To make one pound of delicious honey, a hive of bees must travel over 55,000 miles and visit two million flowers. A single bee can pollinate 5000 flowers in a single day.
Bees are such efficient pollinators that many of the fruit, vegetables, and nuts we eat wouldn't exist without them. Neither people nor machines could achieve what they do naturally.
As if that weren't enough, researchers have discovered remarkable benefits from the byproducts of these tiny creatures. You may have heard that beeswax is good for your skin or have seen it in lip balm. Beeswax is just the beginning.
Beeswax, propolis, bee venom, and royal jelly are highly rich in bioactive compounds. At Jampha, we found a high-quality source of natural bee products and are adding them to specific tinctures, topicals, and salves.
Here is what science says the products of these amazing little creatures can do for your health.
Beeswax:
Beeswax is comprised of at least 284 different compounds and is made only by the young bees in a single genus of honeybees. They use it to form the hexagon-shaped honeycomb where they live and store honey.
The color of beeswax ranges from off-white to deep yellow. The color and scent depend on the flowers the bees visited and any if pollen or propolis mixed into the wax.
Beeswax is often used in skin care products because it naturally moisturizes and protects the skin from airborne allergens. A 2018 study comparing natural and synthetic skin care products found beeswax was far superior for sensitive skin than synthetic formulations.
Like honey and other bee products, beeswax is anti-inflammatory and fights bacteria and fungus. A clinical study found a mix of honey, beeswax, and olive oil was effective against psoriasis and eczema (dermatitis).
Bee Propolis:
Propolis is bee glue. Bees mix sap or tree buds with beeswax to seal holes and gaps in the beehive. Because it is a concentrated mixture of various plants, propolis is rich in nutrients. It contains 180 compounds, including flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians used bee propolis as medicine. In the last century, scientists have been able to confirm its healing applications. Research shows that bee propolis can:
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Kill bacteria
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Disinfect wounds (work as an antiseptic)
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Fight inflammation
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Kill fungus
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Reduce pain
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Kill viruses
Propolis has been successfully used to treat skin, throat, and gynecological problems. It supports wound healing, fights acne, and can speed up the healing of burns and ulcers.
Recent studies with the COVID-19 virus confirm that bee propolis mediates lung inflammation, kills viruses, and supports the immune system.
Royal Jelly:
Produced by young female bees, called nurse bees, royal jelly feeds the queen and baby bees (larvae). After two or three weeks working as a nurse, the bees become foragers or worker bees and go out into the world to pollinate flowers and collect nutrients for the hive.
Royal jelly contains proteins rich in exogenous amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins (including lots of B vitamins), and minerals.
Royal jelly can be applied to the skin or taken orally. Used topically on the skin, royal jelly:
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Kills bacteria
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Reduces inflammation
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Prevents or controls allergic responses
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Adds antioxidants
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Tones
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Moisturizes
Royal jelly has a protective effect on blood vessels. It can help relieve hemorrhoids and varicose veins. It is used to treat ulcers, burns, bedsores, and shingles and helps the skin regenerate.
One three-month case study applied 5% royal jelly on ulcers on the feet of diabetic patients. Researchers dressed the wound with 5% sterile royal jelly three times a week. Of the eight treated ulcers, seven were cured, and the eighth showed improvement.
There may be other benefits for people with diabetes. An eight-week study with 50 female participants found one gram of royal jelly a day reduced blood glucose levels.
Royal jelly may help improve cholesterol levels. A three-month study in Greece with postmenopausal women found taking 150 milligrams of royal jelly a day improved their lipid profile.
Bee Venom:
Bee venom is the odorless and transparent liquid that makes bee stings painful. It has been used as medicine from the time of Hippocrates, who used it to treat joint pain and arthritis.
Bee venom is 88% water mixed with dry venom. The dry venom is a complex combination of peptides, enzymes, and minerals.
Research into the medical application of bee venom is just starting, however, it shows the potential to treat:
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Inflammation
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Parkinson's disease
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Alzheimer's disease
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
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Different types of cancer, including ovarian and prostate
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HIV
Do Not Use Bee Products if You Are Allergic to Honey
As remarkable as these health benefits are, bee products should never be used by anyone hypersensitive to bee stings.
If you are allergic to honey or bee pollen, do not use products containing royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, or bee venom.
Bees Create Compounded Plant Medicine:
Plant medicine is powerful because it contains bioavailable compounds are bodies need to heal and balance. The tiny little bee manages to harvest and harness multiple plants' nutrients and healing potential into concentrated products. From honey to royal jelly, the healing effects of these natural compounds are remarkable and the research is just at the beginning of its discovery.
Stay tuned for new Jampha products incorporating these pure, natural, and potent compounds.
Maitreya Loving-Kindness