by Tim Fray
We have a large Walnut tree in our garden. Every year I collect the walnuts that drop and munch on them through the winter months. It’s a battle with the squirrels, who are way more efficient that this than me. Unfortunately the husks that surround the shells contain some form of brown die. To the novice walnut collector or the untrained who collects without using gloves, it will soon appear as though you are a chain smoker and your fingers will take on the same tarry discolouration.
So you will be amazed as I was to read that walnut bark might be beneficial in teeth whitening. https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2020/07/06/Colgate-Palmolive-patents-plant-based-teeth-whitening-formula-derived-from-walnut-trees.
It reminds me of a BBC program a while back which documented the development of cats eyes, invented by the famous Percy Shaw. Percy invented what is effectively a self-cleaning lens. As cars travel over the cats eye they are depressed, with the lens rubbing past a brush or the like to clean the surface. That way the lens stays clear and able to reflect the car headlights. Unfortunately not everything works to plan and eventually the lenses do get dirty. Furthermore, the dust from cars is very hard to remove. So someone came up with the idea of using nut shells to clean the lenses because nut shells as known as an effective abrasive. And guess which nuts they used….Walnuts!
If your business is developing new products, whether or not this involves nuts, get in touch with us for advice on protecting your innovation. Call us today on 01522 801111.
