Bee Pollen: Potential Health Benefits & Uses - A Comprehensive Overview

Bee pollen (also known as bee bread) is a popular component of the alternative-medicine technique known as apitherapy. Practitioners believe bee pollen can provide numerous health benefits, but scientific evidence is still scant.

Allergies

• Traditionally, bee pollen has been used to slowly desensitize patients to hay fever (allergies to airborne pollen).

Asthma

• Bee pollen can help to soothe inflammation and act as a long-term allergy treatment, making it a potential treatment for asthma.

Nutrition

• Some apitherapists describe bee pollen as "the perfect food" because it contains a complex of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Athletic Performance

• Bee pollen is frequently used by athletes as a natural performance enhancer, but there have been few studies to support this claim.

Warning

• People with known allergies should use bee pollen only under a doctor's supervision. It might cause life-threatening allergic reactions if it is taken orally.