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Royal jelly

 

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Royal jelly


 
 

Royal jelly is a honey beeHoney bee

Honey bees are a subset of bees which represent a far smaller fraction of bee diversity than most people suspect; of the app...
 secretion that is used in the nutrition of the larvaFacts About Larva

A larva is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis ....
e. It is secreted from the hypopharyngeal glands in the heads of young workers and used (among other substances) to feed all of the larvae in the colony, including those destined to become workers. If a queen is needed, a larva is chosen and will receive only royal jelly — and in large quantities — as its food source for the first four days of its growth, and this rapid, early feeding triggers the development of queen morphology, including the fully developed ovariesOvary

Ovaries are egg-producing reproductive organs found in female organisms. ...
 needed to lay eggs. Some commercial royal jelly suppliers disseminate misinformation such as "Only queen larvae and adult queens are fed royal jelly". All larvae in a colony are fed royal jelly, and adult bees do not consume it at all.

Cultivation

Royal jelly is produced by stimulating colonies with movable frame hives to produce queen bees. Royal jelly is collected from each individual queen cell when the queen larvae are about four days old. It is collected from queen cells because these are the only cells in which large amounts are deposited; when royal jelly is fed to worker larvae, it is fed directly to them, and they consume it as it is produced, while the cells of queen larvae are "stocked" with royal jelly much faster than the larvae can consume it. Therefore, only in queen cells is the harvest of royal jelly practical.

A well-managed hive during a season of 5–6 months can produce approximately 500 g of royal jelly. Since the product is perishable, producers must have immediate access to proper cold storage (e.g., a household refrigerator or freezer) in which the royal jelly is stored until it is sold or conveyed to a collection centre. Sometimes honeyHoney

Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers....
 or beeswaxBeeswax

Beeswax is a product from a bee hive....
 are added to the royal jelly, supposedly to aid in preservation.

Uses and composition

People collect and sell royal jelly as a dietary supplementDietary supplement Overview

A prescribed dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a...
, claiming various health benefits because of components like B-complex vitaminVitamin

Vitamins are nutrients required for essential metabolic reactions in the body ....
s such as pantothenic acidPantothenic acid

Pantothenic acid, also called vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin required to sustain life....
 (vitamin B5) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). It can also be found in various beauty products. The overall composition of royal jelly is 67% water, 12.5% crude protein (including small amounts of many different amino acidFacts About Amino acid

In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amine and carboxyl functional groups....
s), and 11% simple sugars, also including a relatively high amount (5%) of fatty acids. It also contains many trace minerals, some enzymes, antibacterial and antibiotic components, and trace amounts of vitamin CVitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient and vitamin essential for life and for maintaining optimal health....
. Contrary to claims by many of those promoting its use, vitamins ARetinol

Retinol, the dietary form of vitamin A, is a yellow fat-soluble, antioxidant vitamin important in vision and bone grow...
, DVitamin D

Vitamin D is a hormone precursor that contributes to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloo...
, and ETocopherol

Tocopherol, or vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant....
 are completely absent from royal jelly.

Royal jelly has been reported as a possible immunomodulatorImmunomodulator

An immunomodulator is a drug used for its effect on the immune system....
y agent in Graves' disease. It has also been reported to stimulate the growth of glial cells and neural stem cells in the brain, which may relate to claims for its use as a longer-term cognitive enhancer and as a beneficial agent in cases of Parkinson's DiseaseParkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects the control of muscles, and so may...
. Independent research has already disproved, or is needed to confirm or disprove, several other purported health claims, such as reports of hormonal activity (unknown in the bees themselves, the most abundant sterolSterol

Sterols, or steroid alcohols are a subgroup of steroids with a hydroxyl group in the 3-position of the A-ring....
 is cholesterolCholesterol

Cholesterol is a sterol and a lipid found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma of...
, which is not itself a hormoneHormone

A hormone is a chemical messenger from one cell to another....
). To date, there is only preliminary evidence that it may have some cholesterol-lowering effects, anti-cancerCancer

Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to...
, anti-inflammatoryAnti-inflammatory

Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation....
, wound-healing, and antibioticAntibiotic Summary

An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria....
 effects, though the last three of these effects are unlikely to be realized if ingested (destruction of the substances involved through digestion, or neutralization via changes in pHPH

pH is a measure of the acidity of a solution, in terms of activity of hydrogen ions ....
). Human ingestion of royal jelly is reputed to cause severe, even fatal, allergic reactions in rare cases.

