Mastic good enough for Harems and it seems to be working!
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waitingforrelief
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waitingforrelief
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Larc,Larc400 wrote:For all you Swedes on here: I can inform you that Mastic is not available in Sweden
I called like five specialist shops with no luck
Did anyone find a good online "Mastic store"..?
this online store ships to europe as well.
http://www.greekshops.com/search.aspx?keyword=mastic
Thanks for posting this info. Its great that people are finding things that's working for them. This store Mastic Spa is in New York City - I must've walked by it a thousand times as I live not far from the area where the store is on West Broadway.
Will definitely drop in there on my way from work.
VitaminShoppe here in NY also carries the product in capsules. I wonder if that works as well as the pure stuff????
Will definitely drop in there on my way from work.
VitaminShoppe here in NY also carries the product in capsules. I wonder if that works as well as the pure stuff????
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CyberchndriacNot
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I can't tell you because the text on the packet and the box is in Arabic and the mastic packaging is in Greek and I don't speak either!. The shopkeeper said that it has no sugar in it. I would say that it tastes mildly sweet, but not like normal chewing gum. I've sent you two different varieties so that you can trial them.waitingforrelief wrote:hey cyber, what kind of mastic chewing gum did you try? i saw a couple kinds online - do you know which one is the best? is it ok to have sugar and other things in it?
Ok, today I've been teaching and no flinches - the resin seems to be working a treat. I sucked on some tree resin about an hour before going into class then chewed some gum and 5 hours later there's still no BB.
I tried some of the yellow mastic from Chios and it's very different from the other tree resins. It's soft and crushes instantly in your mouth. I'm just wondering if this is the stuff or not. I didn't notice whether it had any effect on me becuase so far today I haven't had any BB.
Noptical, what have you been able to find out about the real Greek mastic and its forms?
Thanx for link, Waiting.
Cyber ...which one of these do you reckon is the one closest to the one you've had some success with..?
http://www.greekshops.com/search.aspx?keyword=mastic
Cyber ...which one of these do you reckon is the one closest to the one you've had some success with..?
http://www.greekshops.com/search.aspx?keyword=mastic
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CyberchndriacNot
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OK, it's very hard to see the ingredients. The Greek Spice Mastixa Net Wt. 0.5 oz looks like the yellow pebbles which I don't think did the same as the tree resin. All the other products on the site have been processed. The products I have used are in natural form, apart from one of the gums which is factory produced. The other gum is a blob of a white gooey substance packaged in a small plastic bag. I haven't tried this one yet.
The picture in Wikipedia looks like the tree resin I'm using.
Have a read of the magic tree and note all the medical conditions that mastica is claimed to cure.
http://www.epikouria.com/issue1/the-magic-tree1.php
The picture in Wikipedia looks like the tree resin I'm using.
Have a read of the magic tree and note all the medical conditions that mastica is claimed to cure.
http://www.epikouria.com/issue1/the-magic-tree1.php
Last edited by CyberchndriacNot on Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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CyberchndriacNot
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It appears that it has a fairly widespread distribution which explains its use throughout the middle east and africa.
Accepted name: Pistacia lentiscus L., Sp. Pl. (1753) 1026 APN TL2
Synonyms:
= Pistacia massiliensis Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8 (1768) no. 6 APN
= Terebinthus lentiscus Moench, Methodus (1794) 345 APN
= Pistacia gummifera Salisb., Prodr. (1796) 172 APN
= Terebinthus vulgaris Fourr. in Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n. sér. 16 (1868) 356
= Lentiscus massiliensis (Mill.) Fourr. in Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n. sér. 17 (1869) 195
Common names:
Arab. mustik
E. Chios mastic tree
E. mastic shrub
Fr. lentisque
G. Mastix-Pistazie
G. Mastixstrauch
It. corno-capra
It. dentischio
It. lentisco
Port. alfostigueiro
Port. almecegueira [source: Rehm 1994, 286 pp.]
Port. aroeira
Sp. almácigo
Sp. lentisco
Wild distribution: Mediterranean region, Canarian Isl., Madeira, E Africa.
Full text information:
Mainly cultivated on the Greek isl. Chios in a tree-like variety.
The cortex contains the mastic resin, which is used for many special purposes, e.g. the production of varnishes and adhesives, for chewing gum, in the photography and lithography, for medicinal purpose. In old Egypt it served for embalming. The mastic oil is part of distinct perfumes. The seeds contain about 25% oil, which is used as salad oil. The wood is worked up to charcoal, and the branches are used by basket makers.
