Baltic Amber
Pinus succinifera
PINACEAE
In my work as a Community Herbalist I frequently consult with people who are in search of improved health. They are dealing with a broad range of physical, emotional and mental dysfunctions and interested in alternative herbal and complementary medicines. I use a wide variety of both cultivated and wildgathered herbs, trees and fungi in the herbal medicines I prepare and use in my practice, the great majority of which are grown in our gardens or wildgathered in our surrounding fields and woodlands. A number of years ago, at the suggestion of my Polish daughter-in-law Kasia, I began experimenting with and then integrating Baltic amber into my herbal protocols, with exceedingly positive results.
Baltic amber is a unique substance. Over the eons, it has been touched and shaped by all the earth’s elements…a substance that has held onto and protected pockets of air from hundreds of millions of years ago; a substance that sprang from the primeval earth via the exudations of trees, containing bits of plant and animal matter alive on this planet innumerable millennia before we humans arrived; a substance that was carried by waters and pressed by the rhythm and weight of the waves of the sea, while encapsulating the very essence of the warmth of the sun and able to extend that sacred fire to us in the present time.
Baltic amber is a record keeper. It bears witness to all life on earth including many millions of years of changes, upheavals, cataclysm, as well as peace, harmony and reconciliation, and encompasses the memory of all of that within itself. This, I believe, is a significant measure of the medicine it carries.
Baltic amber has a long and illustrious history of use. Extensively traded since remote antiquity, Baltic amber’s continuous use has been documented to at least 13,000 years ago. It was highly prized among the ancient Nordics and Scandinavians, as well as by the Celts, the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean: the Phoenicians, Greeks and Etruscans, the Arabs, Egyptians and the Chinese, all of whom knew and used Baltic amber (succinite) many centuries before the Common Era. Baltic amber gems were not only valued by these ancient peoples for their unique beauty but also for their considerable medicinal as well as magical and energetically protective qualities.
Baltic amber is a fossilized resin produced by ancient coniferous trees from the Pinaceae family. A large number of conifers belonging to different genera are represented in the amber-flora, all given the collective name Pinus succinifera.
These include Pines as well as Cedrus (cedar from the Atlas Mountains) and Larix spp. (larch), which grew in Northern Europe around the Baltic Sea 40 million to 400 million years ago. Most scientists believe that the trees that oozed this resin have long since become extinct.
As atmospheric change occurred and the climate warmed, the conifer trees in the Tertiary forests of northern Europe began exuding large amounts of resin in an effort to adapt to the changing earth environment. As the millennia progressed, these exudations were carried by streams and rivers, eventually sank to the Baltic Sea floor and gradually, over the eons, became stable through oxidation, the action of microorganisms and other natural processes.
Protective Substance Baltic amber is worn as a protective amulet for both the living and the dead, and countless ancient magical and protective Baltic amber adornments have been found in Mycenaean tombs on the island of Crete, in the Egyptian pharaoh tombs in Tethys and among the burial goods of Tutankhamun and in excavated grave sites throughout Old Europe and the Middle East.
Baltic amber was worn extensively by Neolithic women of the Mediterranean regions. They valued the beads as protective amulets and went to their graves adorned with it.
The amber necklaces below were uncovered from gravesites in our valley and displayed in the Museo Archeologico della Lucania Occidentale, Padula, Italy.
Eastern Europeans have long believed that amber smoke strengthens the human spirit and imparts courage. Lithuanian tribal people use Baltic amber incense to dispel evil spirits and to bless and offer guidance to the souls of their dead. Newborn babes are traditionally blessed with a smudge of burning amber smoke as they have been for centuries and newlyweds are smudged this way as well. Soldiers going off to battle are also fumigated with smoldering amber as a ceremony of protection accompanied by prayers for a safe return.
