[Sca-cooks] tiger balm and another ointment recipe

Sun Dec 9 12:20:40 PST 2001

Greetings,

A while back, I mentioned that I had a formulation of my own devising
for recreating balms like Tiger Balm and White Flower Analgesic Balm.
I am posting the recipes here with some instructions for people to
use if they'd like, even though it's not strictly cooking-related.
Remember not to eat them. The method of formulation is documentably
period (cf. Gerard's Herbal or the Agnus Castus manuscripts for good
examples; and if you'd like to chat about it, please do email me).

My disclaimer is standard: should you believe you need medical
treatment, seek it from a qualified health care provider. Use common
sense when using these items. I am not a doctor (no smart comments
about me playing doctor, either!) nor am I a scientist. While I've
researched the ingredients extensively in the past, new research
comes out all the time. You may also find that you have allergies you
didn't know about or that other people simply don't have. Before you
use these mixtures, as with any preparation designed to give you
comfort, you may wish to seek the advice of your health care
provider. Don't trust my information alone. Bolster it with your own
research.

Iasmin

Iasmin de Cordoba, iasmin at home.com

PS: All measurements use American units.

*****

Iasmin's Aromatic Sports Rub (like Tiger Balm)
-------------------------------------------

Ingredients:

6 teaspoons Cajeput essential oil (Malaluca lecadendra)
2.5 teaspoons Camphor essential oil (Cinnamomum camphora)
3 teaspoons Peppermint essential  oil (Mentha peperita)
3 teaspoons Clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum)
2 teaspoons Cassia essential oil (Cinnamomum aromaticum)
Wax to Thicken

Notes:

My commercial container of Tiger Balm (Tiger Balm Pain Relieving
Ointment Non-Staining ultra Strength) lists menthol and camphor as
its active ingredients with essential oils of cajeput, mint
(dementholized), clove, and cassia as additional ingredients. In the
commercial version, all these are combined in a paraffin base. I
prefer a beeswax base, but vegans may wish to substitute paraffin for
ethical reasons.

In a pinch, use cinnamon essential oil in place of cassia oil. If you
can't find cajeput oil (I obtained it via mail order) consider
omitting it from the recipe and increasing the camphor, peppermint,
and clove oil amounts by roughly 2 teaspoons each.

You can store the balm in jelly jars, but you *must* use all-plastic
screw on caps, not the metal-and-rubber seals that typically come
with them. The wax and the oils will react with the rubber seal on
the jars and cause them to leak.

Equipment:

safety equipment
non-reactive double-boiler
non-wooden spoon or disposable stick (skewers work well)
stove or hot-plate
containers in which to store the balm

Instructions:

1. Put on your safety equipment and have appropriate fire equipment
nearby (I'm covering my behind here and yours; I recommend goggles, a
long-sleeved shirt, and an approved method of putting out a wax fire).

2. Gently heat the wax over low heat in the top of a non-reactive
double-boiler dedicated to that purpose. Low heat means the water
should simmer very slowly. A pan with a coffee can works well as a
double-boiler substitute, but the can should take up as much of the
pan as possible and should not be able to tip over. If you use this
can-pan method, I recommend bending a pouring dent in the coffee can
to make it easier to fill your containers.

3. Add the essential oils slowly, stirring carefully after each
addition. Use a non-wooden spoon or a disposable stick (I like kebab
skewers) that has never been used for food preparation. If the
mixture begins to thicken or get whitish streaks, keep stirring.

4. When the oils are completely combined with the wax, with no
streaks or chunks of hardened wax in the liquid, pour the mixture
into small containers and let them cool completely. Cover.

About the Wax as Thickener:

The amount of wax you choose to thicken your balm will likely be a
personal choice. I have included a table of information below to
assist you in making a balm that is easily smoothable on the skin
without oozing, but still fairly hard to the touch. You may prefer a
harder balm than this or even a softer one. As you determine the
hardness you prefer, keep in mind that it is much easier to make an
ointment harder than it is to make the same ointment softer once
you've added too much wax.

The table below can be used to approximate the amount of beeswax *or*
paraffin you add to a balm. Keep in mind that paraffin (or common
household wax, usually sold as Gulf Wax in the canning section of my
US grocery store) takes up more room than beeswax. When I make a balm
with one cup of oils using the table below, the entire batch will fit
into four two-ounce containers with only a small amount left over (a
little more with paraffin, a little less with beeswax).

My apologies if the tabs/spaces don't work for you. I can send you a
PDF version of the file if you're interested, via private e-mail.

If you have this much oilŠ			Use this much beeswaxŠ
cups	ounces	teaspoons	tablespoons	teaspoons	ounces
1/8	1	6	2		1/2	0.1
1/4	2	12	4		1	0.2
3/8	3	18	6		1 1/2	0.3
1/2	4	24	8		2	0.4
5/8	5	30	10		2 1/2	0.5
3/4	6	36	12		3	0.6
7/8	7	42	14		3 1/2	0.7
1	8	48	16		4	0.8
1 1/8	9	54	18		4 1/2	0.9
1 1/4	10	60	20		5	1.0
1 3/8	11	66	22		5 1/2	1.1
1 1/2	12	72	24		6	1.2
1 5/8	13	78	26		6 1/2	1.3
1 3/4	14	84	28		7	1.4
1 7/8	15	90	30		7 1/2	1.5
2	16	96	32		8	1.6

Note: Teaspoons amounts are given if you wish to melt your beeswax
and then measure. Ounce amounts, on the other hand, are given for the
unmelted wax. For comparison, about 6 teaspoons melted fills one slot
in a standard-sized American ice cube tray.

An additional recipe for the Adventurous...

Iasmin's Analgesic Balm (like White Flower Balm)
---------------------------------------------

3.5 teaspoons peppermint essential oil
2.5 teaspoons synthetic wintergreen essential oil*
3.5 teaspoons camphor essential oil
2.5 teaspoons Eucalyptus essential oil
1.0 teaspoons Lavender essential oil
Wax to thicken

* The overwhelming majority of wintergreen oil on the market today is
synthetic due to its toxicity in natural form. Some critics believe
that even the synthetic oil poses a health risk. You should research
this ingredient thoroughly and decide for yourself.

Supply sources:

http://www.libertynaturals.com/ (essential oil supplier)
http://www.essentialoil.com/ (essential oil supplier)
http://www.sunburstbottle.com/ (container supplier)
http://www.sksbottle.com/ (container supplier)
http://www.texasdrone.com/ (beeswax supplier)