Royal jelly is a milky-white gel-like substance secreted by the pharyngeal and post-pharyngeal glands of honeybees, particularly the Chinese honeybee or Italian honeybee worker bees. It has a sweet and sour taste. Royal jelly contains a rich array of nutrients that have various beneficial effects on the human body, including nourishing, strengthening, benefiting the liver, and invigorating the spleen. Below, we will provide a detailed introduction to the main components of royal jelly.
1. Fatty acids
It contains royal jelly acid, decanoic acid, 2-decenoic acid, 10-undecenoic acid, benzoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, tridecanoic acid, myristic acid, myristoleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, and arachidonic acid, among others.
2. Hormones
It contains sex hormones, gonadotropins, adrenal corticosteroids, and adrenaline, among others.
3. Enzymes
It contains nonspecific cholinesterase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, ascorbate oxidase, lipase, amylase, aldose reductase, transaminase, among others.
4. Proteins
It contains insulin-like proteins, active polyphenols, and gamma globulins, among others.
5. Amino acids
It contains arginine, leucine, histidine, lysine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, threonine, lysine, alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, tyrosine, serine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid, among others.
6. Vitamins
It contains vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, niacin, biotin, folic acid, acetylcholine, and inositol, among others.
7. Phosphates
It contains adenosine triphosphate, among others.
8. Carbohydrates
It contains D-glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, and gentiobiose, among others.
9. Inorganic elements
It contains potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, cobalt, nickel, chromium, silicon, gold, arsenic, among others.
10. Others
It contains flavin mononucleotide, flavin dinucleotide, and biopterin, among others.
Although royal jelly is rich in various nutrients, caution should be exercised when taking it. It is best to choose 50-200mg and dissolve it in warm water. Children, pregnant women, and individuals with diarrhea or damp-heat syndrome should use it with caution and should not exceed the recommended dosage.