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Query.htm
Accepted name: Pistacia lentiscus L., Sp. Pl. (1753) 1026 APN TL2
Synonyms:
= Pistacia massiliensis Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8 (1768) no. 6 APN
= Terebinthus lentiscus Moench, Methodus (1794) 345 APN
= Pistacia gummifera Salisb., Prodr. (1796) 172 APN
= Terebinthus vulgaris Fourr. in Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n. sér. 16 (1868) 356
= Lentiscus massiliensis (Mill.) Fourr. in Ann. Soc. Linn. Lyon, n. sér. 17 (1869) 195
Common names:
Arab. mustik
E. Chios mastic tree
E. mastic shrub
Fr. lentisque
G. Mastix-Pistazie
G. Mastixstrauch
It. corno-capra
It. dentischio
It. lentisco
Port. alfostigueiro
Port. almecegueira [source: Rehm 1994, 286 pp.]
Port. aroeira
Sp. almácigo
Sp. lentisco
Wild distribution: Mediterranean region, Canarian Isl., Madeira, E Africa.
Full text information:
Mainly cultivated on the Greek isl. Chios in a tree-like variety.
The cortex contains the mastic resin, which is used for many special purposes, e.g. the production of varnishes and adhesives, for chewing gum, in the photography and lithography, for medicinal purpose. In old Egypt it served for embalming. The mastic oil is part of distinct perfumes. The seeds contain about 25% oil, which is used as salad oil. The wood is worked up to charcoal, and the branches are used by basket makers.
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/Mansfeld/Query.htm
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CyberchndriacNot
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Read this exerpt http://www.ccpollen.com/pgprop2.shtml It makes sense...
Historically, indigenous people have used various tree resins as natural medicines for health and healing. In the Christian religion, two of the three gifts from the wise men to the infant Jesus were tree resins, Frankincense and Myrrh. Modern science has since validated both as valuable for health and healing. Tribes of the rain forest use numerous tree resins for a variety of treatments. Romans also used resins for medicinal purposes. The Roman natural historian, Pliny the Elder, wrote extensively about preventing wine from turning to vinegar by adding tree resins. Pine, cedar, and often terebinth (which Pliny described as the Best And Most Elegant resin)--were added to Roman wines for this purpose. Modern researchers have shown that certain tree resins, like propolis, can kill bacteria, thereby protecting organic compounds from degradation.
When physical damage occurs to trees, then tree resin, or sap, floods into the area and seals it off. In this way, the damaged tissues are protected from infection from bacteria or fungi. Similarly, when parasites, such as bark beetles, attack a tree, tree resin flows into the wounded area and kills the insects and their larvae. Tree resins and waxes are secreted onto the surfaces of sensitive tissues, such as delicate new buds, to protect against harmful ultraviolet radiation. Tree resin screens out harmful radiation, and protects the buds from damage. Ultraviolet radiation also causes free radicals, and tree resin acts as antioxidants to smother the free radicals before they can cause damage. How does tree resin work to provide these protective benefits? Researchers look to polyphenols as the answer.
Tree resins typically have high concentrations of polyphenols. Many polyphenols have been shown to be anti microbial against bacteria, fungi and viruses. These actions are essential to the immune defense of the tree. Polyphenols have also been shown to play important roles in the trees biochemical response to stress, disease and physical damage.
So much material for further investigation...
Historically, indigenous people have used various tree resins as natural medicines for health and healing. In the Christian religion, two of the three gifts from the wise men to the infant Jesus were tree resins, Frankincense and Myrrh. Modern science has since validated both as valuable for health and healing. Tribes of the rain forest use numerous tree resins for a variety of treatments. Romans also used resins for medicinal purposes. The Roman natural historian, Pliny the Elder, wrote extensively about preventing wine from turning to vinegar by adding tree resins. Pine, cedar, and often terebinth (which Pliny described as the Best And Most Elegant resin)--were added to Roman wines for this purpose. Modern researchers have shown that certain tree resins, like propolis, can kill bacteria, thereby protecting organic compounds from degradation.
When physical damage occurs to trees, then tree resin, or sap, floods into the area and seals it off. In this way, the damaged tissues are protected from infection from bacteria or fungi. Similarly, when parasites, such as bark beetles, attack a tree, tree resin flows into the wounded area and kills the insects and their larvae. Tree resins and waxes are secreted onto the surfaces of sensitive tissues, such as delicate new buds, to protect against harmful ultraviolet radiation. Tree resin screens out harmful radiation, and protects the buds from damage. Ultraviolet radiation also causes free radicals, and tree resin acts as antioxidants to smother the free radicals before they can cause damage. How does tree resin work to provide these protective benefits? Researchers look to polyphenols as the answer.
Tree resins typically have high concentrations of polyphenols. Many polyphenols have been shown to be anti microbial against bacteria, fungi and viruses. These actions are essential to the immune defense of the tree. Polyphenols have also been shown to play important roles in the trees biochemical response to stress, disease and physical damage.
So much material for further investigation...
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waitingforrelief
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CyberchndriacNot
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I'd try it if I could get it. I don't think the shops here sell it. There's very little in the way of processed goods; it's all in natural form.
