History of Bee Products in Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics
Sunday 28 September 2025
Honey and beeswax have played an integral role in the history of pharmaceuticals prepared by medics and chemists. This workshop with Dr Sara Robb will explore how bee products serve as substrates and active ingredients in early medicines. Examples of these products will be examined, including wax plasters and historic skin treatments. We will discuss the miraculous case of Thomas Marigold, a Londoner "cured" from leprosy by a blend of olive oil, honey and beeswax called cerate. These early pharmaceuticals were precursors of the products we know as cosmetics and many are still available on the shelves today. Learn to make a few of these formulations, including a dietary supplement called oxymel, the honey cerate Mr Marigold used, and a historic skin cream.
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Sunday 28 September 2025
Honey and beeswax have played an integral role in the history of pharmaceuticals prepared by medics and chemists. This workshop with Dr Sara Robb will explore how bee products serve as substrates and active ingredients in early medicines. Examples of these products will be examined, including wax plasters and historic skin treatments. We will discuss the miraculous case of Thomas Marigold, a Londoner "cured" from leprosy by a blend of olive oil, honey and beeswax called cerate. These early pharmaceuticals were precursors of the products we know as cosmetics and many are still available on the shelves today. Learn to make a few of these formulations, including a dietary supplement called oxymel, the honey cerate Mr Marigold used, and a historic skin cream.
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