Amber teething necklaces by Drop of Amber

Moms and babies love amber teething necklaces. However there is a lot of questions about the healing properties of amber. Which amber has the most healing power, whether that depends on the colour and so on.
Let me clear some of that up for you.

1st statement: Any amber works the same. FALSE
The main reason amber is considered to be a natural analgesic is the content of the succinic acid in it. The only amber that has succinic acid in its chemical constitution is Baltic amber, thus, if you want a working teething necklace it needs to be from Baltic amber.



2nd statement: Green Baltic amber has the most healing power. FALSE
Why? There are two kinds of green Baltic amber -- one natural and one artificially enhanced. The natural one contains a lot of inclusions -- in this case moss and earth and even wood particles, so the content of amber in such a nugget sometimes can be as low as 30%. Considering that the healing part is succinic acid from amber, you get less amber, so less healing power.
The artificially enhanced green amber is heat treated to gain the beautiful green
colour. When you heat amber up the succinic acid evaporates. So in this case you also get less of the actual healing ingredient in your amber.

So now that we know why some of the things said about amber are wrong, lets see why and how it actually works:

The body's temperature warms the amber, which releases the healing oils (succinic acid) through the skin and into the bloodstream. It stimulates the thyroid gland to help reduce drooling and soothes red inflamed cheeks.

Amber teething necklace by Drop of Amber

Succinic acid was analysed by the pioneer of modern bacteriology, the Nobel Prize winner, Robert Kock (1886), who confirmed its positive influence and discovered that there is no risk of the accumulation of surplus amounts of succinic acid in the human organism, even after the introduction of considerable amounts into the body.

In the 1930's and 40's, European biochemists discovered that succinic acid is an amino acid created naturally in every cell of the body capable of aerobic respiration, participating in the citric acid, or Krebs cycle. This is how carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are metabolised into energy.

Amber teething necklace by Drop of Amber

Baltic amber contains anywhere from 3-8% of succinic acid, a scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine. The highest content of the acid is found in the amber cortex, the external layer of the stone.

If you have any doubts or questions about Baltic amber -- send me an email (in my contacts page) and I will try to help you, or make your question a theme for my next blog entry.