Royal jelly

Royal jelly is a milky-white secretion produced by worker bees that helps nurture development of the queen bee. Royal jelly is also known as Apis mellifera, Bee Saliva, Bee Spit, Gelée Royale, Honey Bee Milk, Honey Bee's Milk, Jalea Real, Lait des Abeilles, or Royal Bee Jelly.

Royal jelly should not be confused with apitherapy, bee pollen, or bee venom.

Royal jelly has been used in alternative medicine as a possibly effective aid in treating menopausal symptoms. Royal jelly may have been combined with other plants or extracts in a specific preparation to treat this condition.

Royal jelly has also been used to treat hay fever. However, research has shown that royal jelly may not be effective in treating this condition.

Other uses not proven with research have included treating premenstrual syndrome, infertility, high cholesterol, diabetic foot ulcers, stomach ulcer, pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease, asthma, skin disorders, and many other conditions.

It is not certain whether royal jelly is effective in treating any medical condition. Medicinal use of this product has not been approved by the FDA. Royal jelly should not be used in place of medication prescribed for you by your doctor.

Royal jelly is often sold as an herbal supplement. There are no regulated manufacturing standards in place for many herbal compounds and some marketed supplements have been found to be contaminated with toxic metals or other drugs. Herbal/health supplements should be purchased from a reliable source to minimize the risk of contamination.

Royal jelly may also be used for purposes not listed in this product guide.

Follow all directions on the product label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

You should not use this product if you are allergic to royal jelly or if you have:

• asthma or allergies.

Ask a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider if it is safe for you to use this product if you have:

• low blood pressure; or
• skin irritation or swelling.

It is not known whether royal jelly will harm an unborn baby. Do not use this product without medical advice if you are pregnant.

It is not known whether royal jelly passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this product without medical advice if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Royal jelly is thought to be possibly safe in children when taken for up to 6 months. Do not give any herbal/health supplement to a child without medical advice.

Follow all directions on the product label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

Royal jelly has been studied for a variety of actions, including antimicrobial, antitumor, antihypertensive, and immunoregulatory activity. Additionally, effects on lipid profile, insulin-like action, and neurological and estrogenic effects have been demonstrated. However, clinical trials are lacking.

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking. Royal jelly possesses some estrogenic activity.

In many allergy patients, skin tests were positive for royal jelly. There have been case reports of allergy, acute exacerbation of asthma, anaphylaxis, and death.

Data are limited.

Royal jelly is a milky-white secretion produced by the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of worker honeybees of the species A. mellifera L . to induce differentiated growth and development of the queen bee. Royal jelly is the principal food of the honeybee queen. Because of this specialized nutrition, queen bees differ from workers in several ways; the queens are approximately twice the size, they lay approximately 2,000 eggs a day (female worker bees are infertile), and they live 5 to 8 years (approximately 40 times longer than worker bees). 1 These differences have led to the marketable assumption that ingestion of this product will do as much for humans as it does for bees; that is, increase size, improve fertility, and enhance longevity.

In many countries, royal jelly has been promoted widely as a commercially available medicine, health food, and cosmetic (as an emollient, moisturizer, and nourishing substance). It is used in traditional medicine for longevity in Europe and Asia. Royal jelly has been sold as a skin tonic and hair growth stimulant. 1 , 2 , 3

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