For years those who fell to the former heavyweight wondered: From whence came the power of Muhammad Ali, who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee? Perhaps it was right in front of them all along. His pro-insect poetry might have been a thinly veiled tribute to the source of his power: Bee pollen. Bee pollen, famed in song, story and Scriptures, is the selected food supplement of heavyweights in every field. Its proponents include Jesus, Ali, Ronald Reagan and the football team at Moorhead College.
“The only thing superior is mother’s milk,” said Jim Devlin, a pollen products distributer who calls himself “Mr. Bee Pollen.” He claims the sticky stuff increases energy (and virility, guys), heals infections, lowers blood pressure, grows and darkens hair and cures cancer. In fact, Devlin – who discovered bee pollen at a Phoenix, Arizona flea market while wearing a black and yellow jogging suit he claims made him resemble a bumble bee – described himself as fat, lethargic and balding until he tried pollen. In the six years since that magical discovery, he claims that he’s become younger, more vital, slimmer and happier.
Devlin, a former Catholic priest, has cataloged the Good Book’s every reference to bee pollen. His books, published by Busiest Bee Press, extol the natural tonic and chronicle its participation in history. Devlin’s pitch sounds suspiciously like a medicine-show swindler’s, but in truth, thousands of health enthusiasts swear by bee pollen. “I’ve talked to people whose problems have gone away. Sometimes they’ve experienced some very marked changes,” said Robert Berthold, an entomologist and associate professor of biology at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown Township. But Berthold, whose doctorate is in honeybee studies, says pollen is not an across-the-board cure, and can even be dangerous for some individuals.
Bee pollen is an excellent food for bees of course. It’s a source of proteins, most of their vitamins and most of their minerals. As to how it helps humans, the opinions are diverse. While 35 grams of bee pollen is said to supply the body with its daily requirement of amino acids, the chemical makeup of pollen varies. Some may indeed contain huge stores of amino acids, while other batches may have little or none. Each of us is different from a chemical standpoint, if the pollen they get contains amino acids, it may help them.
But while the inconsistencies in bee pollen make it impossible to determine its nutritive value, its proponents do not hesitate to use it as a supplement, and would recommend that most people do the same, unless they are allergic to it. I would caution anyone about using bee pollen if it happens to contain a component of pollen that person was allergic to. I know of some people who walk into their doctors’ offices with rashes all over their bodies and they’re unable to breathe because they read about this stuff and took it without realizing the were allergic. A severe allergic reaction could result in death, so always check with your doctor before using a new supplement.
Sources:
Broadhurst, Leigh User’s Guide to Propolis, Royal Jelly, Honey, & Bee Pollen (Basic Health Publications User’s Guide) 2005
Elkins Rita Bee Pollen: Royal Jelly, Propolis and Honey (Woodland Health) 2007
Brown, Royden The World’s Only Perfect Food: The Bee Pollen Bible 1993
