A bit of old resin

  Yesterday at the fair I bought for myself two things - an amber necklace and a wooden spatula.

I love unpolished, raw amber necklaces/bracelets. Why? Because I like amber and (mostly!) because I’m over 50 now. Seriously, when you are getting older, wearing amber is just mandatory (well, if you believe in all these things, of course; I do :D ).

By scientists, Baltic amber (succinite) is a fossil resin from the Eocene Age which formed under natural conditions over 45 million years ago.  

Amber has a unique ingredient called succinic which is what provides its remarkable health benefits. 

Baltic Amber has much higher levels of succinic acid than other ambers, thus it is considered the most therapeutic  amber in the world.  

By some, succinic  acid works as an inhibitor (an agent slowing down or totally stopping the loss of) of potassim ions  and an antioxidant. Therefore, it  may be called a scientifically described, modern elixir of youth.  By others, amber is electronegative so it produces negative ionization where it’s touching the skin and negative ionisation helps the body repel illnesses.
Succinic Acid is claimed to have antioxidant properties that help fight free radicals. It can act as an analgesic (pain killer), anti-biotic and an anti-inflammatory and is used in the production of some antibiotics, vitamins and amino acids (vi). It is believed that small amounts of succinic acid may be absorbed from the amber into the bloodstream when it is worn in contact with skin.

Whatever the scientists say, the facts are – amber keeps ticks away from dogs if dog wears amber, baby teething go much easier  if baby wears amber and elderly people suffer less joint pain and such if wearing amber. I’m not a dog, I’m not a baby so - obvious – I’m into that elderly category.

Spatula... Just because. Nice wooden spatula is always useful, and this one has such a nice juniper wood handle. Juniper wood also has some... well, reputation. :D

Juniper (along with lavender and thyme) is considered to be particularly effective as antiseptic and disinfectant. Juniper oil can help reduce swelling and joint pain and is used to treat arthritis. And most of all – I simply like the smell of juniper.  

If you want to know prices, it's 8 EUR for the amber and 5 EUR for the spatula.