Printing instructions - Living Awareness Institute

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Printing instructions
Thank you for purchasing How to Make Healing Herbal Salve &
Lip Balm. This eBook can be viewed digitally in a PDF reader or it
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www.livingawareness.com
Kami McBride
Copyright © 2014 by Kami McBride
(www.livingawareness.com)
Photographs Copyright © 2014 by Kami McBride
eBook Design by Divya Yadava
(www.divyayadava.com)
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied, shared, or
republished without express written permission of the
author.
Please visit www.livingawareness.com for more recipes.
An eBook is meant to be the personal property of the
purchaser. Feel free to share a recipe with family or friends,
but it is a copyright and purchase agreement violation to
forward the entire book to another person or to post a
recipe in full online or otherwise.
By Kami McBride
CONTENTS
Introduction
How to make healing herbal salve and lip balm
Making salve
…6
12
Basic Salve Recipe ……14
Making Salve Method #1 ……15
Making Salve Method #2……19
Beeswax……21
Adding Essential Oil to Salve……23
Salve Containers……25
Shelf Life of Salve……26
From salve to slather
30
Salve+slather recipes
33
Moisturizing Salve …….34
After Bath Body Salve……36
Burn Salve……37
Delicate Skin Salve……38
Green Salve……38
Headhache Salve……39
Itchy Skin Salve……40
Menstrual Cramp Salve……41
Miracle Salve……42
Muscle Trauma Salve……43
Relaxation Salve……44
LIP BALM RECIPES
45
Luscious Lavender Lip Balm……46
Shimmering Lips……46
Summer Lips……47
Ultra Moisture Lip Balm……47
Healing herbs for your skin
48
Calendula……49
Comfrey……51
Hops……53
Lavender……55
Mugwort……57
Plaintain……58
Rose……59
Self-heal……60
St.John’s Wort……62
MAKING HERBAL OIL WITH
-FRESH HERBS
-DRIED HERBS
64
74
RESOURCES
84
introduction
I love salve.
I love salve. I use it on every part of my body.
My husband and son use it on their bodies.
We slather it on during a bath or shower,
after we bathe, before bed, when we get up
in the morning or when we go out in the
sun, rain, wind or snow.
We put salve on any part of our body that
is red, sore, itchy, dry, cracked or
uncomfortable. We also just rub it on to
moisturize and nourish ourselves. A little salve is like applying a
Band-Aid of love. You can kiss the ‘owie’ and then tap it with a
little bit of salve to make it all better. I love salve.
I know, what an image of a greased up family! Truth is, when our
skin is nice and moisturized, we feel better and therefore are nicer
to each other. Really! Skin health is important! As the largest organ
in the body, the skin does a lot to maintain your wellness.
Moisturizing the skin calms the nerves. Using salves and slathers
to support your skin health is the least you can do!
6
Whenever I meet someone that makes their own salve, I feel like
I have made contact with a long lost friend from some ancient
secret society. Our smiling eyes meet, the unspoken
acknowledgement that we share in the bounty of a sacred healing
lineage.We carry healing balms to help soothe what ails you.We
pull small jars of big medicine from our pockets ready to share
with anyone in need.
You are cordially invited into the sensational world of salve
making. Your initiation into membership of the Salve Society
begins with your first batch of salve. Salve, a source of selfempowerment that frees you from hundreds of products and
gimmicks because you know the power of healing encapsulated
in your little brown jar. Salve, a place where you feel connected
to a remedy that you fashioned with your own heart and hands,
understanding the healing potential of that alone. Wherever you
go you carry the generosity of a personal medicine that can help
with more than you ever imagined it could help with. You offer
simple assistance in a complicated world. Welcome to the Salve
Society.
I wonder how people live without salve.We use it for achy joints,
bruises, chapped lips, cuts, dry skin, headaches, insect bites, muscle
strains, scrapes, sore spots, sprains,
stings, sunburn and general 'owies'
of all forms.Whew, that is a long list,
and there is more. I just can't think
of all of it right now. You just wait,
once you secure salve as part of
your repertoire, it will be called
7
upon to comfort life's challenges and transitions, both physical
and emotional.
Having lots of salve around encourages you to stay engaged in
your self-care routine of keep your skin moisturized and healthy.
We use salve to moisturize, cool burns,
disinfect cuts, soothe sore muscles, heal
scars and generally provide a healing
touch to anything that upsets us. I love
salve!
When you have salve around you can just
eliminate lots of other body care
products! I can't tell you how much
money I have saved by supplying our
family with salve.You don't need wrinkle
cream, dry skin lotion, scar creams, ChapStick, lip gloss, foot and
elbow balm or pregnant belly lotion. Just apply salve. We even
use plantain salve in place of Band-Aids.
Salve making is a simple craft. Melt some beeswax into a base oil,
pour it into your desired container, let it cool and then use it. I
taught my son to make salve when he was six years old. Now he
makes lip balm and sells it at the farmers market. I never even
heard the word salve until I was an adult, but really it is first grade
curriculum.
Empower your children with salve making! Make an olive oil
beeswax salve and have them carry it around in a ChapStick tube.
8
One of my students made 400 tubes of olive oil and beeswax lip
balm with her daughter. They created a nice label with their high
school colors and sold them as a fundraiser for their high school
sports team. It was a big success.
Our culture tends to look for the 'cure', the quick fix, the one
perfect supplement. Taking time to relax and nurture yourself is
as important as diet and exercise. Salves help you to settle into a
rhythm of daily self-care. Rubbing your feet. Giving your loved
one a neck rub. Doing some self-massage after your bath. These
are the simple joys of working with salve. In this hyper drive,
plugged in, wired up culture we live in, taking personal retreat time
is a radical act! Slow down and salve it up! Give your body the
love and care it deserves.
