Beautiful Bee Pollen!

Standing in the empty space that used to be our living room, the space where my herb closet once stood, where I prepared healing foods, teas, and tinctures, where I gave birth to my first baby, I couldn’t help but cry. The day we left the keys on the counter, cleaned out our last few things, and drove away to stay with my parents until our move to California was truly bittersweet. One of the things I will miss most about or North Valley Albuquerque casita is the yard where I had just begun to grow and harvest my own foods and herbs.

Living in with family, though it has been a huge blessing in many ways, has made me realize how empowering it was to grow and use much of my own medicine. I’ve felt very disconnected from that world in the months since, but one way I have stayed connected to the “wild” world, is by keeping my jar of bee pollen on hand, and a jar of fresh, local, raw honey; two amazing commodities from our fuzzy, hard-working, little friends.

A Little About Bee Pollen

FACT: A honeybee has to travel an average of 12 miles to approximately 1500 different flowers to collect one load (10 mg) of pollen in a day!!! That makes every little granule seem like a precious gold nugget to me! Not one should be wasted for all that hard work!

Pollen collected is the male part of the plant, so it’s packed with nutrients:

Nutrition Value

2% Protein

1% Carbohydrate

2% Dietary Fiber

4% Vitamin C

2% Iron

2% Zinc

4% Copper

1% Magnesium

Chart via Buzzle.com

Using Bee Pollen

The benefits of eating or taking bee pollen are numerous: from boosting energy, to relieving allergies, to stimulating reproductive health, and more.

My favorite way to enjoy a mid-day energy snack is to spread some sunflower butter on a piece of toast, sprinkle a bit of pollen on top, and drizzle some raw honey over it. It’s quick, and tasty, and oh so good for me!

You can also sprinkle some pollen over a salad, or add it to a smoothie.

This is but a brief “shout out” to the bees and the amazing gifts they produce. I recommend buying your pollen from your local farmers market. Pollen from local plants will treat local allergies, buying local will support your local economy! For more information about bee pollen, here’s a good website to visit.

**Some people do experience allergies to the pollen itself, or some mild side effects such as stomach pain, digestion issues, etc. Please use caution when trying bee pollen and stop if any adverse effects occur.