Hi all
A friend wrote me to ask about a reference I had posted about the amazing qualities of bee pollen. Honestly, my memory is not what it once was -- and it has never been that great. I didn't have even a vague recollection of the post but I must have thought it pretty funny at the time. It seems comical now. It was filled with goofs, but looking into the various versions of this tale reveals many discrepancies between them, most interestingly: 

THE SECRET TO LIVING TO 125
 
     The villagers residing in the Caucasus Mountains fascinated Dr. Nicolai Tsitsin, Russian Chief Biologist and prominent member of the Academy of Sciences. These hardy souls seemed to sail effortlessly past the age of 100. Remarkably, more than 200 individuals were over 125 — still actively working and participating in daily activities. After some physical examinations, Dr. Tsitsin discovered that many exhibited signs of “silent heart disease” and scars of “silent heart attacks,” which would have certainly been lethal to a modem man. The doctor believed that being extremely active and working hard well into old age was a contributing factor to their longevity, but he still remained puzzled. He knew there had to be some other factor entering into the equation. He was on a mission to find the common denominator. Then he stumbled on it.
 
     These people all kept bees! Beekeeping is a profession that in itself historically confers some sort of “magical” life protection on its members, a fact confirmed by today’s scientific research. These beekeepers seemed happy and fulfilled, but were otherwise very poor. Bartering among themselves with an exchange of services and homegrown products was the accepted way of life. They had very little cash, so they regularly traded the pure clear honey from the combs of their hives for other necessities. What they kept for themselves, and ate regularly, was the thick residue that accumulated at the bottom of the hives. When Dr. Tsitsin was served some of this sweet, sticky substance in the home of one of the villagers, he had a sudden revelation. After some research and analysis, he concluded that this was the magic elixir that contributed to the remarkable longevity of these beekeepers. The tasty but unattractive glob was rich with golden granules of bee pollen.

¶ I thought there was something "off" about this last part, what glob on the bottom of the hives? Turns out another version of the story states:

The Legend of Honey Bee Pollen goes back to approximately 1945 when a London, England
reporter published the news of the reported existence of a village in the high mountains of
Russia, the news having reached England that there were villagers there that lived to very high
ages, in excellent health.

High up in the Caucasus mountains (a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black and the
Caspian sea) of the former Soviet Union (Russia) were these very villagers, reported to be some
of the longest living people in the world. The investigator conducting the research into that
village was Dr. Nicolai Tsitsin, Russian Chief Biologist and prominent member of the Academy
of Sciences.

In this process of conducting the investigation, it was learned that these villagers were bee
keepers who sold their raw honey supply down to the villages and towns below, keeping only the
"dregs" - left in the bottoms of the honey barrels - for themselves. Testing of those "dregs"
proved to be about 90 % pure honey bee pollen, being the major food that the villagers ate, every day.

¶ Now, that makes more sense to me. But alas, the story takes a turn:

So superior was the healthy condition of their bodies, that it was reported that one woman of the
village gave birth to a newborn child. She was at the young age of 90 when she did so!

The investigator asked one man, age 127, "Sir, do you remember how old you were when you
left off having love relations with your wife?" to which the man replied, "I don't know. You'll
have to ask somebody older." 

¶ But in case you are skeptical, the article warns would-be "dissenters":

DISSENTERS. This subject does not deserve much attention, except to note that there are those
who, no matter the truth that comes to light for the benefit and advantage of the people, will
always plaint against or put down the item of interest that has come to be of great benefit to
people everywhere, and do everything in their power to dissent or discourage the people from
even trying it, even to the point of disseminating false information or of misrepresenting the
truth, so that the good thing found will be, somehow, "bad" rather than good. Unfortunately for
those dissenters, at this late time, there is so much evidence and testimony mounted against
them, that they won't get very far with it;

Even though thousands of scientific analysis have been made on bee pollen using the latest
technology, there are yet many ingredients in it which science still cannot identify. Do the honey
bees add mysterious ingredients that vary it so, that it is those same mysterious additions that
contribute to its amazing healing properties?

¶ Well, do they? Here's proof! 

In 1989, Noel Johnson wrote his autobiography, appropriately entitled A Dud at 70 - A Stud at
80. In his amazing. revealing, book, he attributed his stamina and increased bodily power, his
superb health and his longevity to -- Honey Bee Pollen:

Since I discovered bee pollen at the age of 70, this perfect live food has restored my
manhood, brought me to full vigor and sexual potency, and continues to nourish every cell
in my body while protecting my health.” The search for restored youth must,
most certainly, lead straightway to your most favorite beehive, wherever that may be.

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