I am first going to describe how to make a basic salve, so you can
get started today using plain olive oil. A salve made with only olive
oil and beeswax is the perfect balm for your lips. Put it into a
ChapStick tube or small metal tin and use it to moisturize and
heal your lips. It only takes about ten minutes to make so give it
a try!
The next step to take in your salve making pursuits is to infuse
the olive oil with plant constituents. The real value of this book is
in the detailed descriptions of how to incorporate the healing
attributes of herbs into your salves. These chapters contain 25
years of my experience in formulating, playing and healing with
herbal salves.
I guess you could say that I am a salve expert. Put that on the
9
résumé. Did I ever dream of being a salve expert? No, it just
happened. For some reason I fell in love with salve. Why? Is it
because I have always loved plants and flowers? Is it because I was
just smitten with the idea that I could make something myself
that could help people? Is it because I love to experiment and
mix things together?
I was the mud pie making child. We lived directly above a creek
that ran swift and wide in the winter. My backyard was nature.
Sand, dirt, water, trees, frogs, crawfish.That was our entertainment.
We were allowed one hour of TV after chores on Saturday
morning. After that, outside we went.The banks of the creek were
my playground. I constructed every concoction possible with mud,
sand, roots and creek muck.The consistency of salve is a little like
creek muck, don't you think?
Inside the house, I had a classic play kitchen set that I took very
seriously, baking with ingredients my mom spared for me. The
early childhood play of mixing, baking, mudslinging and free form
creativity, I loved all of it. Imagine my enthusiasm when I
discovered herbal medicine making, an art that involved the
alchemical process of combining so many healing ingredients.
Cooking food is one thing. Brewing roots, stems, leaves, flowers
and oils is another. I have been completely enamored with all
levels of herbal medicine making since the very first cup of tea.
Making home herbal remedies was not something I grew up with.
Without question, my family took whatever medications were
prescribed to them by their doctor. I was 22 years old when I
first even heard the word holistic. I remember asking a friend,
10
"What does holistic health mean?". When I was introduced to
the wonderful art of working with my garden to bring healing to
my family, there was no turning back. I had an insatiable thirst to
learn everything I could!
I travelled across the country and back apprenticing and studying
with anyone teaching about herbs that I could find. My parents
insisted that I finish college, so I did. Then I headed straight to
herb school.They thought I was going to get a real job after they
paid for 5 years of university. Instead I became a self-ordained
fanatic salve maker.
I remember my grandfather being completely perplexed. "Herb
school, what is that? You have a college education, what are you
doing?!" Dear Grandpa, you are the one that took me to the
mountains and taught me to love the earth! You are the one that
proudly taught me of our pioneer heritage and the long line of
innovative people that radically shifted course to create a better
life for the next generation ….Well I just so happened to be the
one that chose (or was chosen by the plants) to bring the healing
art of making plant medicine back into my family tradition.
I am so grateful to be on this
path and am happy to be
passing years of plant
inspiration on to you. I hope
that you enjoy the salve
blends in this book, they are
infused with many years of
comfort and healing that is
now yours to share.
11
Basic Salve Recipe 14
Making Salve Method #1 15
Making Salve Method #2 19
Beeswax 21
Adding Essential Oil to Salve 23
Salve Containers 25
Shelf Life of Salve 26
If you make salve with children, think of it as an arts and craft project.
Instead of a lunch date, brew up a batch of salve with your friends.
Incorporate a salve making session into a birthday party or family
gathering. Salve making is the perfect activity for summer camp or
as a project for your school garden group. You will be surprised at
how people of all ages love this simple and nourishing activity.
If you have a garden, it is incredibly satisfying to make oils and hand
crafted salves created with herbs harvested in your own back yard.
If you don't have an herb garden yet, there are plenty of resources
for you to get your herbs from.
You need heat to make salve. You can make it over a camp fire, on
a hot plate in the classroom or school garden. Salves are made by
melting beeswax into a base oil. The oil can be a plain base oil such
as olive oil or it can be an infused herbal oil. Oils are nice to use on
the skin, but they ooze out of the container and leave a trail. Next
thing you know, there is oil on your new shirt.
When you melt beeswax into the oil, it solidifies and is much easier
to carry around and use without making such a mess.
Salve ingredients really are that simple, oil and beeswax.You can use
a plain carrier oil such as olive oil, almond oil or grape seed oil.There
are many organic oils available now.
When I first started making salve, the only organic oil that was readily
available was olive oil. So for many years I made all of my salves with
olive oil. Even now with the variety of organic oils available, I still
13
make all of my infused herbal oils and salves with organic olive oil
as the base oil.
Olive oil is anti-oxidant and nourishing to the skin. I like to use olive
oil that is organic, cold pressed, locally grown and processed without
heat or chemicals.
You can either make your salve with a plain oil such as olive or you
can use infused herbal oils, which involves the process of infusing
the healing properties of herbs into a base oil.
What turns a salve into a lip balm is the container you put it in! Pour
your melted beeswax and oil into a jar and call it a salve. Put it into
a ChapStick type container and voilà! Lip balm!
basic salve recipe
Ingredients:
Ÿ 1 ounce olive oil by volume, not weight (measured in a measuring
cup)
Ÿ 1 tablespoon grated beeswax
14
Making salve method # 1
Making Salve Method # 1
Supplies needed:
- Oil
- Grated beeswax
- Double boiler or two stainless
steel pots
- Measuring cup
- Spatula
- Salve container
- Label
Directions:
1) Grate the beeswax into medium
shredded pieces. Think of when you
grate cheddar cheese, if you use the
smallest holes on the grater, it just
gums up the grater. Use the medium
holes just like you would if you were
grating cheese. You can chop the
beeswax with a knife, grate it with a
cheese grater or purchase the beeswax already cut into small
pearls.
