The Journal of
Topical Formulations
(ISSN 1554-0197)
published by Scribionics
Katvah
Rosemarie
L. Coste, General Editor
Elishalom
Yechiel, Ph.D., Scientific Editor
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| March
25, 2005 Volume 1, Issue 3 online at http://www.topical-formulations.com/ |
Sponsored
by Elsom Research Innovative Biotechnologies “Where Nature, Science, and Art Combine” |
Join our discussion forum on Topics in Topicals as related to acne and rosacea, scalp care, skin aging, wrinkles, diabetes, and cancer. |
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An
Online Journal on -
Formulation
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The Formulator's Bookshelf This month we have chosen to review:
The book begins with an introduction, subtitled "The History of Spices", which provides a conventional review of the role played by spices in commerce, exploration, and warfare from a largely European perspective. The second "Spice Directory" section, subtitled, "Spice List by Common Name", provides a heavily-illustrated listing of spices, their origins and characteristics, culinary and medical uses, some recipes, and some recommendations for harvesting and storage. The third section, "Cooking with Spices", groups recipes together into sections such as "Spicy Oils", "Pickling Vinegars", and "The Chilies." The fourth section, "Spices for Beauty, Relaxation, and Health", contains recipes that may be of interest to the home formulator. It discusses spices as main ingredients in incense, massage oil, potpourri, and perfume. A vanilla perfume recipe is typical of the simplicity of most these recipes: "Slice five vanilla beans and immerse in pure alcohol. Leave for six weeks but shake daily. At the end of this, strain the alcohol off, and you will have a pleasantly refreshing perfume." The ingredients are readily available, the process is easily described and easily accomplished: this is an ideal home project. At the same time, the recipe for hand cream, oddly and impractically, calls for "4 oz (120 g) spermaceti (from a pharmacist)". Since natural spermaceti, a liquid oil harvested from the heads of sperm whales, hasn't been legally bought or sold by any pharmacist since the International Whaling Commission's general moratorium on commercial whaling took effect in 1987, the ingredient called for here must be a plant-based substitute for spermaceti, such as cetyl palmitate or jojoba oil; since the author doesn't bother to identify an ingredient that can actually be obtained, the recipe becomes unusable.
On
the whole, more of the recipes seem practical than impractical (though
I wonder how readily
or willingly most shoppers can locate "caustic soda" for the soap recipe),
and some interesting suggestions are offered: nutmeg in a firming lotion;
horseradish
in milk
as an anti-acne cleanser; coriander, honey, and witchhazel as an aftershave.
Still, I remain convinced that the best thing about this book is the
illustrations, especially the photographs of light streaming through
golden oils and colored glass bottles. There's nothing wrong with enjoying
a nice picture book now and then; this is a good one. |
In
this issue:
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