For some time now, me and the other half have been taking bee pollen! When I say taking it, I don’t mean pinching it out of bee hives, I mean we’ve been eating it – for health reasons.
We went to a local flea market last summer and there was a stall selling honey and all sorts of bee produced stuff. My sister who knows about these things told me I ought to buy some local honey for my hay fever. So I stood patiently in the queue (yes I know it makes me stick out in France but I’m British damnit and I can’t get out of the habit). There were quite a few spritely old ladies queuing up and they all bought pots of little granular stuff called bee pollen. Looking at them with their bright eyes, hopping about on aged legs like spring chickens, I couldn’t resist so, of course, I bought some too.
I got this jar of pollen home and had no idea what to do with it but after some research on the net it seemed a teaspoon a day with my morning orange should do it.
Apparently its good for: Relief for Arthritis – Help with Prostate problems – Improving digestion – Skin problems such as eczema & psoriasis – Hormonal balance, such as PMT & menopause – Repetitive colds & flu – Weight gain or weight loss – Athletic performance – Reproductive system – impotence, infertility, loss of libido etc – Low or high blood pressure – Nervous system problems – Glandular problems – Ulcers – Hepatitis – Bronchitis – Chronic fatigue – Insomnia – Bowel problems – constipation, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome etc – To help protect against adverse effects associated with radiation treatment – To help prevent premature ageing – To eliminate toxicity from the body
I mean, who could resist?
I discovered that the producer of the bee pollen lives in an area of natural beauty, low pollution and farms his bees in an environmentally healthy countryside area which means that they bees don’t collect impurities as they fly about. That can be a real issue, in Riquewihr in Alsace, blue honey was produced when bees ate blue dye from M&Ms at a waste factory! I read that our forefathers have known for centuries that bee pollen is a major health benefit and it apparently is good for combating the effects of old age. When I found out that it has been endorsed by the ancient Chinese and ancient Greeks to maintain health, youth and vitality, and that Hippocrates recommended bee pollen as a medicine for several ailments and that today’s Olympic athletes take it – that was it and I’ve been taking it every morning ever since.
Bee Pollen is also known as Bee Bread and it is allegedly one of the richest, most complete foods in nature and contains a wide variety of essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein and amino acids and is extraordinarily rich in most of the B vitamins. Apparently Roman legions used to be issued with bee pollen cakes to keep their energy up on long marches. It must be quite potent as people who are allergic to bee stings shouldn’t take it and before we took a whole spoonful each we had to test it and then build up our intake.
The shop where we buy the bee pollen is also a museum and its full of ancient bee hives, smokers, beekeeping kit, including some very strange baby beekeeper outfits and various other beekeeper paraphernalia. Monseiur Therry the owner encourages visitors to look at his gardens where he keeps the bees, it was as expected on a cold February day but I’m definitely going back in the summer as the lady who works there tells us the gardens are beautiful when they’re in flower.
We bought some honey soap, honey beer and bee pollen, we even bought honey cider which I’ve never seen before.
I don’t know if this bee pollen stuff does what everyone says, all I know is that in the months I’ve taken it, I’ve not been ill one day, I’ve not had a single cold, my hay fever is minimal and I have lots of energy. I’m not prepared to see if it’s working by stopping so I guess I must be convinced of the merits!
www.museedelabeille.frClick here for the Bee Shop’s pancake recipe