15
2) The beeswax pearls are denser
than grated beeswax, so the
measurements vary depending on
which type of beeswax you add. I
use a heaping tablespoon of
grated beeswax to a scant
tablespoon of beeswax pearls.
Basically, my recipes are made
for home grated beeswax, so
just use a little less if you are
going to use the already
prepared beeswax pearls that
can be purchased.
3) A double boiler has a top pot that fits into a bottom pot. Put water
in the bottom pot; put the top pot on the pot with water in it and
bring the water to a boil. (Say that five times.)
16
4) If you don't have a double boiler, just
make one up. Put water in a pot and
then put another pot that fits on top
of the pot with the water in it.
5) Put the beeswax in the upper pot
and melt it.
6) Slowly add your plain olive oil or
infused herbal oil a little at a time until
the oil and beeswax melt together.
7) Remove the pot from the heat as
soon as everything is melted together.
Make sure that you do not overheat
the oil. The oil should never be too hot to put your finger into.
8) While mixture is still hot, pour it into a measuring cup.
9) From the measuring cup pour mixture into sterilized glass jars, lip
gloss tubes or whatever container you have chosen.
10) I like to wash new containers in
the dishwasher or by hand before
using them.
11) Make sure the container is
completely dry before adding the salve
to it.
17
12) Usually some of the salve hardens on the edge of the measuring
cup before you can get it all into containers.
13) Use a spatula to scrape all the hardened salve off the bottom
and edges of the measuring cup and put it back into the pot.
14) Re-heat the hardened salve until it is liquid again, then pour it
back into the measuring cup.
15) Finish filling your salve or lip
balm containers.
16) Let the salve jar sit on the
counter until the salve has hardened,
then put the lid on the container.
17) If your salve hardens and there
is something about the texture that
you would like to change, you can
scoop everything back into the pot
and start over. If your salve is too
runny, add a little more beeswax, if
it is too hard, add a little more oil.
Don't do this too many times though, because the heating process
will begin to degrade the oil quality.
18) Make a label for your salve. List the ingredients and the date
the salve was made. Think up a special name for this batch of salve,
be creative! Put the label on the salve container.
18
19) Take a moment to think about what you will use this salve for.
Think about whom you might give it to and how it could help them.
This is called adding love and best wishes to your salve. The extra
added ingredient that heals.You can't buy that in the store.
Making salve method # 2
Supplies needed:
- Oil
- Grated beeswax
- Double boiler or two stainless steel pots
- Measuring cup
- Spatula
- Salve container
Directions:
1) Grate the beeswax into the smallest pieces possible.You can chop
the beeswax with a knife, grate it with a cheese grater or purchase
the beeswax already cut into small pearls.
2) Put half of your base oil into the upper pot of a double boiler.
3) Put all of the beeswax into the pot and let it melt into the oil.
4) Slowly add the rest of the oil until the oil and the beeswax are
melted together.
19
5) From here follow steps #7 through #19 in Salve Making Method
#1.
The difference between the two methods is that with Method #1
you melt all of the beeswax first and then add oil. With Method #2
you put half of the oil in with the beeswax and melt it together
before adding the rest of the oil. It is just a matter of preference as
to which method you use.
In both methods you add the oil to the beeswax a little bit at a time
because if you add it all at once, the coolness of the oil will harden
the beeswax and then everything has to melt again. By adding oil a
little at a time, it spends less time being heated, therefore preserving
the shelf life of the oil.
People heat the two ingredients together in all kinds of various ways.
I describe two ways to let you know that there is more than one
'right' way to mix the olive oil and beeswax together. Some people
add a little oil, a little beeswax, a little oil, a little beeswax. We could
probably profile personality types based on how each person melts
their oil and beeswax together.
The goal is to get everything melted together while heating the oil
as little as possible. You may discover your own method of which
ingredient you like to put in when.
20
beeswax
Beeswax adds its own healing benefits to the salve. Beeswax is
emollient, soothing to the skin and helps the oils adhere to the skin.
Beeswax helps to soften the skin and it is the perfect non-toxic and
natural way to thicken an oil. Your best option for getting beeswax
is to purchase it directly from a local beekeeper if you can find one
in your area.
Go to a farmers market. Look for the honey booth and ask them
for a referral. Most of the beekeepers know each other and will be
able to tell you who has beeswax. Have you ever thought of keeping
your own beehives?
I made salve for many years before the small beeswax pearls were
available so I always just grated my own beeswax. I use cheese graters
that have medium sized holes for grating. You can also slice pieces
of beeswax with a knife. Beeswax grating and cutting supplies do not
make it back into general circulation in my kitchen. I keep them in
a container separate from other utensils, otherwise the beeswax
just gunks up whatever it comes into contact with. I have a bin that
I keep all of my beeswax and metal graters in. Once I use a knife or
grater for beeswax, they are never quite the same and are now
designated for that purpose only.
You don't have to clean the graters every time you use them.
Eventually the knife or the holes in the grater get too gummed over
21
to work anymore and you do have to clean them. On a rainy
afternoon when nothing else is gracing your 'to do' list you can tend
to your beeswax utensils.
Put them in a small pot of boiling water and the beeswax will come
off in the water. After the beeswax has sloughed off into the boiling
water, use a pot holder or tongs to pick the grater out of the boiling
water. Using a paper towel, wipe the remaining beeswax off the knife
or grater while it is still hot.
Do not pour this water down your sink, the beeswax can muck with
your plumbing. Use a paper towel to wipe the remainder of the
beeswax off the pot while it is still hot. If you wait until the beeswax
cools, you will have to heat it again to get it off. The beeswax will
slide off on a paper towel if you wipe it while the utensil or pot is
hot.
