Have you ever seen a royal jelly supplement in your local health food store but you didn’t know what it was and what it can do for your health? I’ve had the same experience and normally, royal jelly was something that I used to ignore in the shops but recently my curiosity got hold of me and I decided to do some proper research about it.
From what I’ve previously heard about royal jelly, I believed it helped to boost the immune system but apparently, it can do so much more. As I’ve learned, it could even help with your fertility.
To see what royal jelly could do for me, I decided to test out Organic Royal Jelly from Supersmart which I’ve been using now for about 4 weeks. Although I haven’t used it consistently (sometimes I forgot to take it) I still managed to get some fantastic results out of it.
The main thing I noticed about royal jelly is that it really helped with my PMS symptoms (Premenstrual Syndrome). These vary from month to month but last month, everything felt so different just before I got my period.
First of all, I didn’t notice the usual bloating and I didn’t get any cravings at all. It was actually very strange as there were barely any PMS symptoms at all.
Normally, I know I will get my period, I know it just by feeling different physically but also mentally. Sometimes I get quite irritable and moody before my period is due but last month was so different.
I felt totally normal the week before the period and it was only a couple of days before when I experienced some irritability but apart from that, wow, it didn’t feel like my period was coming at all. I cannot remember ever that happening to me. The royal jelly I was taking every day before my period was working like a magic and I would be totally happy to continue taking it to manage my PMS symptoms in the future.
What is royal jelly actually?
Royal jelly is an amazing milky substance released by honeybee workers. They use it to feed larvae and it is an essential food for the development of the queen honeybee. Nutritionally, royal jelly contains a lot of different minerals and vitamins, but also protein and fat. It’s not the same as bee pollen or bee venom though. These are all different substances.
Royal jelly has been used to treat all kind of health issues and illnesses, including fatigue, asthma, hay fever, infertility and PMS, just to mention a few of the reasons why people use royal jelly. However, many of the claimed health benefits have not been actually scientifically proven, that’s why sometimes, you may see royal jelly getting a bad press. This does not mean that you should not try it for whatever health concern you may have but just be aware that some people are allergic to it and its consumption could result in some really bad reactions. But in general, it’s quite a safe supplement.
Royal jelly – Existing research and studies
After seeing what royal jelly could do for me I decided to investigate and learn more about it. What proven health benefits does it have actually? What does research say about it?
My findings show that royal jelly has certain proven health benefits and here is some of the existing research and trials summarised:
- A 6-month long trial showed that royal jelly had a positive effect on glucose intolerance, mental health and the red blood cells count.
- A small study of 15 volunteers showed that royal jelly can lower the ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL).
- When royal jelly was used intravaginally, this helped to improve fertility
- In combination with other natural remedies (evening primrose oil, damiana, ginseng), royal jelly safely helped to improve menopausal symptoms.
- A trial of 110 female participants who suffer from PMS (premenstrual syndrome), showed that royal jelly was effective at reducing PMS symptoms.
A lot of trials to date are unfortunately quite small and more research is needed to confirm some of the benefits royal jelly is claimed to have. Also, the most effective dosage has not been established yet so in many cases it’s all about trial and error. The best is just to follow the dosage recommendations you find on a product’s label. In my case (I’ve been taking Supersmart Organic Royal Jelly), it’s recommended to take 2-3 capsules a day.
Just to keep in mind that royal jelly contains several different vitamins and minerals which are all beneficial for health so if you think your diet is not very balanced and you could benefit from supplementing, then royal jelly is definitely something to consider.
Royal jelly is especially rich in B vitamins which are important for healthy skin and hair, energy production and mood regulation. B vitamins play an important role in mental health too and can even improve symptoms of depression or anxiety.
I also wanted to add that there have been lots of studies of royal jelly on animals which have shown some really positive results. Here are just some of them:
- In some animal studies, royal jelly has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
- When rats were given a royal jelly extract, this has shown to increase collagen production (collagen is an essential protein for skin repair).
- Another animal study with royal jelly showed that when royal jelly was combined with other bee-derived substances in a supplement, this has resulted in a significant reduction in blood pressure.
Although there is clearly a lack of research, it’s exciting to know about potential medicinal properties royal jelly may have. It certainly doesn’t harm trying it out to see how it can help you improve your health. However, just keep in mind that there could be some serious side effects if you are allergic to it (it’s best to avoid it if you are allergic to a bee sting or any bee products).
References:
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-503/royal-jelly
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17934240/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18222449/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499288/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25146061
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/royal-jelly