tuneTypical Dose
800 to 1000 mg daily for 8 to 12 weeks
Bee Product
Royal Jelly
Royal jelly
Evidence TierCWADA NOT PROHIBITED
watchEffect Window
Symptom changes were assessed after several weeks.
check_circleCompliance
WADA NOT PROHIBITED
Overview
Clinical Summary
Royal jelly has small placebo-controlled signals for menopausal symptom relief, but evidence is limited and allergy risk matters.
Royal jelly is marketed broadly for vitality, fertility, and skin, but the clearest human evidence is narrower. Two placebo-controlled trials suggest modest improvement in menopausal symptoms over 8 to 12 weeks. Those results are interesting but still low confidence, and allergy risk makes it inappropriate for people sensitive to bee products.
Royal jelly contains proteins, lipids, and bioactive compounds that may affect inflammation and symptom perception, but the evidence is still mostly exploratory.
Outcomes
What This Is Expected To Influence
Primary Outcomes
- Possible improvement in menopausal symptoms
Secondary Outcomes
- Limited evidence beyond menopause-specific symptom relief
Safety
Contraindications and Interactions
Contraindications
- Bee-product allergy
Side effects
- GI upset
Interactions
No entries provided
Avoid if
- You have bee-sting, pollen, or royal-jelly allergy history
Evidence
Study-level References
roy-SRC-001Randomized controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newSharif SN, et al. Effect of royal jelly on menopausal symptoms: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.08.006. PMID:31470366.
Population: Postmenopausal women aged 45 to 60 years.
Dose protocol: 1000 mg daily for 8 weeks
Key findings: Improved menopausal symptom score versus placebo.
Notes: Best direct menopause trial.
Paper content
This is the strongest direct royal-jelly menopause trial by sample size. It found improvement in menopausal symptoms after 8 weeks of supplementation.
roy-SRC-002Randomized controlled trial
Sourceopen_in_newUshiroyama T, et al. Royal Jelly Supplementation Improves Menopausal Symptoms Such as Backache, Low Back Pain, and Anxiety in Postmenopausal Japanese Women. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018. doi:10.1155/2018/4540687. PMID:29853955.
Population: Healthy Japanese postmenopausal women.
Dose protocol: 800 mg daily for 12 weeks
Key findings: Improved backache, anxiety, and other menopausal symptoms.
Notes: Supportive secondary trial.
Paper content
This study supports a modest menopause-symptom signal for royal jelly, although the trial is small and should be interpreted cautiously.
roy-SRC-003Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Sourceopen_in_newKemp JA, Mendonca M, Chrispim P, et al. Apitherapy with royal jelly and green propolis EPP-AF improves cardiovascular risk markers in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Toxins. 2025;17(8):369. doi:10.3390/toxins17080369. PMID:40864045.
Population: Patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Dose protocol: Royal jelly 100 mg plus green propolis 500 mg daily versus placebo for 2 months in 38 hemodialysis patients.
Key findings: IL-6 reduced from 0.78 to 0.63 pg/mL (P=0.008). Total cholesterol reduced from 138.60 to 111.85 mg/dL (P=0.03). Uremic toxins unchanged.
Notes: Confounded by propolis co-intervention but extends royal jelly evidence into cardiovascular risk reduction in a high-risk population.
Paper content
This double-blind RCT tested royal jelly (100 mg) combined with green propolis (500 mg) daily for 2 months in 38 hemodialysis patients. The treatment group showed significant reductions in IL-6 and total cholesterol compared to placebo. Uremic toxins and oxidative stress markers were unchanged. The combination is confounded by the propolis co-intervention, but the trial extends royal jelly's evidence into a high-cardiovascular-risk clinical population, showing anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering activity. The IL-6 reduction is noteworthy given the elevated baseline inflammation in dialysis patients.
roy-SRC-004Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Sourceopen_in_newEslamifar Z, Manucheri F, Ghanbari S, Zandi M, Sabbagh S. Impact of royal jelly consumption on oxidative stress, anti-oxidant markers and physical activities of patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Ir J Med Sci. 2025. doi:10.1007/s11845-025-04009-z. PMID:40824557.
Population: Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Dose protocol: Royal jelly 500 mg daily versus placebo for 45 days in 61 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Key findings: Significant disability reduction (EDSS, P<0.001), decreased malondialdehyde (P<0.0001), and increased superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. Fatigue and quality of life also improved.
Notes: Expands royal jelly evidence beyond menopause into a neuroinflammatory condition with meaningful functional and antioxidant outcomes.
Paper content
This double-blind RCT tested 500 mg royal jelly daily for 45 days in 61 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The treatment group showed significant disability reduction (EDSS scores), decreased oxidative damage (malondialdehyde), and increased antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase and catalase). Fatigue and quality of life also improved. This trial expands royal jelly's evidence beyond menopause into a neuroinflammatory condition, showing meaningful antioxidant and functional benefits in an MS population.