Chinese wax
Chinese wax, insect wax, whitewax or pela is a white to yellowish-white, gelatinous, crystalline water-insoluble substance obtained from the wax secreted by certain insects. It may be used for the production of candles and polishes, and for the sizing of paper. It resembles spermaceti but is harder, more friable, and with a higher melting point.
Production
Two scale insects produce the wax: Ceroplastes ceriferus, common in China and India, and the related Ericerus pela, found in China and Japan. These insects deposit their secretions on the branches of certain species of Ligustrum tree. The insects and their secretions are harvested and boiled with water to extract the raw wax. The insect bodies, which settle to the bottom, are used as food for swine.A description of the cultivation of the insect for wax production is given in a November 1932 article from the Nature Magazine:
The substance scraped off the branches is boiled in water, where the wax collects on the surface. The wax is later remelted and poured into a deep pan, where it is allowed to cool to form a transparent crystalline mass. This crystalline substance produced by E. pela is white in colour but may have a slight yellowish tinge, and it has no taste or smell. Each insect can produce around ~0.45 mg of wax on the tree, and annually, 300 to 500 tons of the wax may be produced in the industry.
Uses
Chinese wax is used chiefly in the manufacture of sizes, candles, temple images and other articles connected with ceremonial worship, and polish for furniture. It is used for burnishing the back of Chinese hanging scrolls with a stone. It is also used in cosmetics in China and Japan. In Japan, it is used to polish white clamshell go stones among other uses.In China the wax has been employed medicinally. It may be ingested as a remedy for hoarseness, pain, worms, nervousness, and to aid the mending of broken bones. It may also be applied externally as an ointment for treatment of wounds.
Other names
Other names for Chinese wax include:- Chinese insect wax
- Chinese tree wax
- Chinese white wax
- Insect wax