2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
In addition to honey, bees offer us many other treasures with wide application in medicine, perfumery and cosmetics, dentistry and pharmacy.
Among the bee products are: propolis, perga, bee pollen, royal jelly, royal jelly, bee venom and beeswax and the complete extract from the bees (apis total).
Beeswax occupies an important place among all bee products. Not only for bees, but also for human needs. Getting acquainted with beeswax - this natural treasure gives another invaluable remedy to man.
Nature and composition of beeswax
The substance, characterized by elasticity, plasticity, crystalline and granular character and synthesized by worker bees in the hive, is known as beeswax. Only the tireless workers in the bee family can produce it. The way to get this amazing product artificially has not yet been discovered.
Beeswax has a specific aroma and it intensifies as the wax warms or melts. It is harmless, does not dissolve in water or glycerin, is almost completely preserved in alcohol. It is dissolved in essential oils and gasoline, mixed with paraffin, but at room temperature there is no solvent to dissolve it.
Its texture is dense and brittle at normal temperature. It melts at 60 to 68 degrees. When separated, the wax is white or light yellow in color, but later darkens due to the layering of non-waxy components.
The wax is extremely rich and a complex mixture containing over 300 substances. Among them are fatty and free acids, carbohydrates, water, aromatic substances, minerals and others.
Like durability beeswax is practically unlimited in time. Under the right conditions, it can be preserved for millennia. Pieces of beeswax have been found in the Egyptian pyramids, which have not lost their properties.
Once in the body, the wax does not break down. It acts as a lubricant and is beneficial for the intestines.
Chemical composition of beeswax
Natural beeswax includes 4 groups of compounds. Essential, esters, make up about 75 percent of the wax composition. They protect it from chemical reactions. Its content consists of:
- 10-14 percent hydrocarbons
- 13-14 percent free fatty acids and glycerol
- 1-1.25 percent free fatty alcohols
- 0.1-2.5 percent water
- 12.8 milligrams per 100 grams of carotenoids
- 4 g per 100 g of vitamin A product
- Minerals and impurities - aromas, shells of pollen and propolis larvae
How is beeswax made?
Bees use wax to build honeycombs. It is produced in their wax glands. They are 8 in number, arranged in 4 pairs of mirrors. The glands are essentially modified cells of the chitinous membrane. They develop only in worker bees. Bees are best between 12 and 18 days of age, then stunted and stop secreting wax.
The formation of wax in the glands is obtained due to constant and intensive feeding of the young bee with honey and pollen and constant breeding of brood. The formed amount of liquid wax is filtered through the pores of the glands and comes to their surface.
As the air has a lower temperature, the wax hardens immediately. Small wax plates form. With their feet, the bees take and pass these plates to their jaws to chew. Thus they enrich them with secretion from the salivary glands and turn them into a building material. With it they build the cells for honey and pollen, and then seal them.
The cells are hexagonal, they fit tightly together and this allows the bees to build many cells without taking up too much space. Each flake weighs about 25 milligrams, and to build a 1-pound wax comb, bees must produce 4 million scales.
Therefore, the maximum amount of wax that a bee family can produce is 7 kilograms. However, this is difficult to achieve, as ideal conditions must be provided the bee family for the whole active season.
Useful properties and application of beeswax in antiquity
Wax is a natural, biologically active product that is not harmful. It has a pronounced bactericidal character, which is not lost even after processing.
It has been used in medicine for thousands of years. The ancients knew its anti-inflammatory properties, its analgesic effect and used it to treat difficult to heal wounds.
Hippocrates used it for angina to remove plaque on the throat. Avicenna used it to relieve coughs and as a stimulant for breast milk.
With his help, corpses were embalmed.
This product is also widely used in folk medicine. It is used to make ointments for skin problems.
Application of beeswax in modern times
Today, there is no branch of modern human activity where this product is not applied.
Pharmacy - finds application due to its emollient and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains large amounts of vitamin A. Supports the normal development of cells in the surface skin layer and their nourishment. Heals diseases of the skin, mucous membranes, burns and wounds. It is added to emulsions, as well as to healing creams, masks, ointments and balms. It is also used in diseases of the nasal cavity.
Dentistry - wax is an ingredient in preparations for the production of dentures. Therefore, it is also used as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent for periodontitis. In the manufacture of chewing gum and candy is added beeswax to strengthen teeth and gums. It also helps digestion because it stimulates the secretion of gastric juices.
Perfumery - Wax mixes successfully with a number of chemicals, enhancing their effect. With its help essential oils are created. About 5 kilograms of essential oil are obtained from a thousand kilograms of wax, and the waste product is also used in industry.
Cosmetics - Used to regenerate cells and improve blood circulation, protecting the skin from external influences by building a protective barrier against them. It is believed that beeswax can slow down the aging process of the skin. The contained natural moisturizers hydrate the skin.
Cold problems - tonsillitis and colds can be successfully treated with beeswax by inhalation. There is no danger of allergic reactions because the product contains antiallergens. Strengthens the immune system, like all bee products.
How is beeswax extracted?
Extraction of beeswax is done by rinsing the pies. The pieces of pie are heated and the melted wax is separated. As it cools, it hardens. It should be stored in a clean place without the presence of other substances with a strong aroma.
Properties of beeswax
This bee product is extremely clean and resistant to the external environment. It has a uniform color, smells of honey, has no taste, and does not stick to teeth when chewed. It can be dissolved only in essential oils at a temperature of 60-70 degrees.
Recommended:
Prosecco - What Do We Need To Know?
In the same way that we associate sangria with warm and sunny Spain, we can relate to its neighbor Italy and its traditional sparkling wine, known to us as Prosecco . Yes, you must have heard this name, especially since in 2018. Prosecco reaches record sales.
Noodles - What We Need To Know
It is said that soup is a dish for the soul. And who is the soul of the soup? Some may have guessed, that's it the noodle . What would a soup be without its filling and unexpectedly delicious ingredient - noodles? This pasta from the pasta family hardly exists as a stand-alone dish, but it is an integral part of the best recipes for soups, it is also preferred as a side dish in Eastern cuisine.
Theobromine - What Do We Need To Know?
Theobromine is the "hidden" heart stimulant in chocolate. There are many myths and legends that sweets are harmful and should be limited. We hear everywhere that sweets, and especially chocolate, have a lot of harmful substances and sugar, which is true, but sweet cocoa desserts do not only contain additives that are harmful to us.
Jamon - What We Need To Know
Among the lovers of various meat delicacies, ham enjoys authority. It has a delicate taste, pleasant aroma and is a light meat that is consumed by a wide range of people. Among the many types of this delicacy there are real masterpieces, the price of which is impressive.
Skin - What We Need To Know
Skin represents dairy product. This is an Icelandic dairy product. It is popular all over the world. This product is very similar to strained yogurt, but it is not. It can be natural, with fruits, nuts or with other sweetener. In 100 grams skir contained 60 calories, 10 grams of protein and no fat.