Mythology Many diverse cultures carry primeval creation myths concerning the origins of amber. Ancient Grecian tales recount the story of the Heliades, who shed tears into the river Eridanus as they grieved the death of their brother Phaethon. The stories say that Phaethon was thrown into the river by Zeus as punishment for taking his golden chariot on a joyride across the sky and that the tears of the heart-sick sisters eventually hardened into drops of dazzling amber.
Legends from the Polish Kashubian tribe, from whom my daughter-in-law Kasia descends, say that amber is the result of great lightning strikes upon the earth. Lithuanian tales recount the unhappy love between Jūratė, Goddess of the Baltics, and a fisherman named Kastytis.
In a fit of anger, Jūratė’s father threw down a great bolt of lightning that shattered the amber palace on the bottom of the sea and drowned Kastytis along with his fishing boat. Since that day, waves have been endlessly washing fragments from the amber palace ashore and littering the Baltic Sea coastline with small pieces of amber which are the tears that the still grieving Jūratė continues to shed.
Baltic amber is especially revered by the Chinese. They call it Hu bai and Hu po, which literally means soul of the tiger. Ancient Chinese myths say that this warm and magical golden substance is the petrified soul of tigers. Primarily a symbol of good fortune and protection, the tiger is also associated with solar energy, summer and fire and is linked to the powers of attraction, protection and illumination. The tiger is considered by the Chinese to be the king of beasts. With the ferocity and strength of the tiger, Baltic amber worn as an amulet is believed to capture or chase away ghosts and protect the wearer from evil spirits.
Ancients The Greek poet Homer, writing as early as the 10th century B.C., made several references to amber in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Herodotus wrote about Baltic amber’s electrical properties in the 5th century B.C. - they were well known even then, though that particular word would not be coined for centuries. Theophrastus, writing in the 4th century B.C., discusses Baltic amber in his work entitled On Stones. Theophrastus classified rocks based on their behavior when heated, and grouped minerals by common properties, such as amber and magnetite, both of which have strong powers of attraction.
Pliny the Elder tells us in his Naturalis Historia, published circa 77-79 A.D., that Baltic amber was called “northern gold” by both the ancient Greeks and the Romans, and that by the time of the Emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.) a small amber statuette was worth more than a robust and healthy slave. According to the elder Pliny, a necklace of amber beads was well known to offer protection from several poisons as well as from “sorcery and witchcraft.” Pliny the Younger recorded that Roman women wore amber pendants as adornments and also to ease “swollen glands, sore throat and palate.” Indeed, the ancient women of the original Italic tribes were especially fond of wearing Baltic amber for both its magical as well as its health enhancing properties.
Among the most intriguing archaeological finds in Italy are spinning staffs made of bronze rods with strings of amber beads wound around them. Spinning was the sacred work of women and natural Baltic amber was a spinner’s ally because its electrostatic properties attracted the raw fibers of wool, flax and hemp and so helped to lighten the work. And, of course this magnetic ability of amber was believed to attract blessings of all sorts as well.
Baltic Amber in the History of Medicine
Baltic amber has been revered as a medicinal substance since time immemorial and many healing elixirs have been made with it down through the ages. The Persian scientist, philosopher and foremost physician of his time, Ali Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna, 980-1037 A.D., whose Canon of Medicine provides a complete system of medicine according to the principles of Galen and Hippocrates and was the standard textbook for Western doctors up until the 17th century A.D., was well versed in the medicinal uses of Baltic amber. He wrote that it was astringent, used to staunch the flow of blood and recommended it as a therapeutic remedy against many diseases.
Albert the Great, also known as Albertus Magnus and Albert of Cologne, 1193-1206 A.D., was a Dominican friar and bishop who promoted the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. Granted the title Doctor Universalis by his peers, he is often referred to as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. Albertus Magnus believed that stones had spiritual/magical properties and wrote about it in his work De Mineralibus. He categorized Baltic amber as one of the six most valuable medicines of his time.
12th century abbess and herbalist, Hildegard von Bingen used Baltic amber as medicine. She referred to it as lynx urine, as it was thought to be the petrified urine of a lynx at the time, and suggested its use to relieve stomach pain and treat urinary problems.
