Glycerinum

[Frankie]

I like very low nic content. (Weakling or not, that is MY problem.) So I mix/dilute a lot. But:

I have problems getting vegetable glycerin in my country. Visited/called quite a few pharmacies all over the capital, none offered VEGETABLE glycerin, two had "some" glycerin, one refused to sell, as it is for their internal use only (mixing, etc.). The only one that sold me a bottle could not tell whether it was vegetable or not (saying that probably all glycerin is vegetable, made from rape seed, but who knows, who cares?) and labeled the bottle simply GLYCERINUM.

Now I do not know whether I am not causing more damage than benefit to my lungs. Do you have any info/ideas abou glycerin inhallation - whether it has to be vegetable one? (The one I have definitely is pharmacy grade, but was never intended for burning/inhallation).

Thank you in advance.

 

[SuziQ]

Frankie, not sure about this where you are, but for pastries, cakes etc., do you use icing (think the US call this frosting) for decorating cakes? If so, you might be able to get food grade glycerin at a supermarket or similar where stuff for cake decoration is sold. You said in another post that you had lived in London at some point, so I guess you will know what I mean. The glycerin is used to make icing softer and not rock hard (I think - not into baking cakes). I am talking about VG here in case you wondered.

 

[ZambucaLu]

I think you have to be careful with this stuff. Maybe you can google it to see if it's safe?

I'm having a hard time getting it as well. After not finding it in any grocery stores, I turned to the pharmacies. None of them carried the VG. One guy asked me if I wanted suppositories, as that was the only glycerin he had....lol

Another offered me "USP" grade which is a skin protectant. I hear they sell the good VG online so you might have to look there.

Good luck!

Lu

 

[ZambucaLu]

The glycerin is used to make icing softer and not rock hard (I think - not into baking cakes). I am talking about VG here in case you wondered.

I'm glad you mentioned this Suzi. Each pharmacist I asked turned around and asked me what I needed it for. Since I didn't want to say "to smoke", I said "for baking" but still had no idea what it was actually used for. At least I know what to say now

Unfortunately, none of them ever heard of it being used for baking. What the heck....do I live in Podunk?

Lu

 

[SuziQ]

Boots the Chemist, which is popular here in the UK sells it in 250ml bottles for 99p. I know, because I saw it yesterday. Apart from things like icing/frosting, the food grade is also used for relieving sore throats. It was on the shelf where cough mixtures etc were.

 

[Frankie]

SuziQ: I live in Slovakia which is a tiny new country between Austria and Poland.
My employers paid for everything when I worked in London; never cooked there. Stayed in hotels...

Actually the first pharmacy that refused to sell did so after I replied to their question truthfully - that I need it for inhallation. They never heard of it, did not want to have anything with such a crazy notion

And what I am concerned most is the question whether non-vegetable made glycerin is different or worse than the vegetable one. Because the one from a pharmacy is probably very clean of impurities, but might be derived from animal fat or what.

 

[PeteMcArthur]

I think it's only vapours that call it Vegetable Glycerin the rest of the world knows it simply as Glycerin or Glycerol. It's raw material make be vegetable, but it's a pretty industrial chemical process to make it. one of the main sources now is a by product of bio-diesel.
In the UK we can get BP grade. in fact it gives dosage instructions on the bottle "2 5ml teaspoons dissolved in water 3 times a day". In the US you get USP grade which I think is the same as BP

Because us vapours call it VG it must confuse an awful lot of pharmacies!

 

[SuziQ]

lol, I know where Slovakia is.

Just trying to offer help. The reference to anything to do with the US is because people from different countries read threads, even if it is not their question. Sorry.

 

[Frankie]

PeteMcArthur: Thanks. That was what I sort of hoped to hear.

SuziQ: Oh, excuse me. Did not want to offend you. It´s just that my country only exists for a couple of years and has a population of a half of a big city...

 

[Bertrand]

I had a similar problem getting propylene glycol for the humidor. One of them even told me they couldn't get it in.. hehehe. The one I did get it from was very helpful and ordered in especially, and wished me well with my cigars. Shame I don't get sick very often, since I now get all my medications there.

