Our Guide to Royal Jelly

Royal Jelly is a creamy white or milky compound manufactured by worker bees. It is highly concentrated in nutrients – often called a 'super food' – and fed exclusively to the Queen Bee. Interestingly, a Queen Bee starts her life as a common worker bee, the only difference being that she has been fed a diet of pure royal jelly. The result is that she lives up to 5 years, while worker bees normally live only a few weeks.

This amazing substance contains a broad range of B vitamins, 17 amino acids (including all of the essential ones), and proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. It also contains aspartic acid, a compound which aids in cellular health. There are still, moreover, components which have not yet been fully identified.

Royal Jelly —- as with bee pollen and propolis -- has been used as an immune system booster, due to its high amino acid content; amino acids also scavenge free radicals, which are highly reactive substances that damage cellular material within our bodies if left unchecked. Some studies have also shown it to harbor anti-tumor properties, and to fight harmful side effects caused by poor diet, the environment, and even chemotherapy.

Other positive benefits include: longevity, increased energy, sexual enhancement, lowering cholesterol, weight loss, mental acuity, arthritis, asthma, and depression.

If you have any known allergy to bees, stay clear of Royal Jelly (and other products produced by bees).

We believe royal jelly is an interesting supplement to consider for possible dietary inclusion. Even more so because it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get the nutrients we need from our modern diets. At the same time, many of its benefits are more anecdotal than scientific. Therefore, one should harbor a healthy dose of skepticism with respect to the more exaggerated claims made by its avid advocates. As one example, although touted as an antiaging elixir because it can extend the lifespan of the queen bee greatly beyond common worker bees, there is no scientific basis in extrapolating this to humans.

Overall, however, we believe it is a supplement well worth checking out.

1. Many companies sell royal jelly (and other Bee Products) that are imported from China. Unfortunately, the manufacture of these products are completely unregulated, and many of them have been shown to be tainted with contaminants and pollutants. Make sure your royal jelly products come from a pristine source.

2. It is common that many royal jelly products to not contain the amount of active ingredient stated on the label. This is different than the contaminant issue, but stems from the same problem: lack of regulatory scrutiny. Only purchase products that are produced in pharmaceutical GMP compliant facilities, which adhere to the most exacting standards. This will ensure that your product contains what it says on the label.

3. Royal Jelly has a large water composition, nearly 70%. As such, it is a highly degradable substance. It must be frozen immediately after harvesting to avoid oxidation, which is a chemical process that quickly leads to deterioration. Freeze drying the substance is the only way the nutrient value can be locked in and maintained. Many companies apply heat or chemicals after harvesting, and taint the royal jelly or destroy its nutritional value. Savvy consumers should steer clear.

One company that meets all of the aforementioned requirements -- and more -- is Xtend-Life Natural Products from New Zealand, which has one of the strictest regulatory environments in the world for the manufacture of dietary supplements, far exceeding U.S. FDA standards. Their Royal Jelly Product also contains Bee Pollen, Bee Propolis, Vitamin E, and Siberian Ginseng, and is sourced from the pristine environment of New Zealand, void of contaminants.

We here at Nutritional-Supplement-Info have been taking this Royal Jelly product, in conjunction with their flagship Total Balance, for the last year with excellent results.