Instructions on how to use mastic, how to make mastic powder, dosage of mastic as natural medicine, etc
You can use mastic as ordinary chewing gum, or you can grind it into powder (or at least in very small pieces) and use it as a natural medicine for peptic ulcers and general for stomach disorders.
Mastic is a 100% natural product. That means that not all the pieces of mastic (or tears as they are called) are the same. Some pieces are bigger, some are smaller, some are harder and some are softer.
- Mastic -due to temperature- become softer in summer and harder in winter.
- Usually larger pieces are softer than the smaller ones which dry out and harden faster.
- Generally, medium or large pieces are better for chewing and small pieces are better for grinding them into powder.
- A more yellow colour means older and harder mastic, a more whitish colour means fresher and softer mastic. Generally speaking you should avoid buying very yellow mastic, because this means that mastic is very old and probably has lost some of its properties.
How to chew Chios mastic as chewing gum:
Mastic is a natural product. Some pieces are softer and some harder. Choose either a small piece, or break a larger piece and use half of it (in any case, initially, use less than the total quantity of mastic you intend to chew) and start chewing it. At the beginning it is quite hard, but as the mastic gets warmer in your mouth, it gets softer. If the piece you chew is hard then choose a softer piece and add it to the previous mastic in your mouth. Equally, if the initial piece is too soft and gets stuck in your teeth, add a harder piece to make a mixture that will have the right consistency. You could -if you wish- swallow the mastic when you have finished chewing it. Just make sure you cut it in smaller pieces to avoid choking on a large mastic gum piece.
Chios mastic as natural “medicine“*
A. You could either use mastic in Small Tears -which is safer for transport- and swallow it as it is, or you could ground it into powder.
B. Alternatively you may buy ready made mastic powder. or extra small tears of mastic and use it as it is.
To ground mastic in powder
Get some small tears (small pieces) of mastic. Put it in deep freezer for a couple of hours. While still frozen, put a small quantity (20-30g) in a blender to ground it. Use low speed and do not overdo it (use the blender up to 8-10 seconds) because if the mastic gets warm -from the friction- it will stick to the blender.
Alternatively for a single dose of mastic you can use a mortar to break it into smaller pieces, or you could even squash some mastic in between two spoons.
Instructions for taking mastic as natural medicine:
Usual dosage*:
Every morning, 15-20 minutes before breakfast, (on an empty stomach) take about 1 gr, which is one flat dosage spoon (see photo on the right). If you do not have a dosage spoon the dose is about half of a flat tea spoonful of mastic (either ground in powder or mastic in small tears). The result is the same. The only advantage of powder is that it acts a bit faster as it gets dissolved in the stomach faster than mastic in small tears.
Hint: Empty the ground mastic from the spoon on your tongue and drink some water to help you swallow it.
Mastic does not dissolve in water.
*ATTENTION: These are practical advice, which derives from tradition and experience. It is NOT a medical advice. If in any doubt, please consult your doctor. In any case, mastic as a natural product has not shown any side effects even in over consumption.
Mastic powder should be preserved either in a fridge, or in a very cool place where temperatures do not exceed 17ο C (63ο F). A fridge is recommended for keeping the mastic in powder.
Our mastic powder is 100% natural mastic, without chemicals, or any other additives which could keep it in powder form. If the mastic in powder, is exposed to high temperatures will stick together and become one lump. If the powder sticks and becomes one lump, it does NOT lose any of its beneficial properties, or its taste.
Action to make it powder again: If it is lumpy: Try to tap the jar. If it is in the initial stages of being stuck it could break up in powder again. If the above trick does not work, you could take the powder (lump) of the vase, wrap it in a clean cloth and hit it lightly with a hammer, or something heavy until it turns into powder again.
If the powder is very much stuck and has become one yellow lump (if it has been exposed to high temperature) then you might have to put it in a deep freezer for a couple of hours and then -while it is still frozen- you can put it in a blender to make it powder again. Put a small quantity of mastic in the blender (10-30g) and use the blender for a short time only (10-15 seconds). Do not use the blender for longer time because mastic will melt from the friction and it will stick on the blender parts. If not all mastic has become powder, put the bits that are not powder in the freezer to freeze it again and later repeat the process with the blender.