Calamine the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines for being one of the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Calamine is available over the counter as a generic medication. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$0.25–3.85 per 100-ml bottle. In the United Kingdom, it costs the National Health Service about £0.44. Calamine is used to treat itchiness. This includes from sunburn, insect bite, or other mild skin conditions. Calamine is mixed with either zinc oxide (ZnO) with about 0.5% ferric oxide (FeO) or a zinc carbonate compound. Calamine lotion is a component of
Schlangenberg Nature Reserve the interest in the ore which was mostly used for weapons and vessels. The greatest interest in calamine had been in the 18th century when brass manufactures settled in Stolberg (Rhineland). For the production of the alloy they needed large amounts of calamine which was melted together with copper. Before 1800 digging small reaching only surface based ore was the only technique available to the miners. In the 19th century mining changed and more than 20 adits enabled the workers to reach calamine up to 105 m below the surface. During this time the Schlangenberg-area was perforated like a Swiss