Royal
Jelly is a milk like secretion made by worker bees in the hive. It is so named
because it serves as the sole food for the queen bee. It supplies all the
B-vitamins, vitamins A, C, D, E & K, more than a dozen key minerals. 18 amino
acids, and other important constituents, including nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).
Caution: Bee products may cause an allergic reaction in some people. Discontinue
use if this occurs. If you are pregnant or breast feeding, consult your health
care professional before using this product.
Royal Jelly Supplement Facts:
Freeze-Dried Royal Jelly - 167 mg*
(equivalent to 500 mg fresh Royal jelly)
Suggested Use: 1 to 2 royal jelly capsules daily, or as recommended by your
health care professional.
*Royal jelly daily value not established.
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Supplement
Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract
of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics --
including royal jelly -- and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian,
M.D.
Health
Benefit of Royal Jelly -- Anti-aging properties?
A study in mice showed royal jelly given for 16 weeks helped them live longer. Whether royal
jelly has longevity
benefits in humans is not known. Rodent studies also indicate that royal
jelly has beneficial effects on bone strength.
Royal jelly and cholesterol
A study in humans reveals royal jelly supplements lower cholesterol levels.
Royal jelly supplementation improves lipoprotein
metabolism in humans.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2007 Aug;53(4):345-8. R&D Center, Nippon
Meat Packers, Inc.
The researchers examined the effects of royal jelly supplements on cholesterol
and triglycerides. A few volunteers took 6 g a day of a royal jelly supplement
for 4 weeks. Their serum total cholesterol and serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
decreased significantly compared with those of the control group. There were no
significant differences in serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or triglyceride
concentrations. Among the lipoprotein fractions, small very-low-density
lipoprotein was decreased after royal jelly intake.
Royal Jelly for fatigue
A study in mice shows royal jelly has anti-fatigue
effects.
Royal Jelly side effects and caution
A very small number of individuals may have allergic reactions to royal jelly.
Asthma, together with, in some rare cases, anaphylaxis, has been observed in
subjects following ingestion of royal jelly. Perhaps royal jelly has blood
thinning potential and hence those on warfarin ( Coumadin ) should be cautious.
Food-induced anaphylaxis caused by ingestion of royal
jelly.
J Dermatol. 2006 Jun;33(6):424-6. Division of Dermatology, Machida
Municipal Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
We report a case of food-induced anaphylaxis caused by ingestion of royal jelly.
After taking royal jelly and several other medicinal products, a 33-year-old
Japanese male developed severe facial pruritus and erythema, followed by
vertigo, numbness in his fingers, generalized pruritus, wheals, dyspnea,
wheezing and impaired consciousness. He was treated with corticosteroid and
fluid therapy, and his symptoms subsided. Upon allergy testing, his only
positive reaction was to royal jelly. Given the clinical symptoms and the
positive prick test to royal jelly, a diagnosis of anaphylaxis due to the
ingestion of royal jelly was made.
Availability of Royal Jelly
Royal jelly is sold in various ways, including fresh royal jelly, pure, royal
jelly honey, royal jelly capsule and combined with other nutrients or
herbs such as ginseng. Organic royal jelly is preferable.
Royal Jelly Summary
There are few human trials with royal jelly, therefore, it is
difficult to say what long term benefit royal jelly would have if consumed
daily. The ideal royal jelly dosage in humans is also unknown. It appears that
taking a royal jelly supplement a few times a week or month would have health
benefits.
Royal Jelly Research Update
Royal Jelly prolongs the life span of C3H/HeJ mice:
correlation with reduced DNA damage.
Exp Gerontol. 2003 Sep;38(9):965-9.
In this study, we investigate the effect of dietary Royal Jelly on tissue
DNA oxidative damage and on the life span of C3H/HeJ mice. In C3H/HeJ mice that
were fed a dietary supplement of royal jelly for 16 weeks, the levels of
8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a marker of oxidative stress, were
significantly reduced in kidney DNA and serum. Secondly, we determined the
effect of dietary royal jelly on the life span in C3H/HeJ mice. The 50% mice survivals of
intermediate- (about 6 mg/kg weight) and high-dose groups (about 60 mg/kg
weight) were reached at significantly longer times than that of the control
group according to the generalized Wilcoxon test. The average survival
times were 88 weeks for the control group vs. 79 weeks for the low-dose royal
jelly group, 112 weeks for the intermediate-dose group and 110
weeks for the high-dose royal jelly group, showing that royal jelly extended the
average survival time by about 25% compared to the control group. However, royal
jelly
did not extend the total life span. These results indicated that dietary royal
jelly
increased the average life span of C3H/HeJ mice, possibly through the mechanism
of reduced oxidative damage.
Antihypertensive effect of peptides from royal jelly in
spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Biol Pharm Bull. 2004 Feb;27(2):189-92.
We have shown that Protease N treated Royal Jelly (ProRJ) and peptides from
ProRJ (Ile-Tyr (IY), Val-Tyr (VY), Ile-Val-Tyr (IVY)) inhibited angiotensin
I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity and they have an antihypertensive effect in
repeated oral administration for 28 d on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).
We investigated the contributive ratio of these peptides in ProRJ for
antihypertensive effect in single oral administration on SHR. In single oral
administration of each peptide and peptides mixture (MIX; IY, VY and IVY) at
doses of 0.5, 1 and 10 mg/kg, systolic blood pressure (SBP) of SHR was reduced
dose-dependently. This antihypertensive effect was held for 8 h. These results
suggest that peptides contributed to the antihypertensive effect of ProRJ. And
the contributive ratio of MIX in ProRJ for antihypertensive effect was computed
to be about 38%. Therefore it is considered that intake of peptides, as a
functional food would be beneficial for improving blood pressure in people with
hypertension.
Royal jelly inhibits the production of proinflammatory
cytokines by activated macrophages.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2004 Jan;68(1):138-45.
In this study, we have examined the anti-inflammatory actions of royal jelly
(RJ) at a cytokine level. When supernatants of RJ suspensions were added to a
culture of mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and
IFN-gamma, the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, IL-6,
and IL-1, was efficiently inhibited in a dose-dependent manner without having
cytotoxic effects on macrophages. This suggests that RJ contains factor(s)
responsible for the suppression of proinflammatory cytokine secretion. We named
the factor for honeybees RJ-derived anti-inflammatory factor (HBRJ-AIF), and
further investigated the molecular aspects of it. Size fractionation study
showed that HBRJ-AIF is composed of substances of low (< 5 kDa) and high (> 30
kDa) molecular weights, with the former being a major component. Chromatographic
analysis showed that MRJP3 is one candidate for the HBRJ-AIF with high molecular
weights. Thus, our results suggest that RJ has anti-inflammatory actions through
inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production by activated macrophages.
Anti-fatigue effect of fresh royal jelly in mice.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2001 Dec;47(6):394-401.
We investigated the anti-fatigue effect of royal jelly, which had been
stored at -20 degrees C from immediately after collection, in male Std ddY mice.
The mice were accustomed to swimming in an adjustable-current swimming pool,
then subjected to forced swimming five times during 2 wk, and the total swimming
period until exhaustion was measured. They were separated into three groups with
equal swimming capacity, which were administered royal jelly, royal jelly stored at 40 degrees C
for 7 d (40-7d royal jelly), or the control solution including casein, cornstarch, and
soybean oil before swimming. All mice were forced to swim for 15 min once; then
the maximum swimming time to fatigue was measured after a rest period. The
swimming endurance of the royal jelly group significantly increased compared with those
of the other groups. The mice in the royal jelly group showed significantly decreased
accumulation of serum lactate and serum ammonia and decreased depletion of
muscle glycogen after swimming compared with the other groups, whereas there was
no significant difference between the 40-7d RJ group and the control group in
these parameters after swimming. A quantitative analysis of constituents in
royal jelly
showed that 5 7-kDa protein, which we previously identified as a possible
freshness marker of royal jelly, was specifically degraded in royal jelly stored at 40 degrees C
for 7 d, whereas the contents of various vitamins, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid,
and other fatty acids in RJ were unchanged. These findings suggest that royal
jelly can
ameliorate the physical fatigue after exercise, and this anti-fatigue effect of
royal jelly in mice seems to be associated with the freshness of RJ, possibly with the
content of 5 7-kDa protein.
Case report: haemorrhagic colitis associated with royal
jelly intake.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 1997 Jul;12(7):495-9.