Sources

  • Ammon, R. and Zoch, E. (1957) Zur Biochemie des Futtersaftes der Bienenkoenigin. Arzneimittel Forschung 7: 699-702
  • Blum, M.S., Novak A.F. and Taber III, 5. (1959). 10-Hydroxy-decenoic acid, an antibiotic found in royal jelly. Science (journal)Science (journal)

    Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is considered one of the ...
    , 130 : 452-453
  • Bonomi, A. (1983) Acquisizioni in tema di composizione chimica e di attivita' biologica della pappa reale. Apitalia, 10 (15): 7-13.
  • Braines, L.N. (1959). Royal jelly I. Inform. Bull. Inst. Pchelovodstva, 31 pp (with various articles)
  • Braines, L.N. (1960). Royal jelly II. Inform. Bull. Inst. Pchelovodstva, 40 pp.
  • Braines, L.N. (1962). Royal jelly III. Inform. Bull. Inst. Pchelovodstva, 40
  • Chauvin, R. and Louveaux, 1. (1956) Etdue macroscopique et microscopique de lagelee royale. L'apiculteur.
  • Cho, Y.T. (1977). Studies on royal jelly and abnormal cholesterolCholesterol

    Cholesterol is a sterol and a lipid found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma of...
     and triglycerideTriglyceride

    is glyceride in which the glycerol is esterified with three fatty acids....
    s. Amer. Bee 1., 117 : 36-38
  • De Belfever, B. (1958) La gelee royale des abeilles. Maloine, Paris.
  • Destrem, H. (1956) Experimentation de la gelee royale d'abeille en pratique geriatrique (134 cas). Rev. Franc. Geront, 3.
  • Giordani, G. (1961). [Effect of royal jelly on chickens.] Avicoltura 30 (6): 114-120
  • Hattori N, Nomoto H, Fukumitsu H, Mishima S, Furukawa S. [Royal jelly and its unique fatty acid, 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid, promote neurogenesisNeurogenesis

    Neurogenesis is the process by which neurons are created....
     by neural stem/progenitor cells in vitro.] Biomed Res. 2007 Oct;28(5):261-6.
  • Hashimoto M, Kanda M, Ikeno K, Hayashi Y, Nakamura T, Ogawa Y, Fukumitsu H, Nomoto H, Furukawa S. (2005) Oral administration of royal jelly facilitates mRNA expression of glial cellGlial cell

    Glial cells, commonly called neuroglia or simply glia, are non-neuronal cells that provide support and nutrition...
     line-derived neurotrophic factor and neurofilament H in the hippocampus of the adult mouse brain. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005 Apr;69(4):800-5.
  • Inoue, T. (1986). The use and utilization of royal jelly and the evaluation of the medical efficacy of royal jelly in Japan. Proceeding sof the XXXth International Congress of Apiculture, Nagoya, 1985, Apimondia, 444-447
  • Jean, E. (1956). A process of royal jelly absorption for its incorporation into assimilable substances. Fr. Pat., 1,118,123
  • Jacoli, G. (1956) Ricerche sperimentali su alcune proprieta' biologiche della gelatina reale. Apicoltore d'Italia, 23 (9-10): 211-214.
  • Karaali, A., Meydanoglu, F. and Eke, D. (1988) Studies on composition, freeze drying and storage of Turkish royal jelly. J. Apic. Res., 27 (3): 182-185.
  • Lercker, G., Capella, P., Conte, L.S., Ruini, F. and Giordani, G. (1982) Components of royal jelly: II. The lipid fraction, hydrocarbons and sterolds. J. Apic. Res. 21(3):178-184.
  • Lercker, G., Vecchi, M.A., Sabatini, A.G. and Nanetti, A. 1984. Controllo chimicoanalitico della gelatina reale. Riv. Merceol. 23 (1): 83-94.
  • Lercker, G., Savioli, S., Vecchi, M.A., Sabatini, A.G., Nanetti, A. and Piana, L. (1986) Carbohydrate Determination of Royal Jelly by High Resolution Gas ChromatographyGas-liquid chromatography

    Gas-liquid chromatography, or simply gas chromatography, is a type of chromatography in which the mobile phase is a ca...
     (HRGC). Food Chemistry, 19: 255-264.
  • Lercker, G., Caboni, M.F., Vecchi, M.A., Sabatini, A.G. and Nanetti, A. (1992) Caratterizzazione dei principali costituenti della gelatina reale. Apicoltura 8:11-21.
  • Nakamura, T. (1986) Quality standards of royal jelly for medical use. proceedings of the XXXth International Congress of Apiculture, Nagoya, 1985 ApimondiaApimondia

    Apimondia or International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations promotes scientific, ecological, social and economic...
     (1986) 462-464.
  • Rembold, H. (1965) Biological active sustance in royal jelly. Vitamins and hormones 23:359-382.
  • Salama, A., Mogawer, H.H. and El-Tohamy, M. 1977 Royal jelly a revelation or a fable. Egyptian Journal of Veterinary Science 14 (2): 95-102.
  • Takenaka, T. Nitrogen components and carboxylic acids of royal jelly. In Chemistry and biology of social insects (edited by Eder, J., Rembold, H.). Munich, German Federal Republic, Verlag J. Papemy (1987): 162-163.
  • Wagner, H., Dobler, I., Thiem, I. Effect of royal jelly on the peirpheral blood and survival rate of mice after irradiation of the entire body with X-rays. Radiobiologia Radiotherapia (1970) 11(3): 323-328.