The Polish astronomer and mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus, 1473-1543 A.D., studied medicine at Krakow University and wrote his graduate thesis on Baltic amber’s potent healing properties.
Russians promote succinic acid in pill form as an important anti-alcohol medicine; a substance that reduces the desire for alcohol. They claim that it quickly eliminates the effects of excessive alcohol consumption; a mere 0.1-gram pill reportedly restores an inebriated person’s motor skill to normal. A tincture made of amber and vodka was thought to increase male sexual potency and the use of this remedy persisted from at least the Middle Ages well into World War I.
Health Benefits Baltic amber has been verified scientifically as an adaptogen. This is an important starting off place because in order to meet the criteria defined by the word adaptogen, a substance must be non-toxic and produce a nonspecific response in the body which boosts its ability to resist multiple stressors and exert a normalizing influence on physiology.
By definition, adaptogens strengthen the immune, nervous and glandular systems, increase metabolic efficiency and reduce susceptibility to illness and disease.
Adaptogens are exceedingly effective tonics, have a broad influence on the entire body and can be safely used over a long time. Many of these substances have a history of use that extends for hundreds and thousands of years, and a huge body of experience has been accumulated and recorded regarding their therapeutic application.
In my experience, I’ve found natural Baltic amber to be one of the most indispensible, as well as perhaps the most universally applicable, of the known adaptogens.
Baltic amber (succinum) is classified as warming, stimulating, aromatic, slightly bitter/sweet and spicy, magnetic and neutral in nature. It is considered the most therapeutic amber in the world. It is renowned for its pain easing, rejuvenating and vitality-boosting effects and its ability to help protect against illness. It has been exceedingly well researched as a medicinal substance, most notably among Russian, Polish, German and Chinese scientists, and has long been referred to as an Elixir of Youth. Its preservation abilities are due to both natural preservatives and sugars within the resin, and the unique way they interact with living tissue.
When worn on the body Baltic amber warms against the skin, releasing its therapeutic properties safely and naturally. Baltic amber is used to clear the chakras, to fill the body with vitality, to alleviate stress, and is believed to help draw disease out of the body and encourage healing.
Baltic amber is a natural analgesic agent and possesses anti-inflammatory properties, so is often used to ease joint and muscle pain. It also acts as a natural antibiotic and as we’ve seen, has an ages-old history of use in preventing and treating disease and healing wounds.
The Greek word for amber was ηλεκτρον (electron) and the warm, golden gems were connected to the Sun God, one of whose titles was Elector, or the Awakener. The English words electricity and electron both derive from the Latin electricus, which means “like amber in its attractive properties.” These names stem from research conducted in the late 1500’s by William Gilbert, regarded as the father of electricity and magnetism, who demonstrated that amber could indeed attract other substances.
Living tissues possess direct current surface electro-potentials that regulate, at least in part, the healing process. Following tissue damage, a current of injury is generated that is thought to trigger biological repair. In addition, exogenous electrical stimuli have been shown to enhance the healing of wounds in both human subjects and animal models.
Baltic amber’s considerable electrostatic properties are an essential part of its health boosting abilities. This substance has long been respected as a natural ionizer; it possesses the ability to produce negative ions, known to help to ease pain, boost overall immunity and stimulate the healing process. Additionally, Baltic amber is proven by Russian researchers to act as a shield, providing protection from harmful radiation emitted from computers, cell phones and wireless devices, microwave ovens and electrical appliances.
Succinic acid Baltic amber contains high concentrations of a unique substance known as succinic acid, and with from 3% to 8% succinic acid by weight, is one of the most important natural sources of succinic acid in the world. Succinic acid is a colorless crystalline solid with a melting point of 185-187C; soluble in water; slightly dissolved in ethanol, ether, acetone and glycerin.
Succinic acid from Baltic amber was analyzed by Robert Koch, the pioneer of modern bacteriology, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1905. Koch confirmed its positive health influences and discovered that there is no risk of the accumulation of surplus amounts of succinic acid in the human organism.
