Yellow beeswax.

[Karol]

snip>
Accumulation of oxalic acid tells, that the writer has no basic knowledge about the issue. snip>.

And it tells me Finman that you don't have an understanding of GMP II. Your comments are only true with respect to properly processed beeswax.

As for fragility then I'm not sure how relevant that is to a cream?

 

[Karol]

From Martindale The Extra Pharmacopoeia:

"In dilute solution oxalic acid and its salts are toxic owing to withdrawal of ionisable calcium from the blood and tissues. Strong solutions of the acid are corrosive. In acute poisoning from ingestion there is local irritation and corrosion of the mouth, oesophagus, and stomach, with pain and vomiting, followed shortly by muscular tremors, convulsions and collapse. Death may occur within a few minutes. After apparent recovery acute renal failure may occur from blocking of the renal tubules by calcium oxalate crystals. In Great Britain the recommended exposure limits of oxalic acid and 1mg per m3 (long term) and 2mg per m3 (short term).

So clearly, it's not a good idea to use beeswax which has not been sourced diligently or properly 'processed' to remove contaminants especially when in contact with open sores.



Own wound creams? NHS hospitals extensively use a specialist cream that happens to contain yellow beeswax as an ingredient. As a licensed specialist pharmaceutical manufacturing company we are trying to help the NHS secure supplies of this cream to help their patients because currently the cream is not available and it is causing lots of problems.

 

[itma]

...

So clearly, it's not a good idea to use beeswax which has not been sourced diligently or properly 'processed' to remove contaminants especially when in contact with open sores.
...

Karol, I think you are worrying unnecessarily.
From a number of viewpoints.

"Cappings wax" (the hobby beekeepers' prime quality product) would not (normally) have been exposed to Oxalic. That wax is made in the spring and summer and removed in the autumn of the same year. Oxalic is routinely a winter treatment.

Oxalic should be much more soluble in water than in solid wax, thus it is unlikely that there would ever be much in comb wax.
And washing the raw wax, followed by dripping the molten wax into water (routine home-style wax cleaning), would remove the majority of whatever microscopic residues remained.

If you want to worry about residues, then worry about wax-soluble chemicals such as pyretherins. But again, these should not be present in "cappings wax" - as they are not generally used when there is honey on the hive (it is legally allowed, but deprecated in hobby circles). Such practices are more likely, dare I suggest, in a commercial-scale operation (where you would be getting large multi-kilo quantities of wax) than an ordinary hobby apiary.

As a licensed specialist pharmaceutical manufacturing company we are trying to help the NHS secure supplies of this cream ...

I would suggest that your commercial opportunity extends beyond making the cream, and should include 'upgrading' the wax.
You seem to be in an ideal position to acquire "good cappings wax only" by the odd kilo or less from reputable sources, and remelt, mix, rewash and refilter, combining the purchases to make worthwhile (25kg?) batches to offer for certification, with the potential of a dramatic value uplift.
Should any fail medical grade certification, I am sure that you wouldn't make a loss selling it as cosmetic grade.
And you probably wouldn't make much loss if, all else failing, you had to sell it on to ecclesiastical candle-makers!

Your market opportunity is bigger 'vertically' than the one you are currently addressing.
On this occasion, I'm happy to take my consultancy fee in the form of creams and wasp-traps.

 

[Karol]

Karol, I think you are worrying unnecessarily. <snip>

Thanks Itma but I'm not sure that I am.

Thanks to pm posts from members on the forum we have identified potential sources of Yellow Beeswax BP which has been a real help for which I am very grateful to the forum. We are now in the process of verifying the quality of the beeswax and validating its use in the cream we've been asked to specially make for the NHS.

GMP II material will by definition have gone through the processes you describe and should therefore be relatively free from contaminants including oxalic acid (hence the need to source GMP material).

We don't have a commercial interest in making pharmaceutical grade raw materials ourselves. The cost of setting up (in competition with existing raw material manufacturers) to manufacture GMP grade Yellow Beeswax BP would far outstrip the commercial returns.

Not sure you'd want the cream as a consultancy fee - it's prescription only and is used to treat burns and infected wounds.

 

[Swarm]

These are cappings wax ....

 

[VEG]

Wow that is yellow


Craig

 

[lakelander]

impressive looks really nice

 

[REDWOOD]

That is impressive swarm

 

[Karol]

Just thought I'd post an update. After what seems to have been an eternity we have finally developed, manufactured and validated the cream containing yellow beeswax and the first orders are being shipped out on Monday. On behalf of all those needy patients out there thanks again to all of you for all your help.

 

[Erichalfbee]

first orders are being shipped out on Monday.

That's good news

These are cappings wax ....

I have some like that from dandelion brace comb this spring

 

[jd101k2000]

 

[Myfamily&otheranimals]

Pleased to hear the goal achieved and hoping all the patients reap the benefits of the bees and your hard work. I've benefitted from reading the posts and learning more about beeswax. Thanks to all who contributed.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Nice to see the NHS actually trialling a natural treatment that has been used to help wound healing for centuries.

Interesting article…

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686636/