Gold from the Sea: Amber Elixir 🧡

[BryWisteria]

Warm greetings to all!

Sending love from the coastal city of Gdańsk! It’s a place dating back deep into medieval times and has changed hands quite a few times over the centuries (Polish, German, Prussian, a free state, Polish again…)

But even more so than the lovely architecture and intriguing history is the call of a local treasure. Gdańsk is most famous for the “gold” that washes up on it’s beaches- Baltic Amber

(@Christina4 already has a fantastic post about the mineral and magickal properties of Baltic Amber, so I’m linking it here for anyone interested)

Baltic Amber Info

**Baltic Amber** Mineral Family: Organic Structure: These gemstones don’t have an organized crystal structure and cannot be classified as a mineral. It’s made up of tree sap. Hardness: 2-2.5 Numerology Vibration: 3 Chakra: Solar Plexus Zodiac: Leo Baltic Amber absorbs pain and negative energies, helping to alleviate stress. Amber clears depression, stimulates the intellect and promotes self-confidence and creative self-expression. It encourages decision-making, spontaneity and bring…

We took some time yesterday to explore the traditional Old Town and found Mariacka Alley- aka “Amber Alley”. The entire street is lined on both sides with amber sellers and their shiny golden wares.

A display booth in ‘Amber Alley’

One of the shops and its displays of Amber jewelry and goods

Naturally, you can’t come to the City of Amber and not buy Amber! I’m usually pretty good about doing my shopping on the last day, but we ended up splurging and bought a couple goodies

Travel-sized vial of Amber shards

Couldn’t resist this sweet teeny tiny little vial of Amber- not sure where’s I’ll put it, but it just had to come home with us!

We also picked up the following, which I originally thought were just souvenir bottles of Amber (like the little vial), but are actually something a bit more… magickal in nature

Amber shards to make medicinal Bursztynowa- Amber Elixir

Bursztynowa: Amber Elixir

This elixir is a concoction that uses alcohol as a base. If you choose to consume alcohol, please follow local laws and drink responsibly.

Amber in Poland is said to be protective force- carrying a piece of Amber with you is thought to provide protection from harm and keep the carrier safe

One way that Poles like to use Amber is by making “Bursztynowa”- a concoction believed to draw out the magickal and medicinal properties of Amber.

A rough translation of the bottle’s instructions reads:

• Fill the bottle with an alcoholic spirit (this is Poland so vodka is the preferred alcohol)
• Allow the spirit to soak with the shards of Amber for 10 days, until it achieves a warm golden color

TO USE:

• Add 2-3 drops of the elixir to your tea daily

You can use the Amber in the bottle up to two times before it needs to be replaced.

The elixir is believed to aid with healing and speed up recovery for those who are ill, or protect those who already in good health.

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This was the first time I’d heard of eating Amber, so I had to do a quick check Alas, there don’t seem to be many reliable sources about eating or consuming Amber as it’s certainly not something done often

So here is the necessary discalimer:

While Amber products are consumed in Poland, there is not adequate medical information available confirming it’s safety or dosage. If you choose to consume Amber or Amber products, please do so with caution.

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While I am on vacation this week, I’ll still be popping in the forum every day to check on things and run activities as always Please be patient if it takes me a bit longer than usual to reply!

Do you have any Baltic Amber? Would you ever try a medicinal drink made from Amber? Feel free to share your thoughts!

Sending love and light from the City of Amber!

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This post is an entry to the Weekly Witchy Challenge - Protective Magick

[TheMuslimWitch]

So interesting i never heard of drinking amber either but i know it is used especially for babies where it is put around their necks… I hope you are enjoying your holiday and thank you for taking the time to share your pictures especially being in lockdown…

[christina4]

This is interesting!!! Thank you so much for the info, pictures and ideas running through my head!!! I’ve gotta try this out!

[Amethyst]

Wow. I’d love to look at what those sellers have, just to drool, you know? LOL. Beautiful bits of amber you bought. I’m sure you’ll find something useful for it. Glad you’re having a good vacation!

[MeganB]

Oh you know what, this reminds me of a bracelet I used to have for my daughter when she was a baby. Amber jewelry is really popular among a lot of “crunchy” parents here in the US because it’s supposed to be good for teething, GI-related issues, and skin (among others) when worn on the skin.

According to some sources (this is from a NY Times article)…

When worn against the skin, such as around a neck or a wrist, amber beads are said to warm and then release a substance called succinic acid, which is then supposed to leach into the bloodstream and act as a “natural” pain reliever. Source

Scientifically, in order for that acid to be released from the amber, temperatures have to reach 400F (204C) but I can say that when my daughter wore hers, I noticed a difference. I had forgotten all about it until now, honestly, and I kinda want to get one for myself

[Temujin_Calidius]

Thats wonderful. I take it you can also use it as traditional incense using coal since it is available in resin form?

[BryWisteria]

Thank you, @TheMuslimWitch! There are always lots of wonderful experiences and pictures shared here in the forum- I remember how much I enjoyed seeing them when I was stuck in lockdown myself! So I completely understand. I hope your lockdown ends for you soon!

You’re very welcome, @Christina4!

Thanks, @Amethyst! And yes, that’s exactly what the plan was- just look and drool on the first day and then do the shopping on the last day (once we’ve seen it all and know what we want). Nope! Hahaha couldn’t resist

I sure hope no one is popping their amber into a 400F oven before handing it to their baby- yikes! It sounds like one of those things were science and traditional beliefs/magick almost align, but not quite just yet… maybe someday! I’m glad the Amber helped your daughter, @MeganB!

That’s an interesting thought, @Temujin_Calidius! I remember seeing incense for sale everywhere (literally everywhere- even some convenience stores had it) in parts of Asia like Japan and Thailand, but Poland just isn’t too big on incense and outside of churches, I haven’t really seen it at all. But Amber is indeed a resin so I’d imagine it would function as incense like francinsense… although perhaps it’s the high value of Amber keeping people from lighting it I’ll keep my eye out and see if I can find any Amber incense!