Well before the term ‘superfood’ was coined, there was a universal understanding among well-educated health practitioners about the superior health benefits that were gained by consuming either flower or bee pollen. Although many vegans will not partake of the bee variety, they have the option to consume the hand harvested flower type. Over millennia, physicians have written about the extraordinary benefits gained via the consumption of these flower pellets. Everything, from energy to protein to nutrients to immune support and body building, has been attributed to this pot of gold. Few if any nutritional strongholds contain such a wide, full spectrum of distinguished body enhancing elements. In ancient Greece, they thought of these granules as longevity tools. In Northern Europe, a salve made from these flower contributors was commonly used to heal wounds, bruises and even the common cold. In Asia, this powerhouse was often used in the quest to reverse a plethora of disease.

In the 1960s and before, pollen was considered one of the most important health foods available from nature. Before fresh water algaes, magic berries, powerful mushrooms and potent herbs were understood, pollen stood alone as the superstar of compact nutrition. In my own life, I never left home without it on my often long global tours. Even today, it is part of my supplement repertoire and central in my search for gaining extra energy during those brutal work periods. When speaking in Arizona, USA 35 years ago, a then 78-year old gentleman, who was the foremost pollen advocate in the United States, approached me after a lecture. He stunned me when revealing his age since I thought of him as a forty-something, not someone bordering 80. He handed me a two-page list of the nutrition already discovered in this magic flower potion. From that moment forward, I gained a healthy respect for this exceptional food and have continued a lifelong interest in learning as much about the newest research involving it as possible.

Steeped in the science of herbal medicine and understanding the premise of homeopathy, my mind always searched for the reason that I had yet to discover someone who was using specific flower pollens and applying them to certain disorders. Only two years ago, when speaking at a major health symposium in Paris, France, I learned about the work of Patrice Percie Du Sert. When tasting a variety of his pollens and reading the details about his exploration and usage, I finally found the missing link. Years before, he had studied the work of a fellow Frenchman, Dr Seignalet. Combining this with his background as an agricultural engineer and beekeeper extraordinaire, he developed a way to target the use of pollen for certain maladies. He at first convinced himself, by intermittently using fresh willow tree pollen, that it brought great benefits for a problem he personally endured. He then went on to use rock rose pollen and was pleased to have extensive reports of success from those suffering Crohn’s disease. Why I favour the pollen produced by Du Sert is because he also understands the significance and importance of consuming fresh pollen (un-dried) in gaining maximum benefits. Any and all raw pollen harbours extraordinary benefits, yet, when possible, a fresh harvested or frozen variety offers a bigger punch.

One of the main reasons that I have been prescribing this food/supplement to thousands over the last few decades is because of the strong probiotic affect it renders. Its pro-bacteria acts like a food and in combination with the carotenoids (antiinflammatories), it helps the digestion and elimination canal maintain homeostasis. In Scandinavia, pollen is vastly popular and is sold universally, even promoted by the pharmacies. This helps you to maintain and regain prostate health, due to pollen’s attributes, namely zinc, folic acid, carotenoids, vitamins E and A, and most importantly, phytosterols. There is substantial empirical evidence supporting the results. As I have seen in my own life, the vitamins A, E and C, in such a pure whole food form, help to create an army of antioxidants. Together, they symbiotically prevent free radical damage, the cause of all premature aging and disease. This is why one feels vitality when consuming pollen in combination with a health-building lifestyle. As I have seen here at Hippocrates and Professor Henri Joyeux also reveals, this superior food/supplement symphonically has the inherent ability to eradicate the oestrogens, which are a fundamental cause of breast cancer, as well as other forms. Other studies have revealed that consistent consumption of this powerhouse will help to reverse and certainly prevent macular degeneration, osteoporosis when combined with weightlifting, blood sugar disorders, increase breast milk, weight maintenance due to its high protein profile regulating blood sugar, enhanced athletic ability, improve libido, enhance cell development, improve skin and hair growth… the list goes on.

At this point, I think it is time we all grow beyond the superfood façade and come back down to earth to discover the superior foods that have resided on this planet well before humans bloomed. Your first goal should be the elimination of destructive ‘foods’ derived from animals; equally important is the removal of self-destructive habits like alcohol consumption, smoking, pop drinking, etc. Consuming an organic green plantbased diet, stretching, building muscle and impelling circulation and detoxification via aerobic exercise will render the foundation for a body that is user friendly. By using pollen and other superior foods, you can concretely establish a nutritional foundation that will help resist rapid ageing and disease implications. Wherever you live, there are beekeepers who are eagerly awaiting new consumers for their platinum product. Leave the sugar rich honey behind and drop these delightful pellets onto your tongue so they can melt into pure energy. You will not be sorry for following this time-tested advice, since only gains can be made and problems prevented and resolved by doing what is right. Do not be a flag in the wind, blowing in the direction that the latest greatest product dictates. Even a healthy life can be enhanced.

Enjoy the splendour of nature by partaking of the same health and beauty creating pollen that makes the flower as stunning as it is.

About the Author

Dr Brian Clement PhD, NMD, LN, is director of the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida. With graduate degrees in both nutritional science and naturopathic medicine, he has spent three decades researching nutrition and is the author of six books. For more information see www.hippocratesinst.org.

This article appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of Get Fresh! magazine.