Succinic acid is commercially produced, widely used and approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration. It was originally employed by European scientists and military doctors to bolster the body’s immunity to radiation from industrial accidents. It is touted in Russia and other European countries for its youth preserving and cell rejuvenating properties and is commonly used in anti-aging formulations and to aid recovery of cancer patients after undergoing conventional medical treatment. It has been shown to strengthen immunity to ionizing radiation, infections, alcohol and other toxins.
Succinic acid is a powerful antioxidant shown to stimulate neural system recovery, eliminate free radicals and modulate the immune system. It discourages disruptions of the cardiac rhythm and eases stress. Succinic acid helps restore strength and energy to the entire body, enhances brain function and improves awareness, concentration and reflexes.
Overview of Recent Science
As a biostimulant, succinate appears to affect the Krebs Cycle – the sequence of reactions by which most living cells generate energy during the process of aerobic respiration. This sequence takes place in the mitochondria, consuming oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water as waste products and converting ADP to energy-rich ATP.
The Krebs Cycle is the central metabolic turntable sustaining the cell respiratory process, and key functions of several of its intermediates, especially succinate and fumarate, have recently been uncovered. The most striking observations have been made while investigating human diseases, especially a set of specific cancers, revealing the crucial role of Krebs Cycle intermediates as factors affecting genes’ methylation and thus cell remodeling.
Anti-tumor Effects Succinic acid ester, or α-tocopherol, has attracted attention as a unique anti-tumor agent, and nanoparticles consisting of TS (tocopherol/succinate) as a novel and effective DDS (drug delivery system) carrier – with multifaceted anti-tumor effects for combination therapy – are currently being investigated.
Inflammation Inflammatory immune cells, when activated, display much the same metabolic profile as a glycolytic tumor cell. This involves a shift in metabolism known as the Warburg effect. Emerging evidence is now pointing to a role for the Warburg effect in the immune and inflammatory responses. The reprogramming of metabolic pathways in macrophages, dendritic cells and T cells may have relevance in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and metabolic diseases and provide novel therapeutic strategies. This has implications in the repair and regeneration of cells, inflammation, cancer and neurological disease.
According to other recent studies, succinic acid has shown positive outcomes in both chronic hepatitis and diabetes.
Antimicrobial Action At least 18 strains of bacteria have now evolved into superbugs, becoming resistant to most of our drugs. And, the pharmaceutical companies, much more interested in creating profitable blockbusters like Viagra and Zoloft, haven’t developed a new class of antibiotics in 25 years. It’s been estimated that by the year 2050, an estimated 10 million people worldwide will die by superbug. Baltic amber, long revered for its antimicrobial properties, and now understood to enhance immunity, may emerge as a major player here as well.
Medieval mask typically filled with Baltic amber and worn to protect against plague and other infectious diseases alongside a “fumigation pot” used to burn amber for the same purpose. From the Amber Museum, Kaliningrad, Russia, where I presented my work on Baltic amber in 2015 as part of the International Amber in the History of Medicine Conference and Exhibit, curated by Dr. Irina Polyakova.
Traditional Chinese and Unani Medicinal Uses of Baltic Amber
Because Baltic amber traps insects by its very nature, it is considered by the Chinese to capture what they refer to as pestilent Qi. This is one way of describing its ability to ward off evil spirits. Pestilent Qi also refers to pathogens, bacteria, fungi and viruses that cause disease. It is well known and oft reported that during the years when the plague was rampaging through Europe, not a single amber worker in Gdansk, Poland or Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia) - both of which were and still are major centers of amber working - ever came down with the plague. Pestilent Qi also refers to parasites, and this means both physical parasites as in hookworms, pinworms, parasitic Lyme co-infections and so on, but also energetically refers to parasitic people, vampires who suck your energy reserves and leave you depleted.
When taken internally, the resin is believed to attract and bind to toxins and disease causing pathogens, whether in the digestive system or the blood and eliminate them from the body.
