Medicinal Properties of Bee Pollen

The makers of bee pollen supplements say bee pollen is something of a superfood, packed with nutrients, protein and antioxidants. But due to limited evidence, and its lack of endorsement by the Food and Drug Administration, using it should come with a "buyer beware" caveat. If you're looking to use bee pollen as a medicine or a vitamin supplement, you may have more consistent results with a basic multivitamin.

• Bee pollen is loaded with nutrients.

Potential Benefits

• Bee pollen is thought to help boost immunity, create better digestion, and give people energy. It's also touted as a cancer fighter, a weight loss aid, a hay fever reducer, and a performance enhancer. However, some of these claims have been tested in clinical trials and found to be more hype than truth. Researchers in two studies on athletes found no significant improvement in athletes who took bee pollen as a supplement. If you're thinking about taking bee pollen as a supplement, be sure to consult your doctor first.

Nutrients

• There's a reason so many sites claim that bee pollen is a superfood--because it is one, for bees. Male worker bees gather plant pollen and plant nectar and make them into pollen nuggets, which become the bees' primary source of food. According to Drugs.com, bee pollen is made up of about 55% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 3% vitamins and minerals, and 1-2% fats.

Bioavailability

• While some people claim that bee pollen contains up to 100 vitamins and minerals, proteins and enzymes, there is not enough evidence to show that these nutrients are able to be absorbed by the human body. Some supplement sellers will try to convince you that their product contains more actual pollen than other products, and thus allows your body to absorb more of the important nutrients. This is hard to verify.

Variants

• Bees gather pollen in many different parts of the world, from many different types of plants. That means every dose of bee pollen you encounter will contain varying amounts of specific nutrients. That, again, makes the claims of high nutrient counts difficult to verify.

Fighting Allergies

• If you're suffering from allergies or hay fever, you may have heard about consuming local bee pollen to expose yourself to local pollens and create an immune response. Be careful about taking bee pollen if you are allergic to bees or pollen, as this could trigger an allergic reaction. Because of the danger, the Food and Drug Administration has issued specific charges against the maker of one bee pollen product that claimed its bee pollen would not create allergic reactions. If you're willing to try it, do it only with the supervision of a doctor who can regulate your dosage.