Beeswax is very stable and will last for years even when chopped
into small pieces.You can keep beeswax stored in a sealed container
and it will last a long time. I bought a big brick from a Biodynamic
beekeeper and now five years later I am still shaving wax off that
chunk of gold.
22
Adding essential oil to
your salve
All of the salve recipes call for infused herbal oils, not to be mistaken
for essential oils. There are three recipes in this book that describe
adding an essential oil to the salve.
There are a few essential oils that I add to salves. Every essential oil
is different and is used in varying amounts. Do not assume that if
you can use 5 drops of lavender essential oil per 1 ounce of olive
oil that you can add that same quantity of other essential oils.
Some essential oils are extremely concentrated and have to be used
in minute amounts. Essential oil details are beyond the scope of this
book. You will find a couple of recipes that call for very specific
amounts of essential oils. Please follow these guidelines and do not
increase the amount of essential oils in the recipes.
For the recipes containing an essential oil, I like to add the essential
oil once the liquefied base oil and beeswax has been poured into
each final individual container. That way you can control how much
essential oil is in each container.
There is a perfect moment for adding essential oil to salve.You have
to be patient and observe when that moment is. If you put essential
oils directly into the pot during the melting process then the
essential oil will disappear as heat causes them to dissipate. Do not
23
add essential oil while the mixture is still in the pot.
When you pour the melted beeswax and oil into its final container
it is in liquid form and in the process of cooling. The salve cools and
hardens at different rates. Salve will cool and harden faster in a wide
mouth jar than in a narrow mouth jar. The size and shape of the jar
and the temperature and climate conditions of the room play a role
in the cooling rate of the salve.
If you wait until the salve cools and hardens to add the essential oil
then it will just sit on top of the salve and will not permeate the
mixture. This concentration of essential oil on the top of the salve
would be used up the first few times you dip your fingers into the
jar.
You have to watch your salve carefully and add the essential oil right
when the salve begins to cool but before it hardens. This way the
essential oil isn't cooked off with heat, yet the salve has not hardened
too much for the essential oil to be able to mix into the salve. Usually
you will see the salve beginning to solidify along the edges, when this
happens you can add the essential oil.
If you add an essential oil and it just sits on the top layer of the salve
then you can use a chopstick to stir it in.
24
Salve containers
There are many types of salve containers.When you dip your fingers
into the salve, dirty fingers can introduce bacteria into the jar. I like
to put my salve into small one half or one ounce sized containers
for everyday use.
Please note that some plastic containers are made to hold essential
oils and some are not. If you are going to add an essential oil to your
salve and store it in a plastic container, make sure to purchase a
plastic container that is appropriate for essential oil use. PET plastic
is suitable for products containing essential oils. Metal and glass
containers are also a good solution for storing salves that have
essential oils in them.
I like to put salve into ChapStick tubes for my lips. I also put them
into deodorant type tubes. This gives me a ChapStick style
application but it is large
enough for other parts of
the body like elbows and
feet. The resource section
has lots of good contacts for
purchasing glass, metal or
plastic containers for your
salve.
25
Shelf life of salve
The shelf life of your salve depends on several factors:
1) The quality of the carrier/base oil that you started with
The quality of your salve is only as good as the quality of the
base/carrier oil that you begin with. Find an oil supplier or store that
you can trust and learn to develop a nose for rancidity.
2) The anti-oxidant properties of the base oil
Another reason I like olive oil so much is that it is anti-oxidant. The
anti-oxidant properties of olive oil prevent rancidity and help to
increase the longevity of your salve. Some vegetable oils such as
almond and grape seed go rancid more quickly.
3) If your salve has been infused with antibacterial herbs or not
If you make your salve with an infused herbal oil that has strong
antibacterial properties, the
herb constituents will help to
preserve the salve. An herbal
oil made with lavender lasts
longer than an herbal oil
made with comfrey because
lavender
has
more
antibacterial activity than
comfrey. The herbs in this
26
book that have strong antibacterial activity are hops, lavender,
mugwort, St. John's wort and rose.
4) An infused herbal oil made with fresh herbs has a shorter
shelf life
If you use an infused herbal oil that was made with fresh herbs then
the oil that you made your salve with contained water from the
fresh plant. Infused herbal oils made with fresh plants are more
volatile than infused herbal oils made with dried plants.
5) Infused herbal oils made with dried plants have a longer
shelf life
Infused herbal oils made with the dried plant method (rehydrating
with alcohol) are more stable. Dried plants don't impart water to
the oil like fresh plants do.The alcohol that is used in the dried plant
method also helps to preserve and increase the shelf life of the oil.
27
6) Introduction of bacteria into salve container
Dirty fingers can introduce bacteria into the salve. However, salve
is meant to be used. Dip your fingers into it and use it! This is why
I like to put salve into small containers - it is used up quickly. You
could use a clean utensil to get the salve out of the container instead
of your fingers. Well, that is a good idea in theory. I always use my
fingers.
7) How much the oil was heated while turning it into salve
Try to heat the oil as little as possible when making salve. Remember
that heat breaks down your product. For this reason, the instructions
describe heating the oil only until the beeswax is melted. If you are
careful not to overheat the oil, this will help to lengthen the shelf
life of your salve. For me, what this shakes out to mean is that I don't
multi-task while making salve.You come back into the kitchen after
what you thought was going to be a short task and who knows how
long the beeswax has been melted for. The oil and beeswax are just
cooking away…..
8) How your salve is stored
Storage plays a big role in the shelf life of your salve. You can make
it with the best ingredients in the most effective way, but if it isn't
stored properly, it can break down rapidly. Heat, light, moisture and
fluctuating temperatures are the culprits.
If you store your salve open in the bathroom it can absorb moisture.