BTW, I've gone to all the Western health and pharmaceutical shops which sell different remedies and they seem to stock mostly American and German products. Not one of them had anything related to mastic.
BTW, I've gone to all the Western health and pharmaceutical shops which sell different remedies and they seem to stock mostly American and German products. Not one of them had anything related to mastic.
The "mastic spa" shops have both mastic toothpastes and mouthwashes. Maybe you should call one that's closer to you and ask them if they ship to other places in the US (you live in the US right?).CyberchndriacNot wrote:I'd try it if I could get it. I don't think the shops here sell it. There's very little in the way of processed goods; it's all in natural form.
BTW, I've gone to all the Western health and pharmaceutical shops which sell different remedies and they seem to stock mostly American and German products. Not one of them had anything related to mastic.
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CyberchndriacNot
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waitingforrelief
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ok, i got the mastic from the store that i ordered it from. it is of this brand/kind.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DN
cyber, what do you think? it says chios gum mastic on the package. it says chios mastiha somewhere else on it.
i haven't tried boil it yet, but i popped on in my mouth to try to chew it - and it instantly became like chewing gum. it is impossible to swallow. the mastic itself looks yellow, but very light. almost whitish. there's no sweet taste. there's almost no taste, actually. and then like i said, it turns into a very tough chewing gum once i start to chew on it.
my mouth definitely feels better after chewing it, but i don't know exactly if it helps my breath because i had to go outside right after i chewed it.
i'll report on it more later. will go and try to boil some now. it's a good thing i got it today - breath was worse today.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DN
cyber, what do you think? it says chios gum mastic on the package. it says chios mastiha somewhere else on it.
i haven't tried boil it yet, but i popped on in my mouth to try to chew it - and it instantly became like chewing gum. it is impossible to swallow. the mastic itself looks yellow, but very light. almost whitish. there's no sweet taste. there's almost no taste, actually. and then like i said, it turns into a very tough chewing gum once i start to chew on it.
my mouth definitely feels better after chewing it, but i don't know exactly if it helps my breath because i had to go outside right after i chewed it.
i'll report on it more later. will go and try to boil some now. it's a good thing i got it today - breath was worse today.
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waitingforrelief
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just tried to boil it, and it's stuck to the bottom of my pan - i scrubbed but i couldn't even get it off. haha
then i tried to put it in a cup of tea with boiling water. it turns gooey but i'm not sure that it's melting. i tried to put some in my mouth and couldn't swallow it because it's too tough. then i tried to chew it and it became really really tough, like plastic, i'm not kiddng. problem is some got stuck on my teeth and i hope i can scrape all of it off!!! it's hard!
it smells like resin, i can smell that on my breath but i don't know if my bb is gone. i mean my tea has a resin smell to it so i hope that even tho' the mastic itself is not edible, i'm actually ingesting some of it in the tea...
i don't know - doesn't sound like the same stuff that cyber has.
noptical, can you read what the label says in the pic? have you seen that box? how do people use it in greece? what is it for? there's english on the box but nothing to tell what to use it for. i've seen recipes online for mastica, but given how tough it is, and that it doesn't melt, i don't know how one could use it to cook!!
i can't imagine how else to use this except to chew it like chewing gum. except that it's pretty tough to chew and i don't think it works as well as what cyber did with hers. esp. now that i've drunk some of the tea, i think i can still smell my breath a little.
so i can't determine whether this is a successful experiment or not. but if nothing else, it gave me a laugh. it's just kinda funny how it turned to plastic and stuck to my pan like glue.
by the way, noptical, i made an appt with an ENT today. Thanks for the encouragement.
then i tried to put it in a cup of tea with boiling water. it turns gooey but i'm not sure that it's melting. i tried to put some in my mouth and couldn't swallow it because it's too tough. then i tried to chew it and it became really really tough, like plastic, i'm not kiddng. problem is some got stuck on my teeth and i hope i can scrape all of it off!!! it's hard!
it smells like resin, i can smell that on my breath but i don't know if my bb is gone. i mean my tea has a resin smell to it so i hope that even tho' the mastic itself is not edible, i'm actually ingesting some of it in the tea...
i don't know - doesn't sound like the same stuff that cyber has.
noptical, can you read what the label says in the pic? have you seen that box? how do people use it in greece? what is it for? there's english on the box but nothing to tell what to use it for. i've seen recipes online for mastica, but given how tough it is, and that it doesn't melt, i don't know how one could use it to cook!!
i can't imagine how else to use this except to chew it like chewing gum. except that it's pretty tough to chew and i don't think it works as well as what cyber did with hers. esp. now that i've drunk some of the tea, i think i can still smell my breath a little.
so i can't determine whether this is a successful experiment or not. but if nothing else, it gave me a laugh. it's just kinda funny how it turned to plastic and stuck to my pan like glue.
by the way, noptical, i made an appt with an ENT today. Thanks for the encouragement.