Naturopathy >>>> How is beeswax used for therapeutic purposes?
How is beeswax used for therapeutic purposes?
Bee honeycombs are a very valuable product due to their unique composition. Honeycombs are a unique derivative of the life activity of bees, since they consist 100 percent of wax - a mixture of substances that differ in their chemical composition and physical properties. From the point of view of a biochemical product, beeswax can be compared to vegetable and animal fats, formed by compounds in various combinations of several types of alcohols with organic acids. These compounds are called esters. The difference between animal and vegetable fats and oils and Beeswax is that the former are formed by esters of the trivalent alcohol Glycerol, and wax is a combination of esters of monovalent alcohols (mericyl alcohols, cetyl alcohols and other alcohols).
The composition of Beeswax may vary depending on what the bees eat and how the wax itself is extracted. But all types of Beeswax are based on carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in a ratio of 80:13:7. The chemical composition of the substances that make up Beeswax determines its color, smell and consistency.
Beeswax is completely insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohols (when heated), and also easily dissolves in chloroform, ether, gasoline, turpentine oil, benzene (the rate of dissolution of wax in these substances depends on temperature - when heated, dissolution occurs as quickly as possible). This property of easily dissolving in the listed substances determines the method of storing wax in a room where there should absolutely be no containers with gasoline, copper sulfate, kerosene, mineral oils, and other of the above substances. Even at room temperature, wax will easily absorb vapors of these substances and become unsuitable for medicinal use.
Beeswax has many therapeutic properties that can be used in home treatments. Despite the fact that beeswax is not edible, it is often used as a component of chewable lozenges or chewing candies to clean plaque from teeth (they chew such products without swallowing them!). Some types of chewable wax lozenges or sweets are used to strengthen the gums (chewing wax increases blood circulation in the oral mucosa, which creates the prerequisites for its trophism and healing). Chewable wax lozenges and candies are also used to train the chewing muscles and the temporomandibular joint, for example, in cases where it is necessary to overcome the consequences of diseases of the masticatory muscles and the temporomandibular joint.
There are chewing lozenges and candies with beeswax, which are designed to improve the condition of the oral cavity, for example, they are used to freshen breath and get rid of various inflammatory processes in the oral mucosa.
For external use, Beeswax is applying in a wider range. It forms the basis of various ointments and creams. The Beeswax layer is used as a carrier of various medicinal products necessary for the procedure of applying compresses and applications. Wax is indispensable in warming compresses, as it can retain heat for a long time.
Beeswax is widely used to create masks for the skin (including facial skin). Such masks soften the skin, cleanse pores, close pores, and also whiten the skin. Mostly white beeswax is used to whiten skin.
At home, you can easily make beeswax from bees' honeycombs. To do this, you need to cut the honeycombs into briquettes (after pumping out the honey) and boil the wax from the briquettes in a container with boiling water. In this case, the wax will melt and rise to the surface, and the remaining honey will dissolve in water (you can use this water for rinsing, baths and compresses). The floating wax is collected from the surface of the water into another container, heated again and poured into portions into molds for further home use.
Beeswax is a multifunctional and useful product that is always useful for body care, prevention and healing.
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