly also contains 10-HDA, recognized as the most potent natural antitumor factor.