Surface Tension and Viscosity of Herbal Massage Oil

Abstract

Herbal oils have been used for centuries as a traditional medicine. In this study, herbal massage oil was prepared by using crocodile oil (CO) or virgin coconut oil (VCO) as carrier oil. This experiment was conducted to find out the suitable method for preparation of herbal massage oils from CO or VCO. The satisfactory appearance and viscosity of herbal massage oil was received when using 44.9% by weight of crocodile oil as carrier oil. Searching appropriate for herbal massage oil, that exhibited the good characteristic, viscosity, fragrance and hot, was done with various systems. The carrier oils heated with Zingiber montanum (Plai, ZM) (22.45 % w/w) and Curcuma sp. (Wan ma leung, CS) (22.45 % w/w) and then the mixture was mixed with butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT), menthol, methyl salicylate and camphor were likely to be the appropriate method. The surface tension of the mixture between different herbal oils and carrier oil in the ratio of 1:1 was no significantly difference. The highest viscosity was obtained from the mixture of carrier oil and Curcuma aromatic (Wan nang kum, CA). Oil extracted from herbal with heat treatment could mask the unpleasant odor of CO and VCO but not significantly affected the surface tension and viscosity of carrier oils.