What's the Buzz on Beeswax
What's the Buzz on Beeswax
by Jamie J Jung
She tossed me the box. My Grandma smiled and exclaimed, “Happy Birthday!” I opened the small package, and inside was an eye-dropper bottle with the image of a bee surrounded by Chinese characters which I assumed said “honey” or “bee guts”. I turned the bottle around in my small fat fingers, looking for some hint of an English translation. “It's beeswax, it'll make you very healthy!” As she spoke, I proceeded to inspect the bottle and deny her 'facts'. This bitter, sticky yellow substance had been of no importance to me, up until I researched my Grandmother's claims to it being a miracle worker. Just a few drops on the tongue or in a drink, and 'POOF!' I would be cured of all my allergies. After much search and discovery, I realized how versatile beeswax was, employed in the creation of: lip balms, soaps, crayons, cosmetics, medicinal creams and furniture polishes. It is also used in waterproofing anything in the household like shoes. Without beeswax, we would have snow seeping through our leather boots or when casting-out fishing lines we would draw back soggy, wet strings. Beeswax, not known to many, can also be used for human consumption; however, there are no direct positive results to eating it. Most food companies simply use it in packaging, processing and preserving foods. Yet, I don't doubt that there is some mysterious aura around the simple substance we have all known for so long. Like children who use Crayola crayons as magic sticks, we are still learning and observing the world around us. For all we know, beeswax may be a miracle worker after all.
What's the Buzz on Beeswax
