Table 3 Mineral and vegetal derived cosmetics and products for skin healing used by Sahrawi refugees

Charcoal

embers from an underground fire are cooled and applied externally

open wounds

refugee camps, badyia

Galena – Lead(II) sulphide (PbS)

kehla, kohl

scraped, topical application around eyes

cosmetic, to clean dirt from eyes, improve vision, treat glaucoma and cataracts

badyia

Potassium alum

shabba

put in a spoon on the fire until it becomes powdered, then mixed with water and applied topically around eyes/applied to a wound, kept in place with a cloth

to remove sand and dirt from eyes/wound cicatrizer and antiseptic (the pain concentrates toward one point until it disappears), snakebites and scorpion stings

badyia, Tindouf market

Red hematite, red ochre – Iron(III) oxide (Fe₂O₃)

hemera

scraped, topical application

around eyes to reduce solar radiation into eyes, to treat cataracts and conjuntivitis/on abscesses (all around the abscess) to stimulate them to mature, bone fractures (put at the junction of the break) and wounds

badyia

Red hematite

hemera tahia

same as above

same as above, but with enhanced power

badyia (but believed to come from meteorites)

Tar (of vegetal origin or bitumen)

gatran

applied on the face on the 27th of February

to darken face colour and scare the demons

refugee camps