Bee Pollen, A Must for Every Survivalist's Pantry
I came across this little miracle quite by accident. Here in California we are in full bloom and my husband and eldest son suffer rather badly from seasonal allergies. I was researching the benefits of local honey and allergy prevention when I started reading about Bee Pollen supplements. As a person who trains vigorously to keep myself in shape for sports and self defense purposes I found the rejuvenating and quick recovery properties of this product from the bees to be very intriguing but there is so much more to it. Here's what I found.
Bee Pollen's History
Hippocrates and Pliny recommended honey products and bee pollen for a variety of ailments. The bible touts bee's and their products as a particularly blessed insect.
Identifying The Pollen Bees produce a variety of items while making honey. They produce Royal Jelly which they feed to the queen and they produce bee pollen or propolis. A resin like substance used with beeswax in the construction of the hive.
The bee pollen is made from the male seed of the flower blossom taken from the hearts of flowers. These are microscopic flakes that are moistened with honey by the harvesting bee when they are packed into pellets in their "pollen baskets" on the bees rear legs to be carried to the hives.
Harvesting
Pollen traps are fitted to hives to trap some of the pollen for human consumption. A little of the golden granules will drop through a mesh screen and into a drawer where the bee keeper can collect them.
Eating the Bee Pollen
The bee pollen can be chewed directly or put into a capsule or tablet form. Different pollen from different sources will have a variety of flavors. Try out a few of them to see what you like the best. It is suggested that you do not heat the pollen to over 50 degrees Celsius because you will destroy the living enzymes found in this product. It is often bitter and powdery but your taste for it will develop over time. For an adult starting to use this product take 1-2 teaspoons daily and for children start with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon daily. Then increase as you go. People rarely have an allergic reaction to this product.
The Amazing Medicinal Benefits
Bee pollen is the only food that contains every nutrient that the body requires including vitamin B12, which is the only plant source where you can get this vitamin. It is packed with proteins, minerals, beneficial fatty acids, cortenoids, and bioflavins. It has been touted as an amazing anti-carcinogenic or cancer-fighter by William Robinson M.D. from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). It's 20 essential cell building amino acids are combined with more than 100 active enzymes to:
fight arthritis
control weight
flush fat, detox, and cleanse your body
rejuvenate the body
stimulate organs
stimulate the reproductive system of both sexes
accelerate recovery rate of the body after injury or extreme exercise
helps with children's physical and brain development
Bee pollen even helps to fight acne when applied to the skin.
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/bee-pollen.html has some great tips about purchasing quality bee pollen products with links as well. Purchasing a bottle of bee pollen a month will definitely be a new addition to my monthly budget. What a great vitamin supplement as well as disaster prep.
Attention Use At Your Own Risk
I am not medically trained in anyway. I am simply a student. I read and experiment with ancient herbal techniques. I am simply passing on the knowledge I have gained from studding many texts on the subject and I am in no way responsible for anything you do with this information. For a listing of my favorite survival and herbal books visit: http://www.authorsarafhathaway.com/#!saras-survival-stuff/c1mzf
For this article I used these resources the most:
Antol, Marie Nadine. Healing Teas: How to Prepare and Use Teas to Maximize Your Health. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Pub. Group, 1996. Print.
"Bee Pollen's Super Healing Power." Benefits-of-Honey.com. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/bee-pollen.html>.