As per the product.
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Royal jelly is the specialized secretion that worker bees produce in their hypopharyngeal glands to feed the larvae exclusively during the first three days of development and the queen bee throughout her adult life; this food is the biological factor that determines whether a genetically identical larva develops into a worker bee (with a life expectancy of 6 weeks) or a queen bee (with a life expectancy of 4-5 years and massive reproductive capacity), a spectacular phenotypic difference driven entirely by royal jelly, an observation that has fueled popular fascination for decades with its possible effects on human vitality, energy, and longevity.
The chemical composition includes water (60-70 percent), proteins (royalisin, royalactin, major royal jelly proteins), simple sugars, peculiar lipids (especially 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid or 10-HDA, an exclusive marker of royal jelly), free amino acids, B vitamins (especially B5), minerals, and minor bioactive compounds; 10-HDA is the only component with a documented, relatively weak estrogenic activity and is used as a marker of quality and authenticity of commercial products.
The indication with the most interesting clinical data is the relief of vasomotor symptoms and improvement of quality of life in menopausal women: several small trials have documented significant improvements in hot flashes, night sweats, mood, and overall well-being with oral supplementation for 8-12 weeks, an indication consistent with the weak estrogenic activity of 10-HDA and with modest but consistent clinical support.
A randomized Iranian trial published in 2014 with postmenopausal women showed significant improvements in climacteric scales (Greene, Kupperman) with 1,000 mg/day of freeze-dried royal jelly for 12 weeks, comparable to some phytoestrogens without acting directly on estrogen receptors.
In mild chronic fatigue and in conditions of low subjective well-being, several small studies have shown improvements in energy, vitality, and quality-of-life scales with supplementation over weeks to months, a traditional indication with modest and consistent clinical support in line with the nutritional profile of royal jelly.
In male and female infertility, several small studies have shown improvements in reproductive parameters (semen analysis, hormonal balance, ovulatory function) with supplementation over months; the data are interesting but the cohorts are small and independent replication is limited.
The doses studied range from 50 to 3,000 milligrams per day of fresh or freeze-dried royal jelly depending on the product and indication; typical commercial products are ampoules of 500-1,000 mg of fresh royal jelly, freeze-dried tablets, or softgel capsules with royal jelly stabilized in oil; freshness and proper storage (refrigerated or freeze-dried in protected packaging) are essential to preserve biological activity; cheap or poorly stored products are therapeutically inferior.
The most important clinical consideration is the risk of allergic reactions, which can be serious and, exceptionally, fatal: anaphylactic reactions have been documented in people with pre-existing allergic asthma, severe atopy, or allergy to bee products (honey, pollen, propolis), a significantly higher risk than with other bee products; people with severe allergic asthma, prior anaphylaxis, known allergy to bee products, or significant atopy should avoid royal jelly or use it only under medical supervision with an epinephrine auto-injector available; people with hormone-dependent cancers (breast, endometrial) should be cautious because of the weak estrogenic activity; in pregnancy and breastfeeding, data are limited although it has traditionally been used without significant problems; typical usage patterns are cycles of 1-3 months with rest periods to avoid tolerance and sensitization; the effects promised by marketing regarding "longevity" based on the worker/queen difference are an interesting extrapolation but have no real support in humans.
Information, not medical advice. Scientific evidence reflects the quality of the studies.