The case report of a 53-year-old woman with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea
is described. Prior to the onset of symptoms the patient had taken royal jelly
for 25 days. Colonoscopy revealed that the mucosa was haemorrhagic and
oedematous throughout the 20 cm long sigmoid colon. Histopathologically, mucosal
haemorrhage, oedema, and infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed.
Transmission electron microscopic examination revealed platelet aggregation in
30% of capillaries in the mucosal lesions. The drug-induced lymphocyte
stimulation test was slightly positive for royal jelly (847 c.p.m., SI = 147%)
compared with the control (576 c.p.m.). The patient's signs and symptoms
disappeared within a few days after the initiation of conservative therapy, and
the colonic lesions disappeared after 2 weeks of this therapy. This is the first
reported case of haemorrhagic colitis associated with royal jelly intake.
Royal jelly consumption and hypersensitivity in the
community.
Clin Exp Allergy. 1997 Mar;27(3):333-6.
Royal jelly consumption has recently been linked with acute asthma,
anaphylaxis and death. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the
prevalence of and the relationship between royal jelly consumption and
hypersensitivity reactions. 1472 hospital employees of a teaching
hospital in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire on royal jelly consumption and
related allergic symptoms, and 176 questionnaire respondents and 300 consecutive
asthma clinic patients were skin tested to royal jelly. RESULTS: Royal jelly
consumption was high, with 461 out of 1472 subjects (31.3%) having taken royal
jelly in the past. A total of nine subjects reported 14 adverse reactions to
royal jelly, including urticaria, eczema, rhinitis and acute asthma. Thirteen
out of 176 questionnaire respondents (7.4%) and 23 out of 300 consecutive asthma
clinic attendees (7.3%) had positive skin test to pure royal jelly. All but one
of the 36 subjects with positive royal jelly skin test were atopic to other
common allergens. Positive associations were found between positive royal jelly
skin test and atopy adverse reactions to
royal jelly and a history of clinical allergy,
but not between royal jelly symptoms and previous royal jelly intake.
Royal jelly consumption is high in the community of Hong Kong. Atopic individuals are at high risk of sensitization to royal jelly but the
precise relationship between royal jelly use, positive royal jelly skin test and
clinical manifestations of adverse reactions to royal jelly, remains to be
defined.
Asthma and anaphylaxis induced by royal jelly.
Clin Exp Allergy. 1996 Feb;26(2):216-22.
Asthma, together with, in some cases, anaphylaxis, was observed in
seven subjects following ingestion of royal jelly, a secretion of honey bees
which is used as a health tonic. To determine if reactions were IgE-mediated
and to identify allergenic components of royal jelly. Skin-prick tests,
immunoassays for specific IgE antibodies and protein blotting studies using
patients' sera and anti-IgE second antibodies were employed.
Immunoassays detected IgE antibodies to royal jelly proteins in sera of subjects
who reacted to the substance. A total of 18 different IgE-binding components
were detected on blots following electrophoretic separation of royal jelly under
dissociating conditions. Examination of 63 sera from subjects allergic to bee
venom showed that there is no direct relationship between IgE antibody
reactivity to bee venom allergens and to royal jelly proteins although 38% of
the sera reacted with a royal jelly solid phase. IgE antibody reactivity to
royal jelly proteins was also detected in 52% of 75 subjects with allergies to
inhalant and/or food allergens. Antibody binding of blotted royal jelly proteins
was most marked in the molecular weight region 25-55 kDa and one component of MW
approximately 55 kDa was detected by all of the reactive sera from royal
jelly-allergic and control allergic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of asthma
and anaphylaxis seen in subjects following ingestion of royal jelly were true
IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions. The clinical significance of the
antibodies found in the sera of control subjects is not known but they may arise
in response to common inhalant allergens that show allergenic cross-reactivity
with royal jelly.
Royal Jelly inquiry
Q. I have a Bee Pollen Question that I need some feedback
regarding. I now take a teaspoon of high quality royal jelly and I would
like to know if it would be ok to start taking about a teaspoon a day of
Bee Pollen along with the royal jelly? The royal jelly works fine but I
wanted the added benefits of the bee pollen as well. Is there a superior
brand of Bee Pollen?
A. Each person has a unique biochemistry and it is
impossible to predict whether you would benefit from adding bee pollen.
Royal Jelly Powder (F/D) 6% 10-HAD