Maintenance and durability

If used intensively at home the Qi-board will last more than 10 years. Maintenance is very easy: rinse with warm water. Do not use dishwashing detergent. Impregnate one to four times a year with a mix of Amanprana Extra Pure Coconut oil mixed with a few drops of Camphor oil, which will maintain the wood, preserve its beautiful looks and bolster its antimicrobial effects.

Precaution

Do not under any circumstances place the Qi-board in a dishwasher, nor in a microwave oven. Do not leave the board in water or heat it up for any length of time.

The antimicrobial effects of Camphor oil

A distinctive feature of the Amanprana Q-board is that Hon-Sho wood chopping boards have a natural Camphor oil content, preventing the growth of microbes, fungi and bacteria. This characteristic is called ‘antimicrobial’. Natural medicine has been using distilled Camphor oil for centuries. Camphor oil’s primary positive ingredients are: safrole, camphor, pinene, phellandrene, azulene, bisaboles, borneole, eugenole, citronellole, fenchene, cineole, linaleol.

University research has demonstrated that the growth of bacteria and fungi is slowed down up to 3 to 5 times on the Amanprana Qi-board than on three other types of chopping board. Therefore the Qi-board may play a useful role in ensuring foodstuff and kitchen hygiene.

Does the smell go into the food?

New Qi-boards have a relatively strong smell. When the board has been washed a few times the smell will largely vanish. It will then have a nice fresh smell.

More ‘Qi’

Wood is one of the 5 Chinese elements (water, wood, fire, earth and metal), resonating with yin and yang. In this cycle, wood precedes fire, which makes it eminently suitable for the kitchen. Wood symbolizes Spring, rising energy and fresh, Spring greenery. Spring is the time when vegetation is born and plants begin to grow. This first burst of vital energy is shown by the growth of leaves, as characterised by the green colour. The positive rising energy / ions of the Qi-board are absorbed by the food and the person preparing it. Both get, as it were, a higher energy value.