Royal jelly: fit for a "queen," healing for us

Another phenomenal product from the hive is royal jelly. I first tasted it back in 1985 when I interviewed Barbara Cartland, Britain's "first lady of nutrition," at the time, and author of more than 500 romance novels, while visiting her 54-room mansion in Hatfield, England.

In her book, The Magic of Honey, Cartland explains that the one thing that distinguishes the Queen Bee from worker bees -- and makes her a thing of beauty -- is an exclusive diet of royal jelly, a milky white substance produced in the pharyngeal glands of worker bees.

While worker bees live only 40 to 50 days, the Queen Bee can live for as long as four to five years. Researchers agree that she lays as many as 2,000 to 2,500 eggs daily, weighing about 2 1/2 times as much as her own body.

Cartland told me that royal jelly can do marvelous things with birds, animals, and people. She recounted a Cornell University study which found that "chickens fed royal jelly laid twice as many eggs as those that didn't. Even older chickens beyond the laying age began laying eggs again after having royal jelly added to their diet. So this substance seems to have the power for rejuvenation."

A regular user of royal jelly and other products from the hive, Cartland, born in July 1901, looked about half her age when I met with her. To this day, her work production is incredible -- she still writes novels and, occasionally, a nutrition book, too.

The late Betty Lee Morales was often credited with bringing royal jelly to the attention of Hollywood celebrities after World War II; in fact, in the 1950s and 1960s the first "royal jelly" popularity peak was at its height.

Royal jelly is a nutritional treasure-trove -- rich in B-vitamins, with pyridoxine (B-6), and more pantothenic acid (B-5) per 100 g than liver, all the minerals, vitamins A, C, D, and E, enzymes, hormones, and 18 amino acids, as well as antibacterial and antiviral agents.

In their book, Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing, James F. Balch, M.D., and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., recommend combining some honey with royal jelly to preserve its potency.

"Royal jelly is known to aid in bronchial asthma, liver disease, bone fractures, and skin disorders, and is a potentiator of the immune system," they wrote.

Cartland stressed that there are hundreds of studies that convince her "that we should all take one or two tablets [or spoonsful] of royal jelly every day, along with our other vitamins and minerals."

Because it spoils easily, royal jelly always should be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.

One health regimen worth "sticking to" is one which includes all the products from the hive in our daily foods and supplements for better health and well-being.