Bee Pollen and Human Health

[BrentX]

I have been reading Bee Pollen and Your Health, by Carlsen Wade, Keats Publishing 1978.  This small tome describes the many ways bee pollen improves human health, suggesting bee pollen for fighting cancer, prolonging life, improved athletic performance, aiding digestion, correcting prostrate disorders, and helping us all to look younger.  While short on substantiation, it does contain some interesting anecdotes. 

If the claims here were even 80 percent correct we would all be raising bees for the pollen, and coping with the resulting honey.  From my point of view, while this book may be a little over the top, that does not mean that there are not some benefits for humans to consume pollen.  So I am posting this to see what is the experience of this group in using either pollen collected from the entrance or bottom of the hive, or in using bee bread (the pollen and honey mix found in the comb).

[Vance G]

Merry Christmas!  When i was trying to produce pollen commercially in 1982, I quickly found a flooded market and fed hundreds of pounds to my brotherinlaws sheep, who didn't mind and were not apparently harmed.  My small boys would eat it until they got close to diarhea if not there and had to be rationed.  I could not stomach enough of it to make it a regular part of my diet so I can't say claim long term health benefits.  Taken with honey when tired working bees, it did seem to give a boost of energy.  I have no allergies so do know of any benefits to that.