In the Chinese Materia Medica succinum is listed among the “settling” or “heavy” sedatives. It is traditionally used for subduing fright, tranquilizing the mind and relieving seizures and convulsion. Succinum is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of heart palpitations, amnesia, dreaminess, insomnia and epilepsy, which is typically diagnosed during childhood, so amber is commonly used in pediatric formulas. It is widely used to ease colic and teething discomforts as well.
Hu po (succinum) is an important remedy used to “calm Shen.” (Shen is understood as mind, spirit, consciousness, soul and believed to reside in the heart.) Disturbed Shen is the Chinese way of describing irrational behavior, disordered thinking, unstable emotions, depression, nightmares and in extreme cases, mental illness. The heart and small intestine are intimately linked. They both derive from the same fetal tissue and one might link similar attributes to each of them. Liver, when it blazes up, due to wind, breaking stagnation or heat, tends to harass the heart resulting in mental illness. Phlegm obstructing the orifices of the Heart channel is the other major cause of mental illness. Lung is the organ most strongly associated with phlegm. (Interestingly, lithium reduces phlegm.) These are the channels of the body that the Chinese believe are most affected by the use of Baltic amber.
Baltic amber is often included in Chinese formulas for treatment of heart disease, because of its blood vitalizing effects; for example, it is combined with ginseng and codonopsis in the treatment of angina. In clinical practice, it is used for patients with heart diseases when the blood is not circulating properly, and at the same time the patient has palpitations and restlessness, such as seen in coronary heart disease. The same formula with amber, ginseng and codonopsis is prescribed in cases of chronic liver disease to normalize liver function.
A Qi and blood tonic formula for lowering blood lipids combines Baltic amber, astragalus, pearl and American ginseng and is used as an anti-aging formulation and as a treatment to aid recovery for cancer patients after undergoing standard medical therapies.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine amber is believed to strengthen the lungs. Because the lungs descend energy to the lower region, and in this way invigorate the blood, amber helps to bring warmth to this region of the body, called the Lower Burner, breaking up and removing stagnation and flushing it out of the lower region.
Succinum is used to promote healthy blood circulation and to remove blood stagnation. It is a valuable remedy for addressing amenorrhea as well as dysmenorrhea and abdominal mass caused by blood stasis and stagnation of vital energy. Amber is also recommended for lower abdominal pains affecting the genitalia, such as pain of the testes, prostate, uterus or vulvar region. It reduces swellings and promotes healing of fibroids, ovarian cysts and urinary tract infections, especially when exacerbated by stress. Other medicinal uses include formulations for alleviating water retention, relieving difficult urination and to eliminate kidney and urinary stones.
A typical Baltic amber remedy can be as simple as taping a piece of amber to the navel to treat any of these discomforts and also to rid the body of parasites. A string of Baltic amber can be worn around the waist to treat any dysfunction in this lower region of the body.
Because Baltic amber resuscitates muscle tone, it is also indicated for infestations that have gone to the sinews, such as with multiple sclerosis, neurological symptoms and diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, nervousness, anxiety and Alzheimer's disease. Baltic amber is considered a Central Nervous System relaxant and may potentiate the effect of barbiturates.
Topical applications of Baltic amber include astringing ulcers, drawing out boils, reducing swellings, clearing skin eruptions and infections and promoting tissue regeneration.
Unani Medicine Commonly referred to as Greco-Arab medicine or Unani Tibb, this is a traditional system of medicine practiced in the Indian subcontinent. In the Unani system of medicine, certain plants, animals as well as mineral origin substances are used clinically for the treatment of disease without any side effect. These are considered time tested, centuries old, safe for use and cost effective. Baltic amber is one such medicine and Kahruba is the name used for a traditional Unani Baltic amber remedy used to heal gastric and peptic ulcer.
