A review on health benefits and biological action of honey, propolis and royal jelly

Abstract

There has been an increasing demand for natural products, particularly the bee products in the health conscious society. The art of rearing honey bees in artificial hives is called apiculture and used for collecting various bee products especially honey, bee bread, bee venom, bee pollen, propolis and royal jelly. Honey is considered as the first natural sweetener ever discovered, widely used as a nutritious food supplement and medicinal agent. The quality and taste of honey fluctuate based on the floral preferences, floral sources, climatic conditions and geographic features. The potential health benefits of honey, such as microbial inhibition, wound healing, and its effects on other diseases, are described Honey exhibits antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antihyperlipidemic, and cardioprotective properties. Due to these properties, it is used in the treatment of eye disorders, gastrointestinal tract diseases, neurological disorders, fertility disorders and wound healing activity. This review paper mainly focus on the biological and therapeutic effects of honey, propolis and royal jelly. These bee products are effective in preventing diseases and promoting good health due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acid, phenolic compounds, terpenes, and enzymes. The nutritional properties and functional values of honey, propolis and royal jelly differs widely in accordance with the floral and bee species. These potent apitherapeutic products should be standardized for correct dozes and checked for the allergic effects.