All of my creations started in my kitchen, tooth powder, tallow products, or how I use royal jelly. Every recipe originated in my home using only natural products.  This series is where I break down my thoughts, trends, and what is in store for the VanMan Brand.

The Most Amazing Bee Fact You’ve Never Heard Of (What is Royal Jelly?)

You probably know a lot about bees.  Their life cycle is part of every elementary school curriculum on earth.  There was a pretty heavy fear campaign about them dying off a few years ago, but today their numbers are at an all-time high.  This is more of a testament to their resilience than BIG FOOD changing its production practices.  

Did you know that they are so essential to pollination that they are responsible for one out of every three mouthfuls people eat?  I don’t know how they came to that number but I don’t doubt it.   Their sense of smell is 50 times more powerful than dogs and they don’t sleep, instead they just take breaks from work. They are incredible animals.

I could go on listing all of the incredible facts about them but there is one thing in particular they do that makes them amazing for my business and customers:  They make royal jelly.  What is royal jelly?  I am glad you asked.

What Is Royal Jelly?

Ok, I am going to get a little technical here so bear with me.  Worker honey bees secrete royal jelly from their hypopharyngeal glands in their heads (I don’t know what those are but it sounds important).  It is rich in nutrients.  Containing water, proteins, sugars, lipids, vitamins (like B-complex vitamins), minerals, and other bioactive compounds it is a who’s who of things that are good for you.  Included in this list of nutrients is 10-HDA (10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid), which is unique to royal jelly. 

The reason why the worker bees secrete royal jelly is to feed it to larvae that will eventually become queen bees throughout the entirety of their growth cycle.  This diet of royal jelly results in queen bees being larger, living longer, and obviously being extremely fertile since they lay all the eggs for the hive.  The queen is the most important part of the hive so she gets the best of the best.

The benefits of royal jelly don’t have to be limited to insects, however.

What Are The Benefits Of Royal Jelly For Humans?

First, let's talk about the 10-HDA that is only found in royal jelly.  It is  anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, protects against bone loss, and may help prevent type 2 diabetes.  The other ingredients in royal jelly help boost the immune system and even work as antioxidants.  

Now, these claims have caused some controversy as the scientific literature is mixed.  I tend to fall on the side of believing these benefits are real given that they come from nature.  The pharmaceutical industry routinely attacks natural remedies that are difficult for them to monetize.  

Since these benefits of royal jelly only happen if you ingest it I like to focus on its skin health aspects since I use it in VanMan’s Bison Tallow and Honey Balm.  

Royal jelly can improve skin health, reduce wrinkles, and promote healing of your skin.  It also stimulates the production of collagen and helps with skin cell renewal as well.  It truly is a miracle of nature.  If you want to check out VanMan’s Bison Tallow and Honey Balm you can do that here.

What’s VanMan Cooking Up Next?

Next issue we are going to talk more about my famous Bison Tallow.  Until then always remember... 

The van never stops,

VanMan