If you keep it in the glove compartment in your car, it gets cold at
night and hot during the day and the molecules break down with
that kind of constant temperature variance.
28
Ideally salve would be tucked into a dry, dark place, like a wine cellar,
but then you wouldn't use it, would you? So for real life salve storage?
I don't worry about it. I make up several 1.5 oz. jars of salve at a time
and just keep them all over the place.We use them up pretty quickly
so they rarely go bad. Every once in a while I find one at the bottom
of the back pack, who knows how long it has been there……
9) The other thing that can affect the shelf life of your precious salve
(as in how long it stays on your own shelf) is how many people know
that you just made a batch of salve? My salve gets handed out quickly!
All of these factors also interact with each other helping to keep
your salve ambitions interesting. For instance, the shelf life is reduced
when you use a fresh plant in your infused herbal oils. But what if
the fresh plant you are using is lavender, which has lots of
antibacterial properties?
29
Basic slather recipe
Ingredients:
Ÿ
Ÿ
2 ounces plain or infused herbal oil by volume (not weight)
1 tablespoon grated beeswax (measure with a tablespoon)
Slathers are made in exactly the same way as salves; just reduce the
amount of beeswax that you add to the oil. Follow the guidelines
for making salve and pay attention to the adjustment in the beeswax
to oil ratio to turn a salve into a slather.
The basic proportion of oil to beeswax for a salve is 1 oz. of oil
(measured by volume in a measuring cup) to 1 tablespoon of grated
beeswax. Through the years I found that I liked making salves with
less beeswax. They were easier to use for massage so I gave them
the name of slathers. Slather just seemed like the right name because
they are so easy to slather all over your body.
Maybe someday slather will be in the dictionary or Wikipedia or in
the US pharmacopeia of standard herbal medicine making
techniques. Around here, it is a household word. Maybe this is what
I will be remembered for long after I am gone. "Oh you know, she
is the one that popularized the slather". That amazing zone of
perfection somewhere between oil and salve, not too runny yet not
too hard. Just enough beeswax to keep it from oozing out of the
container, yet it still slides like an oil when applied to the skin.
31
Many years of a massage practice has you thinking like this. A slather
is more like a goop.You can experiment with consistency by adding
more or less beeswax. Basically I love my infused herbal oils but they
are so difficult to transport. They leak out of anything you put them
into and make a mess everywhere. I decided to just put a little
beeswax into them so that they would still be oily but not as hard
as a salve.
I use the words salve and slather interchangeably. They are basically
the same product to me but the slather is runnier than a salve. I
prefer a slather for massage and use them a lot in the bathtub and
after showering.
All salve recipes can be made into slathers by reducing the amount
of beeswax you put into the oil when it is heated in the double boiler.
You can also turn this equation the other way. If you like a harder
salve, add more beeswax. I have several farmer friends that like more
beeswax in the salve they carry around so that it doesn't get runny
when it is hot outside.
32
Moisturizing Salve 34
After Bath Body Salve 36
Burn Salve 37
Delicate Skin Salve 38
Green Salve 38
Headache Salve 39
Itchy Skin Salve 40
Menstrual Cramp Salve 41
Miracle Salve 42
Muscle Trauma Salve 43
Relaxation Salve 44
Here is an example of a plain olive oil recipe with different amounts
of beeswax. The amount of beeswax added to the mix is the only
difference between salve and slather.
Moisturizing salve
Ÿ 1 ounce olive oil by volume (measure in a measuring cup)
Moisturizing slather
Ÿ 2 ounces olive oil (measure in a measuring cup)
The following recipes are labeled as salves but any of them can be
made into slathers by adjusting the ratio of beeswax and oil as
described. Add together the total amount of oil for each recipe.Then
decide if you want to make a salve or a slather and incorporate the
appropriate amount of beeswax for the amount of oil listed.
All oils listed are infused herbal oils as taught how to make in this
book, not essential oils. Please do not mistake an infused herbal oil
for an essential oil. For the Burn Salve, Headache Salve and Miracle
Salve I describe how to add an essential oil to the infused herbal oil
recipe.
34
After each infused herbal oil listed I write a D for dried plant or F
for fresh plant indicating the best method to use for making the oil.
Some oils can be prepared either way and some are best prepared
only using the dried plant method. The D/F after each plant name
will tell you which oil making method to use.
To get us started; for the first recipe, I describe specific proportions
for salve and slather. All of the other recipes will just have one
description and you can adjust the beeswax ratio to make a salve
or a slather.
For example, let's take a recipe that contains a couple of different
kinds of infused herbal oils. When combined together the total
quantity of oil in the recipe equals 5 oz.To make a salve, just add one
tablespoon of beeswax for every one ounce of oil that the recipe
calls for, which in this case would be 5 tablespoons.
If you want to transform the same recipe into a slather, add half the
amount of beeswax, which would be 2½ tablespoons. You may find
that you like a consistency using proportions of beeswax somewhere
in between.
I often make a salve or a slather with just one oil.We have a lavender
patch that just doesn't quit; which means I get to make lots of
lavender slather. Single oil salves can work wonders and it is a good
way to get to know each herb. If you find you enjoy making salves
with one type of infused herbal oil instead of combining a variety of
oils, by all means go with that.
35
Here are some oil blends that have manifested themselves into my
apothecary over the years. They are a good starting point for you
on your herbal salve making journey. The nine herbs that I describe
here can be blended together in any proportion so feel free to
experiment with your oil mixtures. Engage your senses, listen to
your intuition and have fun! Let me know what you come up with!
Salve making is such an enjoyable, living art. Once you get the basics,
it is easy to experiment and let your creativity take over. With such
little effort you are rewarded with something that quickly becomes
a necessity, you wonder how you got along all these years without
it.
