Szelak

Szelak (ang. shellac) jest ogólnie stosowaną nazwą, odnoszącą się do wszystkich form naturalnej żywicy wydalanej przez małe owady (Lac laccifer) głównie na obszarze Indii i Tailandii.

Slowo "lac" pochodzi od wyrazu "lahk" (sanskryt) i oznacza dosłownie "100 tysięcy". Odnośni się do ogromnych rojów larw owadów oblepiających drzewa lakowe w okresie rozrodu.

There is a connection between the word “lac” and the Indo-European word for salmon, “laks”, very likely a reference to great numbers of the fish observed in spawning shoals.

Not much is known regarding the very early history of shellac. In the Vedic period about 3,000 years ago it was called “Laksha.” One of the Vedic books contains an account of a whole palace constructed entirely out of lac resin.

Ancient Chinese and Indian civilizations used the dye extracted from lac for dyeing silk and leather and as a cosmetic rouge and a coloring for head ornaments. The superior adhesive quality of the resin made it useful for setting jewels and sword hilts as well as repairing broken pottery. The residue left after the extraction of the dye was made into a grinding wheel for jade – a technique still in use today.

It was in the field of medicine, however, that the most extensive applications for lac were discovered. It was prescribed either as an emollient, or as a stimulant to tissue growth or in the treatment of gum hemorrhages and menstrual disorders. In veterinary medicine lac was mixed with lard and the paste used to fill the cavities in the hooves of horses and cattle.

Patrz dalej

• Historia szelaku (ang.)