How to Treat Allergies with Bee Pollen

Allergies, it is something people have a lot of trouble with. When you wake up and your nose is completely clogged, you feel like you cannot ever get all the mucus out of your nose, your head hurts, your eyes are red and at times, it’s even hard to breathe, as you start coughing. Yes, allergy season can be terrible and for most people, it starts in March, or rather, when the local flowers start blooming. Pollen allergy is really common, but people tend to try various solutions which do not include over the counter medicine. Natural remedies are for some people the best way of solving any problem, no matter how severe it might be. Well, allergies are believed to be treated by bee pollen. How is that possible? Whatever do you mean by bee pollen? Here is more about bee pollen and its possible medicinal properties.

Bee Pollen – A Bit Different Than Pollen

Pollen is a bunch of very small particles which flowers use to reproduce. They are tiny and coarse and contain male microgametophytes, which produce male gametes, or sperm cells. It then transfers to the female pistil or cone, depending on the type of plant. This is a normal part of cross-pollination or even self pollination.

Bee pollen is what bees collect on their legs, body and head, when they descend on a flower to collect pollen. Bee pollen can contain, other than pollen itself, bee enzymes and even some flower nectar. The pollen is covered by beeswax and honey, which makes what people call bee bread, their main food source, mostly proteins. Is bee pollen the real deal with allergies?

Not a Proven Allergy Treatment

There have been no studies confirming that bee pollen is amazing or even any good in treating allergies. There is far too much variance between the pollen collected to be able to tell whether it is effective. A single bee will collect pollen from multiple flowers and add to that that bees collect pollen all over the world and you can understand the idea behind it.

It is worth noting, however, that people think because the pollen comes from the local plants you are allergic to, using that local pollen will help your immune system because it might desensitize it. Having a stuffy nose is better than coughing and barely breathing. 

Bee Pollen Distribution

Bee pollen is sold in granules, tablets or capsules. People often measure it in spoons, and say that it has a very bitter taste. Most people who use bee pollen also get used to the taste. Make sure to take a rather small dose of the pollen, because you might get an allergic reaction. A very small dose is always recommended, to see how your body copes with it.

While bee pollen is an unproven way of treating allergies, people will still try it because it comes from nature itself and millions of flowers. Oftentimes, a placebo does work for some people.