The Royal Treatment
Milk and Honey
Ancient Anglo-Saxon newlyweds imbibed honey every day for the first month after marriage in the belief that this would serve to increase fertility as well as the longevity of male performance. Going back to even earlier times, the ancient Semites believed that the goddess Astarte, associated with fertility, maternity, sexuality, love, and war, was responsible for the presence of honey in the world. And of course, the Old Testament makes reference to the Holy Land as the "land of milk and honey."
Some modern experts believe that honey and other byproducts of the busy bee can be an aid in improving fertility and in enhancing sexuality. One such proponent of the sweet stuff is nutrition consultant Susan Fletcher, who together with her husband Clive Brockdorff, own Apitherapy Foods, a company based in Norfolk that produces various products from their self-run apiary consisting of more than 2 million bees.
Bee-based Supplements
"Put a woman who's struggling to conceive on bee pollen and you can pretty much guarantee a result within two or three months," says Susan, who believes that the increased rates for pregnancy seen in those taking bee-based supplements is due to their mineral-rich properties. Bee pollen, for example, a mix of plant nectar, pollen, and bee saliva, contains zinc, sodium, potassium, and copper, along with 24 other minerals, and 20 out of the 22 known amino acids.
Studies done in both the U.S. and Europe suggest that bee pollen can restore youth to ageing male or female sex glands due to the presence of naturally occurring substances that serve to both nourish and stimulate the human reproductive system. Results of some studies suggest that bee pollen may increase sexual endurance and strength, improve sexual dysfunction due to prostate problems, stimulate the ovaries, increase the quality of eggs, and serve as a palliative for the symptoms of PMS.
Royal jelly is bee food that is secreted by nurse bees for the purpose of nourishing the maturing queen bee. This food that is fit for a queen is mostly water, but is rich in natural enzymes, hormones, amino acids, and B vitamins. While the worker bee lives just 7 months and one week, the queen, fed on royal jelly, can live up to five years. Royal jelly is used to treat reproductive conditions including infertility, impotence, menopause, and PMS. It serves to regulate the hormones and can therefore be helpful as a treatment for acne, migraines, and postpartum depression.
