Balneology — The science of therapeutic bathing, including the study of mineral waters, muds, and peat for medical use.

Balneotherapy — The practice of treating disease by bathing in mineral water, mud, or peat. Distinct from hydrotherapy (plain water).

Bog body — Human remains preserved in peat bogs, sometimes for thousands of years. Demonstrates peat’s antimicrobial and tissue-preserving properties.

Cosmeceutical — A cosmetic product with bioactive ingredients that have pharmaceutical-like effects on skin. Peat products are often classified as cosmeceuticals.

Fulvic acid (FA) — The low-molecular-weight fraction of humic substances, soluble at all pH values. Higher bioavailability and skin penetration than humic acid. Yellow to light brown in color.

Humification — The slow biochemical process by which plant material is transformed into humic substances in peat. Measured on the von Post scale (H1–H10).

Humic acid (HA) — The high-molecular-weight fraction of humic substances, soluble at alkaline pH, insoluble below pH 2. Dark brown to black. The primary bioactive compound in therapeutic peat.

Humic substances (HS) — The collective term for humic acid, fulvic acid, hymatomelanic acid, and humin. Formed by humification of organic matter. The bioactive fraction of peat.

Humin — The fraction of humic substances that is insoluble at any pH. Structural role in peat. Less studied for therapeutic properties.

Hymatomelanic acid (HMA) — The ethanol-soluble subfraction of humic acids. Found in significant quantities in Estonian peat (up to 19.3% at Parika). Less studied than HA and FA.

Minerotrophic — A peatland fed by mineral-rich groundwater (fen). Higher mineral content, less acidic than ombrotrophic bogs.

Moortherapie — German term for peat therapy. A recognized medical discipline in Germany and Austria, covered by health insurance.

Ombrotrophic — A peatland fed only by rainwater (raised bog). Low mineral content, highly acidic, dominated by sphagnum moss. Source of the purest cosmetic peat.

PASI — Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. Standard clinical measure used in psoriasis treatment studies, including peat therapy trials.

Peat — Partially decomposed organic material accumulated in waterlogged, acidic, oxygen-poor conditions over thousands of years. Not soil, mud, or compost.

Peloid — Any natural material (mud, peat, clay, volcanic sediment) mixed with water and used for therapeutic applications. Peat is one type of peloid.

Raised bog — A peatland that has grown above the surrounding water table, fed only by rainwater. See ombrotrophic.

SCORAD — Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index. Standard clinical measure used in eczema treatment studies.

Sphagnan — A polysaccharide produced by sphagnum moss that actively inhibits bacterial growth by binding nitrogen.

Sphagnum moss — The genus of moss that dominates raised bogs and is the primary source material for cosmetic-grade peat. Over 380 species worldwide.

TPP (Tolpa Peat Preparation) — A standardized peat extract developed in Poland, registered as an immunomodulatory drug. The most pharmacologically studied peat product in history.

Von Post scale — A 10-point scale (H1–H10) measuring the degree of peat humification. H1 = undecomposed, H10 = fully decomposed. Therapeutic peat requires H6+ (ideally H8).