Skip to main content

Pollen as Food for Humans and Animals and as Medicine

  • Chapter
Fertilization in Higher Plants

Abstract

The uses of pollen are normally considered to be limited to feed for bees. Like many other solitary and social insects, honey bees collect and store pollen. However, the ubiquity, chemical composition and nutritional value of pollen make it suitable for human consumption, especially as a food supplement.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Baier B, Karg W (1992) Untersuchungen zur Biologie, Ökologie und Effektivität oligophager Raubmilben. Mitt Biol Bundesanstalt Land und Forstwirtsch, Berlin-Dahlem, Vol 281

    Google Scholar 

  • Baroni Urbani C, de Andrade ML (1997) Pollen eating, storing, and spitting by ants. Naturwissenschaften 84: 256 – 258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clifton C (1984) Edible flowers. Mc Graw Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Coghlan A (1995) Far-flung pollen raises spectre of superweed. New Scientist 148: 10

    Google Scholar 

  • Faegri K, van der Pijl L (1979) The principles of pollination ecology. Third edition, Pergamon Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Franchi GG (1987) Researches on pollen digestibility. Atti Societa di Scienze Naturali Memorie Ser 94: 43 – 52

    Google Scholar 

  • Herbert EW, Shimamuki M (1978) Chemical composition and nutritive value of bee-collected and beestored pollen. Apidiologie 9: 33 – 40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jorde W, Linskens HF (1974) Zur Persorption von Pollen und Sporen durch die intakte Darmschleim haut. Acta Allergologica 29: 165 – 175

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jorde W, Linskens HF (1978) Pollen als Allergenträger. Allergologie 1: 7 – 10

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF (1992) Mature pollen and its impact on plant and man. In: Cresti M, Tiezzi A (eds) Plant Sexual Reproduction. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, pp 203 – 217

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF (1995) Pollen deposition in mosses from northwest Greenland. Proc Kon Ned Akad Wet, Amsterdam 98: 45 – 53

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF (1996a) Pollen deposition in arctic mosses from Severnya Zemlya archipelago. Frans Joseph Land and from Novaya Zemlya. Proc Kon Ned Akad Wet, Amsterdam 99: 71 – 84

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF (1996b) Indianer und Pollen. In: B. Wolters, Agave bis Zaubernufi, Heilpflanzen der Indianer Nord- und Mittelmerikas. Urs Freund, Greifenberg, pp 222 – 227

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF (1996c) No airborne pollen within tropical rain forest. Proc Kon Ned Akad Wet, Amsterdam 99: 175 – 180

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF, Cresti M (1988) The effect of temperature, humidity, and light on the dehiscence of tobacco anthers. Proc Kon Ned Akad Wet, Amsterdam 91: 369 – 375

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF, Jorde W (1997) Pollen as food and medicine — a review. Econ Bot 51: 78 – 87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF, Mulleneers JML (1967) Formation of “Instant Pollen Tubes”. Acta Bot Neerl 16: 132 – 140

    Google Scholar 

  • Linskens HF, Bargagli R, Cresti M, Focardi S (1993) Entrapment of long-distance transported pollen grains by various moss species in coastal Victoria Land, Antarctica. Polar Biol 13: 81 – 87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loschen G,Ebeling L (1991) Hemmung der Arachnidonsaure-Kaskade durch einen Extrakt aus Roggenpollen. Arzneimittel-Forschung 41: 162 – 167

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng Hong-fu, Xue Zheng-sheng, Miao Fang, Pan Dung-pi, Liu Zi-ming, Liu Zhong-wen, Liu Shau-rong, Tao Shung-xing (1990) The effect of pollen enhancing tolerance to hypoxia and promoting adaptation to highlands (In Chinese). Chung Hua I Hsung Tsa Chin (J Chinese Medicine) 70: 77 – 81

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson W (1978) A field guide to edible wild plants in Eastern and Central Nord America. Mifflin, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinhard KJ, Hamilton DL, Hevly RH (1991) Use of pollen concentration in palaeopharmacology, coprolite evidence in medical plants. J Ethnobiol 11: 117 – 132

    Google Scholar 

  • Schäppi GF, Taylor PE, Staff IA, Suphioglu C, Knox RG (1997) Source of Bet vl loaded inhalable particles from birch revealed. Sex Plant Reprod 10: 315 – 323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sophiogly C, Singh MB, Taylor P, Bellomo R, Holmes P, Puy R, Knox RB (1992) Mechanism of grass-pollen-induced asthma. The Lancet 339: 569 – 572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanley RG, Linskens HF (1985) Pollen — Biologie Biochemie Gewinnung und Verwendung. Urs Freund, Greifenberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomikel J (1976) Edible wild plants of Eastern United States of Canada. Alleghany Press, California/Pennsylvania

    Google Scholar 

  • Vivino AE, Palmer LS (1944) The chemical composition and nutritional value of pollen collected by bees. Arch Biochem Biophys 4: 129 – 136

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Volkheimer G (1972) Persorption. Gasteroenterologie und Stoffwechsel. Band 2, Thieme, Stuttgart

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Linskens, H.F. (1999). Pollen as Food for Humans and Animals and as Medicine. In: Cresti, M., Cai, G., Moscatelli, A. (eds) Fertilization in Higher Plants. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59969-9_27

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59969-9_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64202-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59969-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics