Bee Brood – Apilarnil
What is bee brood? What is Apilarnil? Do we eat bees? Yes. Can you picture a skewer full of bees on a barbecue? 🙂 No, not like that. Though, some natives in Africa do this.
Bee brood is like “bee children”. Brood is a generic term that refers to eggs, larvae and pupae, which are the stages of a bee before it becomes an adult.
Apilarnil is a product made of male bee brood, used in apitherapy with a very broad spectrum and with incredible good results.
So, yes, we use the bees to make a remedy. Not all bees, only the males. (seems that we have found a way to take advantage of their existence, too!). They are gathered only on the 10th day after laying the egg, in other words, in the 7th day of their larvae stage.
Why are the baby bees gathered at this age?
– At this 7th day, the male bee (also called “drone“) has a weight of 250-300 mg, its body contains the elements of the main organs and all its body’s “programs” are completed.
– At this stage their bodies contain a HUGE number of SEX CELLS. In one male larvae there are over 10 million sperms. It appears that this high number of sex cells are most important for the final product.
– The larvae’s reserves of nutritive material are at highest level at this age: highly concentrated nutritive elements containing fat body protein, accumulation of lipids and carbohydrates, particularly glycogen, carbohydrates which play an important role in the metabolic process.
– It has a significant amount of haemolymph, far more rich in nutrients and energy compared to other insect or animal, including human blood. For example: bee larvae has 9 times more magnesium than human blood; greater phosphorus, carbohydrates are more from fructose while in human blood it’s more glucose.
– The chemical composition of the extract of the drone larvae is complex and consists of mineral salts (calcium, magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, copper, manganese, zinc, sodium, potassium), vitamins (vitamin A, beta-carotene,provitamin A, xanthophyll, vitamin B6, vitamin PP, choline, vitamin B1), amino acids (lysine, histidine, arginine, spargic acid, Tronina serine, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine), a total of 11.4 g% amino acids.
What does it treat?
It can be given at all ages, from infants to really old people. It has a higher efficiency in combination with other nutritional supplement, such as royal jelly, honey, pollen, flax seed oil or spirulina by enhancing each other’s properties. Of course the searches are still continuing.
- poor growing in infants
- loss of appetite, states of de-nutrition
- delayed puberty
- physical and intellectual fatigue in premature ages
- nutritional supplement for children who play sports for performance, leads to a marked improvement in exercise capacity and concentration. In an experiment done in healthy volunteers receiving apilarnil (a mixture of bee brood, honey and pollen) for a period of overload, the conclusions were categorical. There have been favorable metabolic effects, physical and intellectual improvement, with strong, lasting manifestations. There were no toxic side effect. There was no over-exhaustion after the supra-effort.
- Treats nocturnal enuresis in children of various ages. Studies have shown that this therapy improves the control on sphincter and treats urinary infections associated. Administration was done only at bedtime, to achieve a more superficial stage of the very deep sleep of these children. As alternatives, a very rapid effect in cases of enuresis plays auricular acupressure stimulation on renal point. The effects can be very prompt, if associated with Bach flower remedies.
- Treats epilepsy. In 1985 Dr. Virgil Enătescu made a research on 14 young epileptic volunteers. After a continuous consumption of the product there were no seizures. 5 months after stopping the treatment, the seizures reappeared but had a lower intensity. When the treatment was resumed, the seizures disappeared again.
- Improves concentration and memory; increases cognitive performance during periods of intense intellectual effort (at any age).
- Really helpful for children with oncological and hematological problems, during and after the cytostatic treatment. Also, as an adjunct in the treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related symptoms and clinical manifestations “para-AIDS”.
- severe fatigue in workaholic people.
- Corrects deficiencies that occur with age (over 30 – 35 years), especially those related to the immune system, hormonal balance and emotional self-adjustment.
- Antiviral properties: for viral diseases like viral respiratory infections, measles, rubella, chickenpox, mumps etc, the product is useful in the acute phase as well as in convalescence. It fights the germ, sustains immunity and the recovery is faster.
- Treats hepatic diseases like: liver insufficiency, acute or chronic viral hepatitis, cirrhosis
- Speeds recovery in post-traumatic recovery, in acute post-injuries, sprains, fractures and burns
- postoperative convalescence
- Optimizes sexual function and enhances fertility, especially in men. The drones are well-known as genuine “sex-machines”
- Stimulates the pituitary and supra-renal gland due to the relatively high content in (pre)hormone.
