BEE PRODUCTS: Pollen, propolis and royal jelly. SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

Given my oft repeated concern about natural sugars and their deleterious effects on our health, you may wonder how I can recommend other products from nature’s honey makers. Some manufacturers may add honey or other sweeteners to their products, but in their natural forms, bee pollen, propolis and royal jelly don’t contain appreciable amounts of honey or carbohydrates (although in a few unusually sensitive cases of diabetes or insulin resistance the food supplements may not be advisable). Most people can take full advantage of them, based on the following guidelines:

• Royal jelly

Looking more like a yellowish paste than jelly and with a slightly bitter taste, it usually is stocked in the refrigerated sections of health food stores. Local beekeepers also supply lt. Get minimally processed royal jelly that is not freeze-dried; its proteins and delicate fatty acids are more likely to be intact. Avoid honey-laden mixtures that are more sweetener than substance. I’d recommend a dosage of 1/4 teaspoon per day, taken on an empty stomach. Weeks or months may pass before you notice an increase in energy or other benefits, but it is worth the wait.

• Bee pollen

If you are at all sensitive to pollens, use care in taking these supplements. Bee pollen can provoke an allergic reaction like any other pollen. Most pollen devotees take 1 teaspoon of the granules every morning. Its high nutrient density makes a good addition to a health shake.

• Bee propolis

Alcohol tinctures may be the most powerful way to get propolis’s anti-immune and anti-infection protection. The usual preventive dose is 1/2 dropperful of the tincture stirred into tea or water. For a cold, the flu or another respiratory infection, I’d suggest 2 droppersful. You may also want to try an herbal propolis spray or cough syrup. Some people are sensitive to it, however, and may occasionally develop contact dermatitis. Apply a little of it to a small area of skin to make sure you are not overly sensitive.