How to Take Bee Pollen

Should I Pre-Soak My Bee Pollen?

When the topic of how to take bee pollen comes up, I often get asked about pre-soaking. Dr. Cherbuliez is the Vice President of the American Apitherapy Society and his view about soaking bee pollen for optimum digestion is widely published throughout the internet. Dr. Cherbuliez is actually a psychiatrist who became interested in bee keeping and apitherapy and some sites claim that he has done research on bee pollen absorbtion. I have yet to be able to find or read the actual research and have no idea how or when he was able to measure the absorbtion rates of bee pollen.

Because of this and a complete lack of other research supporting Dr. Cherbuliez's claims, I am not totally convinced that soaking pollen for 12 hours is necessary for everyone. I do find that it helps those who have impaired digestion of some kind (those who suffer from Irritable Bowel, Crohns, Colitis, Gas & Bloating etc). It certainly won't hurt the bee pollen or you. On the other hand, it is well known that pre-soaking certain nuts and seeds helps those who have a hard time digesting them. So even though pollen is not a nut, it is food for thought. I personally believe that if you chew your raw pollen, the human digestive tract is quite capable of breaking down the outer shell of the pollen granule and releasing the valuable nutrients into your G.I. tract.

How to Take Bee Pollen: The Tolerance Test

1) Place one raw bee pollen kernel under your tongue.

2) Let it dissolve completely. It is absorbing rapidly through what is called your mucous membrane directly into your blood stream.

3) If you experience no reaction, place two granules under your tongue.

4) Continue increasing the number of granules under your tongue until you feel confident that you will not experience an allergic reaction.

How to Take Bee Pollen: Sensitive?

There are some experts out there who feel that with continued exposure, you'll develop a tolerance or re-balancing of your immune system and over time will be able to tolerate pollen very well. As always, if you feel weird or unsure, check with your doctor first.

In fact, my husband experienced this exact phenomenon first hand. When he began taking bee pollen, he would develop within seconds an itchy throat and mild allergy symptoms.

We simply cut back his dose and slowly upped it until he experienced none of these symptoms at all. Now, he takes several table spoons a day of pollen!

If you've purchased capsules you may be wondering how in the world you're going to be able to test your tolerance. Well, there is a way! Many bee pollen supplements come in a capsule form.

These capsules are usually made of gelatin and simply twist open. Dump a small amount of the pollen into juice, water or right into your mouth. Follow the procedure I talked about above.

If you've managed to find a fully sealed gelatin capsule (these are rare), you'll simply have to cut it open with scissors or a knife to test your tolerance. Whatever you do, I recommend you test your tolerance if you are new to taking pollen. Allergic reactions are no fun!

If you've purchased tablets and want to test your sensitivity to pollen, simply cut a small piece of the tablet away and use that. All tablets are held together using binders. That is what keeps them from falling apart in the bottle. Don't worry, a sharp knife will be sufficient in separating the tablet.

How to Take Bee Pollen....and When!

Bee pollen can be mixed in literally anything. I mix it in cereal, granola, yogurt and even apple sauce. My favorite way to ingest bee pollen is to blend it into my morning protein smoothie with fruit, a greens drink and my Essential Fatty Acid blend.

Some people prefer to simply chew their bee pollen and swallow. While at first it has a rather different taste for most, it really does grow on you and is quite palatable. In my opinion, this is the best way to ingest your pollen as your digestive system has a chance to really start breaking down the outer pollen shell and releasing the valuable nutrients inside.

Ultimately, it is up to you how you consume your pollen. It is extremely versatile and can be chewed, blended, mixed or simply swallowed. The most important thing is to make it a part of your daily nutrition so find out what works best for you and stick to it!

How to Take Bee Pollen: A Word of Caution

New! Comments