„Medical historians and cosmetologists have recorded various methods of treating lumps of amber, crushed amber and preparations with added amber,” says Alicja Pielińska from the Polish Academy of Sciences Museum of the Earth. Among those who previously used the medicinal properties of amber, she names Hippocrates and Galen, Hildegard of Bingen and Avicenna, and Nicolaus Copernicus. The best-known method of medical use of amber is certainly amber tincture, famous for its warming and soothing properties. Amber is also found in various types of ointments and creams, used for rheumatic and asthmatic ailments, as well as skin irritations. These miraculous properties are attributed to succinic acid, which acts as a biostimulator. In the cosmetics industry, its ability to destroy free radicals and its water-binding capacity, which visibly hydrates the skin, are also highly valued. These effects of amber have been confirmed by research conducted by a team of scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology and the Higher Vocational School of Cosmetics and Health Care in Warsaw. „After one week, a difference was noticeable between the skin treated with a cosmetic containing amber and the placebo, and after four weeks, its hydration significantly improved,” states Katarzyna Pytkowska from WSZKiPZ. So, we have scientific proof that amber really works!
The exhibition „Amber in Medicine,” prepared by the Polish Academy of Sciences Museum of the Earth in Warsaw, will discuss the uses of amber in medicine and cosmetics. It will feature the earliest examples of amber's use, from beads, incense, ointments, and tinctures popular in Roman times, to modern balms, creams, and shampoos made in Poland, Russia, and Lithuania.
Exhibition „Amber in Medicine”
from the collections of the Polish Academy of Sciences Museum of the Earth in Warsaw
Script: Alicja Pielińska
4-6.10.2013
Expo XXI, Prądzyńskiego Street 12/14
Free admission for representatives of the jewellery and watchmaking industries
Tickets: 15 zł