After bath body salve
Ÿ 2 oz. infused mugwort oil D or F
Ÿ D: mugwort oil made with dried mugwort
Ÿ F: mugwort oil made with fresh mugwort
Ÿ 2 oz. infused lavender oil D or F
This makes a wonderful
slather to rub into your
skin after a bath. The
synergistic combination of
these two oils creates a
wonderful bouquet of
scent that is both
grounding and uplifting.
36
I have both of these plants growing in my garden.They grow in such
abundance that of course they conspired to create a delicious salve
together.
The After Bath Body Salve calls for 2 oz. of each oil, which means
you have 4 oz. total oil for this recipe.
- To make this into a salve, add 1 tablespoon of beeswax for every
1 oz. of oil, which would be 4 tablespoons beeswax.
- If you would like to make it into a slather, add 1 tablespoon of
beeswax for every 2 oz. of oil which for this recipe would be 2
tablespoons of beeswax.
Burn slather
Ÿ 3 oz. infused St. John's wort oil D or F
Ÿ 10 drops of lavender essential oil to every 1 oz. container of salve
For more than two decades I
have kept burn slather in my
home herbal first aid kit. I have
seen it really help first degree
burns, especially if it is used
right after the burn takes place.
One time, my husband burnt
his finger on a hot stove burner.
37
It would have blistered and taken days to resolve. I soaked his finger
in Burn Slather immediately after he burned himself. We did this 5
times over the course of the day, each time leaving his finger in a
fresh batch of slather for about 15 minutes. The next day, nothing
was there, like it never happened. No boil, no marks, nothing. He
said, "Wow, this really works doesn't it?!" To this day he still brags
about the effectiveness of this slather for burns.
Delicate skin slather
Ÿ 1 oz. infused rose oil D or F
This is a nice after bath body slather. Rose and Saint John's wort
combine well together creating a relaxing, soothing treat for your
skin. I love having a slather made with the rose petals from my yard.
When I open the jar I feel the radiance of a summer day filled with
the beauty of the blossoming roses wafting through the room.
Green salve
Ÿ 2 oz. infused comfrey oil D
Ÿ 1 oz. infused plantain oil D
Ÿ 2 oz. infused self-heal oil D
38
This salve is just what its name says. It
is the greenest salve in the world. You
know when you see that color on your
skin it has got to be doing some big
healing. Use Green Salve for bee stings,
spider bites and scratches. This salve
also helps to soften the skin around
thorns and slivers, making them easier
to remove.
The herbs in Green Salve are all
vulnerary plants, which means they help
the skin to heal. I guess I should tell you
about the time when I cut my finger on
my Cuisinart blade…..Green Salve to the rescue.
Headache salve
Ÿ 5 drops peppermint essential oil
Make this salve by adding 5 drops of peppermint essential oil to
every 1 oz. container of infused lavender oil.
Apply this salve to your temples, the back of your head or wherever
you feel the headache originating from. This home remedy works
39
best if you use it right when you start
to feel the tension that arises before a
headache becomes full blown. When
you feel that familiar stress starting to
contract your muscles, take some time
to relax, breathe and give yourself a
neck massage with Headache Salve.
If your headaches persist, of course
seek help in understanding and
addressing the root cause of the
headaches.This salve is a home remedy
to be used for occasional headaches.
Itchy skin salve
Ÿ 1 oz. infused plantain oil D
Ÿ 1 oz. infused calendula oil D
Put this salve into small ¼ oz. containers and give it away as your
summer solstice gift to friends and family. Take it camping, to the
river, on hikes and wherever you might need a little help with an
itchy bite or scratch.
40
I always love to hear the
stories that come back after
someone starts making
salve. This particular salve
carries with it the story of
how it started out in the first
aid camping kit and once the
word got out, everyone in
camp wanted some.
Menstrual cramp salve
Ÿ 3 oz. infused hops oil D
Apply this salve or slather to the abdomen and low back. It helps to
relax your muscles and reduces the spasms that contribute to
cramping. Use this salve as part of your self-care routine during
menstruation. Sometimes we need to take a couple of hours or half
a day to rest and let our body do the job of shedding blood. Use
this salve as a reminder to take the time to care for yourself during
your Moontime.
41
Miracle salve
Ÿ 5 drops of lavender essential oil to every 1 oz. container of final
salve or slather
The Miracle Salve recipe is the reason you bought this book. The
name of this salve tells all. It is truly the miracle salve. Cuts will
miraculously heal in less time than you thought was possible. Scarring
is simply avoided. I have blended this combination of oils together
for more than 20 years and I just keep doing it. You make a batch
and guess what? Somebody always needs it. If I were stranded on an
island with just one salve…….
42
MUSCLE TRAUMA salve
Ÿ 1 oz. infused comfrey D
Make up a big batch of this salve and use it any time you have sore
muscles. It is great for mild lower back pain and restless leg tension.
Think of using it when you play basketball for the first time in three
years or when you hike nine miles on the first day of your camping
trip….
I have been using salves for half of my life. My son Gabriel has had
them available since he was born. Massage is a part of our family
culture.Without even thinking he turns to our Muscle Trauma Salve
as a remedy for all of the bumps and bruises of his very active
lifestyle. Evening foot
rubs are part of how we
help take care of each
other. Gabriel rubs
Muscle Trauma Salve on
his grandpa's sore joints.
I love seeing him offer
this natural remedy to
help others feel better.
43
RELAXATION salve
Give yourself a neck rub at the end of the day or oil your body with
Relaxation Slather after a bath. This is a soothing and calming home
remedy that can help with insomnia, tension and irritability.
It is the small islands of
respite that help us to
bring the daily stresses
down a notch. Do you
ever get focused on a
work project and then
just go and go and when
you emerge, you can
hardly feel yourself? If a
week has gone by
without taking the time for the small self-care act of rubbing your
feet or neck with a salve…..you know that it is time to come back
to your body. It is the daily self-healing rituals that add up to living
a healthy life style.
