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Fireweed honey is made in the clear mountain air.Bee Pollen
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 June 2011 15:06 Monday, 09 May 2011 09:58
Bee pollen has been praised as a nutritional supplement for thousands of years
Egyptian papyri refer to bee pollen as life-giving dust and outline how to use it as a sacred offering to the gods. Roman legions carried cakes of bee pollen for sustenance. Bee pollen was used by Orientals and ancient Greeks to maintain health, youth and vitality, and Hippocrates recommended bee pollen as a medicine for several ailments. Many Olympic and other high performance athletes have used bee pollen to increase stamina during training, and continue to do so today.
Pollen collection by honeybees
Pollen is the male seed produced in the flower blossom, and is essential for the fertilization of plants. Honeybees help to pollinate the majority of green growing plants by collecting pollen grains as they fly from flower to flower. The pollen gets caught in the bee’s specially branched hairs, is mixed with a small amount of nectar to make it sticky, and brushed to the hind legs where it is stored in pollen baskets.
Honeybees will usually only collect pollen from a single type of flower in any one trip, but will visit many flowers of that type to collect pollen from them all. Pollen granules can be a variety of shades from a bright golden yellow to greenish-grey to black, depending on which flowers the pollen has been collected from.
Our pollen is carefully processed and stored to maintain maximum nutrient value
At Honeyview Farm, we collect most of our pollen from blueberry flowers, wild blackberries and clover, and wildflowers high in the mountains around the Fraser Valley. The pollen is collected using a pollen trap at the entrance to the hive, and stored in a screened container. The granules are collected weekly, then dried within a day using a dehumidifier and low heat, cleaned before packing, and stored in the freezer. Careful handling ensures that the pollen is fresh and its important nutritional value is maintained.
Pollen, like other protein rich foods, loses its nutritional value rapidly when stored incorrectly. When dried, kept at less that 45°C and stored out of direct sunlight, pollen can be kept at room temperature for several months, refrigerated at 5°C for at least a year or frozen to -15°C for many years without quality loss as tested by feeding to honeybee colonies.
Scientific analysis has proven that bee pollen has a very impressive nutrient profile
Bee pollen has been referred to as "nature's most complete food." It is a whole, natural food rich in proteins and vitamins, which also contains an impressive number of minerals and nutrients. Modern science has now enabled us to analyze the ingredients, long after pollen was first used as a health food, and has confirmed its rich nutrient content.
Bee pollen has been shown to contain:
20% or more amino acids and proteins - including all amino acids essential to humans
25-35% sugars
2-5% fatty acids
Many flavonoids including rutin
Most B-complex vitamins
Vitamins A, C, E, carotenoids, and folic acid
Principal minerals: potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, sulfur
Trace elements: aluminium, boron, chlorine, copper, iodoine, manganese, nickel, silicon, titanium, zinc.
Health benefits of taking bee pollen
People have reported personal benefits in athletic performance, general vitality, skin vitality, and appetite. Many Olympic and other high performance athletes have used bee pollen to increase stamina during training, continuing the tradition of ancient Greek marathon runners and other athletes. People also take pollen as prophylaxis against allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and as an immune system enhancer. The presence of antioxidants and bioflavonoids such as vitamins C and E as well as beta-carotene and rutin are thought to help to neutralize damage caused by free radicals in the body. Rutin is thought to have a strengthening effect on capillaries. Pollen is regularly used as a performance enhancer in racehorses.
Some of these effects have been confirmed in scientific studies. Research indicates that eating pollen may have a prophylactic effect on allergic rhinitis, and studies of rye pollen extract have shown improved symptoms in people with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement), which affects many men as they grow older.
Several generations of apparently healthy mice have been raised on bee pollen alone with no signs of nutritional deficiency, showing that pollen can act as a complete food. There have also been trials showing positive weight gain when the diets of domestic animals such as piglets, calves and chickens were supplemented with pollen.
How to take Bee Pollen
It is recommended that adults start with ½ to 1 teaspoon daily. You can simply swallow it, chew it, or mix it with a drink or some food such as yoghurt. Intake can be increased by a few grains every day up to 3 teaspoons a day or more. Pollen can also be taken in a tablet or capsule for convenience.
Allergies
People with allergies to bee stings or venom should not use bee pollen products as allergic reactions are possible. Reactions can range from mild symptoms to dangerous anaphylactic shock. Bee pollen can also cause allergic reactions in some people with other pollen sensitivities (such as wind-borne pollen). It is recommended that everybody should first try a very small quantity of pollen (such as one granule) to test for allergy. Pollen in capsules may be less likely to cause an allergic reaction as there is no direct contact with the nose or mouth.
Storing bee pollen
Bee pollen should be kept in a dry, cool place and away from direct sunlight to maintain its nutrient content. It will keep well in the refrigerator for at least a year after opening.
