José de la Fuente
Ciudad Real, Spain

Amber is fossilized plant resin commonly used for jewelry, decoration, and in the study of fossil inclusions.^1,2 The largest sources of amber are found in Myanmar (formerly Burma; Burmite, Cretaceous, ca. 99 million years ago [mya]) and the area around the Baltic Sea (Eocene, ca. 34–56 mya). Fossil amber from the Eocene has also been reported in Australia, Ethiopia, and Sumatra.³

For centuries, inhabitants of amber-rich regions have used fossil amber for medical purposes. Amber necklaces have been used to relieve teething pain and pulverized amber was an ingredient in elixirs and ointments. Accordingly, amber representations with animals such as elephants have been associated with cultural and religious symbols, spiritual properties, and meditation.¹ Elephants in mythology are associated with representations such as Hindu deities Ganesha, Malini, and Vinayaki, and Egyptian Elephantine Island. For example, Ganesha, represented by an elephant head and four arms, acts as the remover of obstacles, bearer of good luck, patron of arts and science, deva of intellect and wisdom, and a patron of letters and learning.^4,5

Amber has been characterized as medicinal from around the fifth century AD and used as a diuretic; to enhance mental stability; stop bleeding; aid in wound healing; to promote anti-allergenic, anti-neurotoxic, and anti-inflammatory effects; to suppress melanin production; promote collagen production; reduce fat accumulation; and many other uses in folk medicine.^6-12

Today, amber extracts are usually prepared by crushing, powdering, and extracting in 50% ethanol at 40 °C for one hour while stirring. Then, the filtered solution is depressurized and freeze-dried to form a powder, which is dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide for use.⁶

The compounds and pathways associated with amber medical interventions include monoterpenes, succinic monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, p-cymene, camphor, pimaric acid, and dehydroabietic acid. These substances are involved in apoptosis, lipolysis, and inflammation, among other biological processes.^7,13-17 Arthropods are commonly found in fossil amber inclusions,^1,2 and were also associated with mythological representations of healing. For example, bees, which symbolized birth, death, and resurrection in some ancient cultures, were believed to have an effect when used in medical applications.¹⁸ However, amber inclusions may also contribute compounds that have potential pharmaceutical effects. A recent paleoproteomics study of fossil arthropods in Burmite amber revealed ubiquitin (Tetranychus urticae and Ixodes ricinus), triosephosphate isomerase (Aceria tosichella), NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase, and elongation factor 1-alpha (Neothyridae) proteins, which have been associated with functional implications.¹⁹ These findings lead the increasing interest in studies for developing paleopharmaceuticals from fossil amber.²⁰

References

1. De la Fuente J. “Fossil amber in artistic and cultural representations.” International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) 12(3):38-45, 2025. doi: 10.20431/2349-0381.1203004.
2. De la Fuente J. “The fossil record and the origin of ticks (Acari: Parasitiformes: Ixodida).” Exp Appl Acarol 29:331-344, 2003. doi: 10.1023/a:102582470.
3. Pańczak J, Kosakowski P, Drzewicz P, Zakrzewski A. “Fossil resins—A chemotaxonomical overview.” Earth-Science Reviews 252:104734, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104734
4. Getty A. “Gaṇeśa: A Monograph on the Elephant-Faced God.” Oxford: Clarendon Press 1936 (1992 reprint ed.).
5. Naiem A. “Elephant in ancient Egypt (A philological–religious study).” Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality 13(1):55-62, 2016. doi:10.21608/jaauth.2016.49962.
6. Luo Y, Zhou S, Takeda R, Okazaki K, Sekita M, Sakamoto K. “Protective effect of amber extract on human dopaminergic cells against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity.” Molecules 27(6):1817, 2022. doi: 10.3390/molecules27061817.
7. Mills JS, White R, Gough LJ. “The chemical composition of Baltic amber.” Chem Geol 47:15-39, 1984. doi: 10.1016/0009-2541(84)90097-4.
8. Maruyama M, Kobayashi M, Uchida T, Shimizu E, Higashio H, Ohno M, Uesugi S, Kimura KI. “Anti-allergy activities of Kuji amber extract and kujigamberol.” Fitoterapia 127:263-270, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2018.02.033.
9. Tian Y, Zhou S, Takeda R, Okazaki K, Sekita M, Sakamoto K. “Anti-inflammatory activities of amber extract in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.” Biomed Pharmacother 141:111854, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111854.
10. Suzuki S, Abe J, Kudo Y, Shirai M, Kimura KI. “Inhibition of melanin production and promotion of collagen production by the extract of Kuji amber.” Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 84:518-525, 2020. doi: 10.1080/09168451.2019.1693251.
11. Sogo E, Zhou S, Haeiwa H, Takeda R, Okazaki K, Sekita M, Yamamoto T, Yamano M, Sakamoto K. “Amber extract reduces lipid content in mature 3t3-l1 adipocytes by activating the lipolysis pathway.” Molecules 26:4630, 2021. doi: 10.3390/molecules26154630.
12. Luo Y, Zhou S, Haeiwa H, Takeda R, Okazaki K, Sekita M, Yamamoto T, Yamano M, Sakamoto K. “Role of amber extract in protecting SHSY5Y cells against amyloid β1-42-induced neurotoxicity.” Biomed Pharmacother 141:111804, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111804.
13. Yamamoto S, Otto A, Krumbiegel G, Simoneit BRT. “The natural product biomarkers in succinite, glessite and stantienite ambers from Bitterfeld, Germany.” Rev Palaeobot Palynol 140:27-49, 2006. doi: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2006.02.002.
14. Xie G, Chen N, Soromou LW, Liu F, Xiong Y, Wu Q, Li H, Feng H, Liu G. “P-cymene protects mice against lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting inflammatory cell activation.” Molecules 17:8159-8173, 2012. doi: 10.3390/molecules17078159.
15. Kim E, Kang YG, Kim YJ, Lee TR, Yoo BC, Jo M, Kim JH, Kim JH, Kim D, Cho JY. “Dehydroabietic acid suppresses inflammatory response via suppression of Src-, Syk-, and TAK1-mediated pathways.” Int J Mol Sci 20:1593, 2019. doi: 10.3390/ijms20071593.
16. Ivanov M, Kannan A, Stojković DS, Glamočlija J, Calhelha RC, Ferreira ICFR, Sanglard D, Soković M. “Camphor and eucalyptol-Anticandidal spectrum, antivirulence effect, efflux pumps interference and cytotoxicity.” Int J Mol Sci 22:483, 2021. doi: 10.3390/ijms22020483.
17. Suh SJ, Kwak CH, Chung TW, et al. “Pimaric acid from Aralia cordata has an inhibitory effect on TNF-α-induced MMP-9 production and HASMC migration via down-regulated NF-κB and AP-1.” Chem Biol Interact 199:112119, 2012. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2012.06.003.
18. Rojczyk E, Klama-Baryła A, Łabuś W, Wilemska-Kucharzewska K, Kucharzewski M. “Historical and modern research on propolis and its application in wound healing and other fields of medicine and contributions by Polish studies.” J Ethnopharmacol 262:113159, 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113159.
19. Villar M, Estrada-Peña A, Tormo L, Paradela C, González-García A, Fernández-Castellanos D, de la Fuente J. 2025. “Paleoproteomics characterization of proteins in fossil arthropod parasitiformes amber inclusions.” Preprint Research Square, 2025. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6123337/v1.
20. GEN. “Baltic amber gives rise to paleopharmaceuticals.” Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. Accessed March 20, 2025. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/baltic-amber-gives-rise-to-paleopharmaceuticals/