44
Luscious Lavender Lip Balm 46
Shimmering Lips 46
Summer Lips 47
Ultra Moisture Lip Balm 47
The exact same ratio of infused herbal oil and beeswax that is used
to make a salve can also be turned into a lip balm. Really the only
difference is the container it is put in. From the jar to the ChapStick
tube, that is it!
LUSCIOUS LAVENDER LIP BALM
Ÿ 1 oz. infused lavender oil D or
F
This lip balm is easy to make and
it has a gentle, sweet smell that
everyone loves.
Shimmering lips
This is a great general, all-purpose lip balm that will keep your lips
glowing.
46
Summer lips
Ÿ 2 oz. olive oil
Ÿ 2 tablespoons beeswax
Ÿ Good Cheer
My son makes this lip balm every summer. He sells it at the farmers
market and gives it away to friends and family that visit throughout
the summer. His initial reason for making this lip balm was to make
money at the farmers market.
He loves the extra pocket money
but he also loves the response from
our family and friends when they
receive his home made gift. He is
learning what a wonderful feeling it
is to have something to share and
give.
Ultra moisture lips
Calendula is the perfect herb for healing dried, cracked lips. The
combination of these herbal oils mixed into beeswax can heal just
about any problems involving damaged skin on the lips.
47
Calendula 49
Comfrey 51
Hops 53
Lavender 55
Mugwort 57
Plaintain 58
Rose 59
Self-heal 60
St.John s Wort 62
Here are some of my favorite oils that make very useful salve for all
types of conditions.
I have an area in my kitchen where I make herbal oils and it is just
part of the flow of what happens there. Don't feel like you have to
make all of these oils. Enjoy the rich and rewarding discovery of
finding out which plants you really want to work with. Salve making
is an art, a craft, meant to be enjoyed and shared.
Every once in a while someone will have a minor allergic skin
reaction to an herbal oil or salve. If that happens, wash it off
thoroughly. If you have sensitive skin, start with a spot test. Put a
little dab of salve on the inside of your forearm and see how your
body likes it. Don't begin with a full body massage when trying out
a new salve. Use common sense and try a little at a time. Experiment
with what you like and see what works best for you.
calendula
Calendula officinalis
Flowers
Dried
method only
49
Dried plant method is what works best for calendula. This flower
contains sticky resins that need coaxing from the alcohol to be able
to release into the oil. If you don't dry and hydrate the flowers first,
they just sit in the oil and the end product is not a very concentrated
extraction.
Calendula oil uses:
If you look in the natural body care section of any store, calendula
will be the ingredient that you see in almost every product. Calendula
is a first rate vulnerary herb. It increases the rate at which healthy
skin cells regenerate and heal. It has an anti-inflammatory action on
the skin and is good for all topical skin inflammation.
Calendula has a regenerative action that is beneficial for topical skin
problems such as scrapes, bug bites, cuts, abrasions and red irritated
skin. Remember to always clean any scratch with soap and water
first. Use it for cuts and scratches or sore muscles from being talked
into going snow-skiing for the first time in ten years.
Calendula oil also increases circulation. When applied to a bruise it
helps the body to resolve stagnation and move the pooled cells out
of a bruised area. If you use calendula salve on sore and bruised
muscles, they won't be sore as long and won't be bruised as long!
50
comfrey
Symphytum officinale
leaf
Dried
plant only
I only make comfrey oil with dried comfrey leaf. Fresh comfrey leaf
has a high water content that decreases the shelf life of the oil when
you make it with the fresh plant. Use the dried plant oil making
method when making comfrey oil.
When I first began making herbal oils I made many batches of infused
herbal oil using fresh comfrey leaf. They are just so succulent and
beautiful and I was taught to make an oil using fresh comfrey leaves.
My fellow classmates and I saw lots of mold forming on those early
comfrey oil excursions!
Later on, another one of my herb teachers, Michael Moore, taught
me how to make comfrey oil using the dried plant method. I was so
amazed! No mold and the most incredible rich green oil I had ever
seen! Thank you Michael!
51
Comfrey salve uses:
Comfrey heals the skin. Don't use it on deep cuts but apply it liberally
to any place where the skin is scratched or has superficial cuts.You
can use comfrey on open skin, but not on cuts that are anything
deeper than the top layer of the skin. Comfrey is contraindicated
on skin that has a deep opening. That being said, after the cut has
been thoroughly cleaned, comfrey salve is the ultimate healer for
minor cuts and scrapes.
Salves that contain comfrey will heal cracked skin on your heels and
dried out skin on your elbows. Comfrey takes care of cold sores
and scarring skin from recent scrapes and scratches.
Comfrey is a vulnerary herb which means that it helps the skin cells
to regenerate and heal. You can use it to help heal nicks, scratches
and scraped knees. I just can't say enough about the Miracle Salve
recipe that you now have in your hands. If you just want to make
one salve in this book, Miracle Salve is a top contender.
calendula
When my step-son was young, he played every sport under the sun.
He always had scrapes, scratches, sprains; you name it. I must have
used gallons of Miracle Salve on him. One day when he was about
eight years old, someone at our house had a cut and he offered them
some Miracle Salve. I felt so proud when he told them, "It is called
Miracle Salve because it really works like a miracle, I should know!"
These are the moments when you feel like you might be doing
something right. Your child may not give you the time of day, but
once in a while in the most unexpected of moments they repeat
something with pride and certainty that came straight from mom.
