Royal jelly is a creamy substance excreted from worker bees. It is fed to queen bees, conferring them high physical fitness, fertility, and long lifespan. It contains many active compounds and has been studied in preclinical studies for its purported antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-tumor, and anti-microbial effects. Although one clinical trial testing a combination therapy that included royal jelly claimed improved performance on one test of cognitive function in people with mild cognitive impairment, no adequately designed clinical trials have tested whether royal jelly has benefits for cognitive functions. While generally safe, royal jelly has drug interactions with blood pressure medications and can cause allergic reactions including anaphylaxis.
One clinical trial tested a combination formulation that included royal jelly as an ingredient, but no adequate clinical trials have tested whether royal jelly alone has benefits for cognitive functions. Our search identified:
In a clinical trial of 66 people with mild cognitive impairment, treatment with a dietary supplement containing royal jelly (Memo®; combination of 750 mg freeze-dried royal jelly, 120 mg ginkgo extract, and 150 mg Panax ginseng extract) for 4 weeks significantly improved cognitive functions [1]. Improvement in the treatment group was significantly greater than that in the placebo control group. However, due to the combination formulation, it is not clear which ingredients are responsible for these improvements. No clinical trials have tested the effects of royal jelly alone on cognitive functions.
Studies in rodents have shown that royal jelly treatment improves cognitive functions, reduces oxidative stress, and increases the number of new neurons [2; 3; 4]. However, these findings have not been confirmed in humans.
No human research has examined whether royal jelly treatment can improve cognitive function or slow decline in people with dementia. In a rodent model of Alzheimer’s disease, royal jelly treatment ameliorated cognitive deficits, while decreasing oxidative stress, neuronal death, and biological markers of Alzheimer’s (e.g., amyloid) [5; 6]. However, no studies in humans have confirmed these findings.
In clinical trials testing royal jelly for various diseases, adverse events were generally mild and included nausea and indigestion [1; 7; 8]. However, most of these clinical trials have been small and of short duration, so long-term safety is unclear. At very high doses, royal jelly may lower blood glucose levels [9]. Royal jelly should not be ingested if you are allergic to bees or bee pollen, as it could lead to a rash, acute asthma, or in some cases, anaphylaxis leading to death [5]. Royal jelly should be avoided if taking other drugs or supplements that lower blood pressure [10]. These include antihypertensive medications, warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), Andrographis, casein protein, cat’s claw, coenzyme Q-10, fish oil, L-arginine, lyceum, stinging nettle, and theanine.
NOTE: This is not a comprehensive safety evaluation or complete list of potentially harmful drug interactions. It is important to discuss safety issues with your physician before taking any new supplement or medication.
Royal jelly can come in fresh pure forms, mixed with other bee products (e.g., pollen, propolis), enzyme/protease-treated forms, and in capsules (typically freeze-dried). The composition of royal jelly varies considerably depending on bee species, geographical location, botanical origin, season, how quickly it is harvested, and method of processing (e.g., protease-treatment) [11]. Appropriate doses for royal jelly have not been established, but clinical trials have typically tested daily oral doses of 500 to 3,000 mg [1; 12; 13].
Find out more information on the safety and drug interactions for ginseng on Drugs.com
Full scientific report (PDF) on Cognitive Vitality Reports