Energetic Uses Energetically, Baltic amber is used to move emotional stagnation, when experiences from the past remain unresolved and cause mental and emotional harm in the present. Also, for diminished sensual acuity, especially when associated with habitual emotional patterns. Because Baltic amber is a record keeper, it is often used to rectify inherited predisposition to disease, such as constitutional weakness, passed through the generations, as when breast cancer, heart disease or diabetes are said to “run in the family."
Wearing a Baltic amber amulet or talisman is believed to help keep us grounded in the present moment and to stop distractions from the past and the future; so helps us to release attachment to emotional events from the past or worries about future events that may be disturbing us.
Dreams, Divination, Clairvoyance Baltic amber promotes dreams that help us understand ourselves and to help us move through unresolved issues. It is also long believed to support clairvoyance, to help us see into the past in order to discover the original cause of the emotions that cause us discomfort. It assists in being able to perceive past lives and understand how they may be affecting us in the present.
Baltic amber worn on the body strengthens the solar plexus as well as the throat chakra functions, cultivating a vocation for divination, stimulating the career palace, helping to ward off negativity and supporting our ability to overcome difficult situations.
Exorcism To use Baltic amber to release hauntings of the past, or for acute possession, massage or scrape the central area between the nose and the lips with a pointed edge of amber until the area turns red. Then use the stone to massage the cuticle of the thumbs and the big toes. The amber may become cloudy as it absorbs the negativity and/or distress.
Combining with Other Stones Coral balances and amplifies amber and they are often worn together when treating panic attacks, anxiety, nervous system disruptions and post traumatic stress disorder. Pearl and amber are another good combination. Amber clears fright, disturbance and disease, while pearl works to restore health and equilibrium.
To cleanse amber, rub it with olive oil then either rinse with hot running water or place the oiled amber in a bowl of hot water. The heat pulls out any disease that has been absorbed and the oil carries it away as it floats on top of the water. Rinse and then charge your freshly cleaned amber in the sun for a few hours.
Methods of Use Suck on a small piece of Baltic amber to treat multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. Place a small bit of powder on a baby’s tongue to reduce both epilepsy and colic. Drink 3 grams of powder in 8 ounces of water to treat urinary tract infection.
Tincture We use a 1:5 ratio and cover with a 50/50 blend of 190 proof organic alcohol and spring water. Although resins usually require a high alcohol content, succinic acid is water soluble, hence the 50/50 menstruum. However, as with other resins, a good alcohol extraction will require heat.
Infused Oil We slowly extract the amber into oil using a proprietary method combining heat and time. We use the oil topically as a skin restorative and rejuvenator and as the base of our Baltic Amber Rose Butter.
Dosage The traditional Polish recipe is 1 drop on the first day, 2 on the second, 3 on the third, all the way up to 10 drops on the tenth day, then reverse and take 9 drops, 8, 7 and so on until the 19th day when you take one last drop dose. This is considered one full course of treatment. Rest for ten days before starting another course. This dosage method may be too strong for some people. The weak, elderly, the very sick, very sensitive, those with multiple infections, may find it hard to go up beyond five to seven drops before feeling ill. Find the comfort level and stay there for three weeks. This may be as little as 1 or 3 drops daily. Then take a break for a week to ten days before starting another course, if necessary.
For treating viral, fungal, bacterial or parasitic infections, 1 find 3 drops in water daily for 3 weeks to be an effective dose. Then take a ten-day rest. For Tick/Lyme prevention, we use one drop daily in water, during the entire tick season, taking a one-week break every three weeks. The drops can also be placed on the surface of the tongue, held there for several seconds and then swallowed.
Water-based Medicine for External Use Powder chips and mix 3 grams to a cup of water or herbal infusion, mix well and let sit in sunlight for 4 hours. Apply as a wash over infected skin, rash, eczema, psoriasis, etc. Strain and use as a spray after washing the face as a rejuvenating beauty treatment. This past summer I distilled raw Baltic amber resin in our copper alembic still. The hydrosol is exceptional and can be used in the same way to treat any of the above mentioned skin conditions.
