Numerous honeybee products are used in medicine, but the literature furnishes no information concerning the effects of the drone milk (DM), although drone brood, which is similar to DM, was reported to elicit a hormone-like strengthening effect. In certain countries, DM is traditionally used to treat infertility and to promote vitality in both men and women. The aim of this study was to determine the putative estrogen hormone–like effect of raw DM in rats and to identify the effective compounds. It is not widely known that, similarly to the queen, drone honeybees have their own special food. In a similar manner to RJ, drone milk (DM) is secreted by the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of worker honeybees (Apis melliferaL.). DM is the main component of drone brood, which also contains larvae and pupae of drones in the comb. DM is separated from drone brood by extraction to eliminate the larvae and pupae during the harvest. Drone brood is traditionally used in China, Russia, and Transylvania (Romania) for climacterium, sexual problems, and rehabilitation and activation of the elderly. This is the first report on the biological effect of DM containing E-dec-2-enedioic acid in mammalians and the first bioactivity-guided fractionation study of this honey bee product. The estrogenic activity of DM justifies its use in folk medicine and may lead to new possibilities for its use in estrogen-deficient conditions. Raw Drone Milk of Honeybees Elicits Uterotrophic Effect in Rats: Evidence for Estrogenic Activity JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD J Med Food 16 (5) 2013, 1–6 *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html