The Buzz About Bee Jelly: Beware, It Could Do More Harm Than Good
The Buzz About Bee Jelly: Beware, It Could Do More Harm Than Good
March 27, 2001 -- Royal bee jelly may be touted as a health tonic, but for people allergic to grass pollen it's a royal pain. In fact, it may be down right dangerous. Around the world, people have reported a range of reactions, including severe respiratory distress and even death.
Despite the common perception that herbal remedies are safe, "severe toxic reactions to many have been reported, but especially with royal bee jelly," Allyson T. Tevrizian, MD, a clinical allergist and researcher with the University of California, San Francisco, tells WebMD. She presented one such case at the recent American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology meeting in New Orleans.
A 42-year-old woman with a history of allergic rhinitis and mild asthma began coughing and wheezing just 15 minutes after taking royal bee jelly. When the woman's asthma inhaler didn't halt her breathing difficulty, she went to the emergency room, where doctors were able to successfully treat her.
Was it really the royal bee jelly that caused the attack? It certainly seems so, Tevrizian reports. In the past, the woman's asthma attacks were due to respiratory infections, exercise, and exposure to cold weather -- none of which were evident this time. Allergy tests revealed that the woman was hypersensitive to numerous tree, grass, and weed pollens, as well as white-faced and yellow hornet venoms. Strangely, however, the woman had no history of reaction to honeybee venom or bee stings.
This adds to about 40 such cases of immediate reactions to royal bee jelly -- a milk-like substance produced by young worker honeybees to transform a worker bee into a queen -- which have been reported over the years, Tevrizian says. Most cases have occurred in Australia, England, and Hong Kong, with reactions ranging from severe asthma attacks to hives, bumps, anaphylactic shock, or anaphylaxis, where the airways swell and can obstruct breathing, as described in this case.
In fact, three people have died from severe respiratory difficulty after taking royal bee jelly just one time, she tells WebMD.
"Most people who have had reactions had pollen allergies," Tevrizian says. "Rarely are they sensitive to bee venom." Rare, too, are warnings of side effects printed on bee jelly packaging, since herbals are not FDA-regulated, she tells WebMD.
The Buzz About Bee Jelly: Beware, It Could Do More Harm Than Good
March 27, 2001 -- Royal bee jelly may be touted as a health tonic, but for people allergic to grass pollen it's a royal pain. In fact, it may be down right dangerous. Around the world, people have reported a range of reactions, including severe respiratory distress and even death.
Despite the common perception that herbal remedies are safe, "severe toxic reactions to many have been reported, but especially with royal bee jelly," Allyson T. Tevrizian, MD, a clinical allergist and researcher with the University of California, San Francisco, tells WebMD. She presented one such case at the recent American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology meeting in New Orleans.
A 42-year-old woman with a history of allergic rhinitis and mild asthma began coughing and wheezing just 15 minutes after taking royal bee jelly. When the woman's asthma inhaler didn't halt her breathing difficulty, she went to the emergency room, where doctors were able to successfully treat her.
Was it really the royal bee jelly that caused the attack? It certainly seems so, Tevrizian reports. In the past, the woman's asthma attacks were due to respiratory infections, exercise, and exposure to cold weather -- none of which were evident this time. Allergy tests revealed that the woman was hypersensitive to numerous tree, grass, and weed pollens, as well as white-faced and yellow hornet venoms. Strangely, however, the woman had no history of reaction to honeybee venom or bee stings.
This adds to about 40 such cases of immediate reactions to royal bee jelly -- a milk-like substance produced by young worker honeybees to transform a worker bee into a queen -- which have been reported over the years, Tevrizian says. Most cases have occurred in Australia, England, and Hong Kong, with reactions ranging from severe asthma attacks to hives, bumps, anaphylactic shock, or anaphylaxis, where the airways swell and can obstruct breathing, as described in this case.
In fact, three people have died from severe respiratory difficulty after taking royal bee jelly just one time, she tells WebMD.
"Most people who have had reactions had pollen allergies," Tevrizian says. "Rarely are they sensitive to bee venom." Rare, too, are warnings of side effects printed on bee jelly packaging, since herbals are not FDA-regulated, she tells WebMD.
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