- Increase muscle mass in men as any other natural anabolic stimulant, though is doesn’t contain testosterone (which makes it safe for children as well).
- Very effective for intense physical strain, stress, removes fatigue. Recommended in all sports.
- States that require tonic and general wellness.
- In oncology: It has hepato-protective effect by maintaining liver regeneration, through protection against organic degradation. Noteworthy is that it supports hematopoiesis, a process responsible for the quality of the blood, which is severely affected in all people undergoing chemo or radiotherapy. It is well known that “cyto-static” actually means “cyto-toxic”. Under the action of these substances, chaotic cell division slows down, in tumors, as well as in normal cells. The result is that these severe toxins, with chemical formulas that often resemble those of herbicides, administered as chemotherapy, cause a real disaster, not only to the tumor but also to all other organs of the human body. Basically, there is an early and rapid aging, artificially induced, that lowers the vital capacity of the body to resist, defense and fight the disease. Radio-therapy treatment is even more severe, with varied and complicated tracks in time. In this context, it is understood that an adjuvant therapy, that allows the body to withstand these conditions and to maintain an active immune system is absolutely necessary.
- In gynecology: It can be used in premenstrual syndrome, breast, and breast nodules, and many other diseases with names we cannot pronounce. Generally, it calms all phenomena of hyper-secretions of the female hormone estrogen type. In obstetric pathology it can be used in miscarriages, placental insufficiency and others. Very useful in treating cancers related to feminine hormonal sources, breast or genital.
- Supports healthy tissues, positively influences the processes of tissue regeneration, stimulates and normalizes the exchange of substances at the cellular level. Restores and balances the metabolic functions of tissues and organs, or dysfunctions caused by various inflammatory conditions.
- Chronic gastric ulcers
In older people:
- Brings back the vigor and a higher resistance to diseases. It is well-known that older people have digestive system with a lower capacity to digest and absorb. For them, the combination between bee brood, acacia honey and pollen makes wonders: increase immunity and resistance to illnesses, shortens the time of recovery from certain diseases associated to age.
- Physical debility; mental and emotional depression in the elderly
– There are cases when the organism is so weakened that it is incapable of absorbing and assimilating anything.
– The targeted organs (such as endocrines) have major structural and genetic problems
– Spasms, tumors, excessive mucus in the digestive tract, a large amount of parasites etc.
Remember that there is no such thing as a panacea, so neither is Apilarnil.
According to a study made in Russia, the incidence of allergy towards bee brood is of 2.4%.
How is it made?
It was invented in Romania, a country with tradition in beekeeping, by Nicolae V. Ilieşiu, in 1980. With time other products have been made, combining Apilarnil with honey, pollen, royal jelly or flax seed oil and spirulina.
Apilarnil is obtained from bee larvae, that are chopped and lyophilized. (lyophilize = the conversion of water from a frozen state to a gaseous state without going through a liquid state. The freeze-dry process removes moisture from the cells of specimens while the specimens remain frozen. (according to microbiologics.com)
Where can we find it?
Though it is a well-known international product among the scientists in apitherapy or in beekeeping, it is not that popular on the market. There have been made a lot of studies by different scienties all over the world: Budnikova (2009, Russia), Pan Jian-Guo (1995, China), Bonomi (2000, Italy) Osintzeva (2009), Krell (1996, Italy), Burimistrova, Belyaev, Sofonkaya (Rusia). So, the product is more likely to be found in these countries.
You can find this product in other combinations, with royal jelly, propolis, pollen, or even other super-herbs. I have used a combination of apilarnil, propolis and pollen called Apiproppolen, with very good results. Greeks sell them very well here. Or you can even find it in the manufacturer’s shop..
Here is what I have found: A Romanian producer thought of mixing it in honey, for a better storage and ingestion. Acacia honey and APILARNIL. Here is the store. Unfortunately the page doesn’t have an English version.
Finke, MD (2005) Nutrient composition of bee brood and its potential as human food – Ecology of Food and Nutrition
Narumi, S (2004) Honeybee brood as nutritional food – Honeybee science
Krell, R (1996) Value -added products from beekeeping
Nicolae Iliesu – Health, Power and Long Life (1990);
Dr. Ştefan Stângaciu – Apitherapy Course, www.apitherapy.com;