Dry Application of Powder Baltic amber powder can be applied directly to rejuvenate and improve the appearance of the skin, heal damaged skin, counter infection and soothe rashes. There is a small chance of an allergic reaction to the powder applied directly to the skin, so to be safe, test on a small spot before proceeding with a full treatment.
Amber powder is blended into a medium such as egg white, slippery elm or powdered marshmallow root, moistened and used as a poultice: over a goiter in the neck region, over the navel to promote menstruation or to break up fibroids and other stagnation in the lower burner, or over the scrotum for prostatitis, testicular pain or genital swellings.
WARNING! Do not use tailings from jewelry making. Only raw pharmaceutical grade Baltic amber should be used for medicine making. Much of the amber on the market is compressed, glued and otherwise processed and none of these would be in any way healthful. As with the other herbs you use, know your source well.
Amulets The highest content of succinic acid is found in the amber cortex – the outer layer of the resin. The skin is our largest organ of assimilation and it is well known that anything placed on its surface is detected in the bloodstream and passing through the liver in a matter of minutes. We find wearing a Baltic amber necklace, bracelet or anklet is an effective treatment for pain relief, with many people reporting instant or near instant relief. The amber must be in direct contact with the skin.
My understanding is that the heat of the body causes enough of the succinic acid to be absorbed from the resin, in micro-doses, something akin to a homeopathic treatment dose, enough to exert its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immune-enhancing and vitality-boosting influence. For this reason the jewelry is worn as a general biostimulant, as a nonspecific, overall vitality-boosting, health enhancing agent.
We use natural Baltic amber jewelry for its anti-inflammatory properties, to regulate the thyroid, enhance lymphatic drainage, modulate immunity, help counter infection, normalize heart rhythm and boost energy and vitality.
Since Baltic amber acts as a protective shield against radiation, we wear it to protect against radiation poisoning which is ambient in the atmosphere, and also coming from computers and cell phone use.
Ticks evidently are repelled by both the resinous odor and the magnetic property of Baltic amber. We wear it continuously to discourage ticks during tick season. We put a necklace on the dogs too!
I’ve heard from many people who report feeling an increased sense of emotional/psychological/spiritual strength and balance when wearing Baltic amber. For people with disturbed Shen, those who are emotionally sensitive, stressed, suffer from insecurities, those who feel particularly vulnerable, exposed, in pain, depressed and/or frightened and especially for babies, young children and pregnant women, wearing Baltic amber can be particularly grounding and offer a sense of being enveloped in a calm, protective shield.
What I find most compelling about Baltic amber is that it not only carries the energy and memory of hundreds of millions of years on earth, but also preserves air as well as living matter, such as leaves and animals, that bear witnesses to life on earth 40 to 400 million years ago.
These physical traits energetically transmit the power of longevity, endurance, preservation and the ability to adapt and survive, with beauty, strength and grace, any challenges that come our way. This is the very heart of the word adaptogen. I believe it is also the inspiration behind the myths, the essence of magic and the goal of all medicine.
Addendum The terms Oleum succini (amber oil), Balsamum succini (amber balsam), and Extractum succini (amber extract or tincture) appear often in the formulas of the alchemists of the Middle Ages and these items were still listed as medicines in A Dictionary of Medical Science; Medical Lexicon of Official and Empirical Preparations, sixth edition dated 1846, written by Robley Dunglison, at the Boston Medical Library of Medicine.
Succinum was considered antispasmodic and diaphoretic in a dose from five to twenty grains. It was commonly referred to as Electrum, Ambra, Ambre jaune and Yellow Amber, reported to be composed of resinous matter, essential oil and an acid, sui generis; inodorous, except when rubbed or heated.
The oil, oleum or Balsamum Succini, also known as Huile de Succin, was said to possess stimulating, antispasmodic, diuretic and rubefacient properties. Baltic amber oil was an ingredient in British Oil, formulated by the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, which also contained oil of terebinth, juniper and aloe and was recommended as a remedy for sprains.