I think you just need to go in to a few chemists. They seem to think you're making explosives or some sort of up to no good over the phone. A good reason to be using glycerol, if you don't want to admit to its actual purpose, is to make your own hand lotion "because I don't like the additives in the commercial ones" or some such guff.

 

[SuziQ]

SuziQ: Oh, excuse me. Did not want to offend you. It´s just that my country only exists for a couple of years and has a population of a half of a big city...

Not offended at all.
Guess where the rest of the population are living.

 

[Frankie]

A good reason to be using glycerol, if you don't want to admit to its actual purpose, is to make your own hand lotion "because I don't like the additives in the commercial ones" or some such guff.

I wanted to avoid this, because I was looking for something that was safe to inhale, not just put on your skin. In the pharmacy where I finally succeeded I used the excuse of making my own "aromatherapy". Which is even technically true

And I did visit all the pharmacies I encountered. I only called to those far from my usual routes.

 

[frazzledglispa]

There really is nothing dangerous about glycerin (proper name is glycerol). It is simply an alcohol that is derived from fats or oils - primarily animal or vegetable (I think it can be derived from petroleum, but this isn't done frequently.)

In the past the majority of glycerin was created by the soap making industry. Take a fat or oil, add lye to it and the saponification process creates soap and glycerin. Now the majority of glycerin comes from the biofuel industry.

Glycerin is a humectant, and a sweetener. I have a lot of skin sensitivities, and I use a lot of glycerin as it is a product that I can add to home-made skin products to help keep my skin from getting dry without causing chemical reactions.

I am a big fan of glycerin, and I never understand why some people who should know better (pharmacists, etc...) act like it is something that should be restricted

 

[PeteMcArthur]

It's very strange the way some countries seem to think glycerin is some sort of controlled substance, just weird. In the UK it is available off the shelf (literally - self service) in pharmacies, also freely available in the baking section of the supermarkets. Is it perhaps the name glycerine people think of nitro-glycerine ?

 

[Frankie]

It might be a demand/supply problem. The only pharmacy that was willing to sell the glycerin did so from its own wholesale supply for in-house use. They just poured some in a smaller bottle. I do not think it is a controlled substance or anything of the sort here. It is just not sold in retail. You could probably buy a cistern, but not a 100 ml bottle - unless somebody breaks the rules, pours some off the cistern and imagines a price for the amount sold. Imagines, because theys are not licenced to sell individual ingredients bought for preparing some of their goods. And, of course, they did not know the origin. They just had "glycerinum" for lotions and ointments and stuff. Knew it was safe for skin contact, which was enough as far as they were concerned.

 

[Tetsab]

Hi Frankie, thought I'd let you know that you could try this supplier for glycerine on eBay:

1/2L GLYCERINE GLYCEROL Vegetable Grade / Kosher Grade on eBay, also Chemicals, Lab Supplies, Medical Lab Equipment, Business, Office Industrial (end time 12-Dec-08 19:47:18 GMT)

It is specified as being vegetable and kosher! Half a litre should last you for ages. Doesn't say if they would ship to Slovakia but you could always ask the seller. It couldn't hurt to try and nothing ventured nothing gained.

Good luck with your search.

 

[yvilla]

SambucaLu, is there a Michaels or Hobby Shop or other similar arts and crafts store near you? I saw a bottle of Glycerin just yesterday in the cake decorating area of Michaels.

 

[SuziQ]

I had a look at that ebay auction...cannot get the enlarge pic to work, but glycerin should be colourless and that stuff looks slightly green, unless its the camera. Also, is quite expensive really. Ebay items are more often than not cheaper than what you can buy in the shops, not twice the price (before postage).

Tetsab:I am not having a go at your efforts to help frankie, btw.

 

[PeteMcArthur]

I had a look at that ebay auction...cannot get the enlarge pic to work, but glycerin should be colourless and that stuff looks slightly green, unless its the camera. Also, is quite expensive really. Ebay items are more often than not cheaper than what you can buy in the shops, not twice the price (before postage).

Tetsab:I am not having a go at your efforts to help frankie, btw.

I think it's just a duff photo

 

[SuziQ]

yeah, you could be right, esp. with the green background