Is one of the most known products of honey bees. They collect pollen from plant anthers, mix it with a small dose of the secretion from salivary glands or nectar, and place it in specific baskets (corbiculae) which are situated on their hind legs. These are called pollen loads. The field bees collect and transport the bee pollen to the hive where it’s stored and used as food for the colony.
The color of the pollen is varied ranging from bright yellow to black. The pollen basket, which is brought to the hive, usually consists of the pollen from one plant. However, it sometimes happens that the bees collect pollen from many different plant species.
Bee pollen has a great potential in nutritional and biomedical applications, which has allowed it to be one of the main functional food products. Functional foods are extremely effective at improving body functions and lowering the risk of certain diseases. Bee pollen has served to prevent and treat many chronic diseases, especially metabolic disorders. Long-term bee pollen consumption can improve health, foster blood circulation, delay aging, enhance immunity and increase physical and mental activities.
Bee pollen is a valuable apitherapeutic product greatly appreciated by the natural medicine because of its potential medical and nutritional applications. It demonstrates a series of actions such as antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anticancer immunostimulating, and local analgesic. Its radical scavenging potential has also been reported. Beneficial properties of bee pollen and the validity for their therapeutic use in various pathological conditions have been reported.