52
Don't put salve into deep cuts.The oil can harbor bacteria in an area
that does not have good circulation. All of the salve suggestions here
are for superficial skin issues. Always make sure to wash any open
skin situation thoroughly before applying any type of remedy. Do
not use this book as a source of medical advice. As always if you are
unsure about what to do get some help with a trusted health care
practitioner.
hops
Humulus lupulus
Strobile
(not the leaf or stem, but what looks like a green,
resinous flower)
Dried
plant only
Hops salve uses:
Order some dried hops from one of the resources at the end of
this book and make yourself some infused hops oil. Most people
have heard of hops because of its use as an ingredient in making
beer. It is renowned for its strong bitter flavor and sedative qualities.
Hops not only makes a tasty beer but it makes superb massage oil.
Some people express a swooning type of love for the smell of hops
53
and others are very clear about their opposite reaction to the aroma.
You figure out which side of the hops trellis you are on.
Personally, I love hops. It has a complex scent that gets your
attention.Whenever I open something made with hops I like to take
big deep breaths and fill myself with its earthy essence. It has an
instant calming and grounding effect.
Hops oil has an anti-spasmodic effect. Hops help to reduce muscle
tension and spasms. I make hops oil to put into muscle cramp and
menstrual cramp salves. Many women have used the Menstrual
Cramp Salve with good results. If you have low back or abdominal
cramping during menstruation, the Menstrual Cramp Salve can help
take the edge off.
Hops help calm muscle cramping that can interfere with sleep. The
Muscle Trauma Salve is a great remedy to relax the muscles after a
strenuous day of work or play. Often we think of getting achy muscles
from being over active. However, sitting in front of a computer
writing all day for days on end (would that be me?) makes for some
stiff muscles! How about a hops salve shoulder rub after a long day
in front of a screen?
54
Lavender leaf and flower
Lavendula
angustifolia
Flower,
leaf and top three
inches of nonWoody stem for fresh plant oil method
and flowers only for dried plant oil
method
Fresh or dried method
You can make oil with fresh or dried lavender, it really depends on
what you have available. When my lavender is in bloom I pick the
fresh flowers, leaves and also use the top three inches of the
non-woody stem to make luscious fresh lavender oil. I always dry
lots of lavender so I also make dried plant method oil with just the
dried flowers.
Lavender salve uses:
The fragrance of lavender brings a bouquet of wonderful scent to
any salve that you add it to. So many products are scented with
strong smelling synthetic lavender perfumes and lavender essential
55
oils. We are accustomed to intense lavender scents from store
bought products.When you create a salve with home-made lavender
infused oil, the lavender fragrance is much more subtle and gentle
smelling. I think you will enjoy getting to know this true aroma of
lavender.
Lavender salve is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and healing to the
skin. Lavender salve helps heal up any minor skin redness and cuts.
It can be used on open skin where a scab has been picked or where
your skin is so dry it cracks. Its' antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
action make it the perfect herb for acne and pimples.
Lavender is well known for its ability to help reduce stress and
tension. Lavender is calming to the nerves and promotes a sense of
relaxation and well-being. Use your lavender salve to massage your
feet at the end of the day to help bring on a good nights' sleep.
Lavender salve is also a great muscle relaxer. Massage lavender salve
into your tight muscles, tired feet or apply it to the area where you
feel a headache coming on.
56
mugwort
Artemesia vulgaris
leaf
fresh or
dried plant
Mugwort salve uses:
Mugwort is a wonderful addition to just about any salve. Mugwort
has a penetrating nature and is considered a 'delivery' herb. It has a
potentiating quality and helps to deliver the healing properties of
any herb that it is combined with.
Mugwort is ant-spasmodic and helps to relax tight, tense sore
muscles. It is a superb massage salve for muscle cramps, low back
pain and just plain ol' sore muscles. You will find mugwort in the
Menstrual Cramp and Muscle Trauma Salves. Mugwort's penetrating
nature helps to deliver the anti-spasmodic qualities deeper into the
muscles, making this the perfect herb for reducing muscle tension.
Mugwort enhances the therapeutic activity of other herbs. It
increases circulation to wherever it is applied. It activates and
stimulates the movement of herbs into the skin. This makes for a
good massage salve for sore and achy joints. It can be helpful for
57
for cold, creaky, arthritic joints. My step-dad has used my Muscle
Cramp Salve for years on his arthritis. He says that it is one of the
important tools that he uses to keep his arthritis at bay. I always get
a call when he is running low on salve!
plantain
Plantago major or
Plantago lanceolata
leaf
Dried
plant
Plantain salve uses:
Plantain is known as the 'Band-Aid' plant. It is a strong vulnerary
plant, helping to heal the skin. Vulnerary herbs enhance the skin's
ability to regenerate. Plantain is used for cuts, scrapes, abrasions and
skin inflammation. It is the all-purpose 'owie' salve. It helps repair
damaged tissue and is a wonderful plant to help resolve bruises.
Slather plantain salve on any area where there is bruising or swelling
Plantain salve tightens and tones the skin and helps to do the same
with lymph tissue. Rub plantain salve into lymph areas that have
swelling nearby. For example, if you have a sore throat, rub plantain
58
salve around the lymph in your throat.
Plantain reduces inflammation and tightens the skin. It is perfect for
scratches, drying acne and any kind of scab that is becoming a scar.
Plantain salve will help prevent scarring and keep your skin healthy
and supple.
I recently woke up in the morning to several spider bites on my foot.
I scratched the heck out of them in the night while I wasn't paying
attention. When I woke up I had several sore, red, scabby, scratchy,
itchy bites on the top of my foot. Definitely a job for plantain!
Rose petals
rosa
(any variety)
petals
(all colors)
fresh or
dried plant
If you have rose bushes, harvest the fresh rose petals and make a
fresh rose petal oil with them. If not, dried rose petals are easy to
get. Just make sure that you purchase organic rose petals.
Commercially produced, non-organic roses are grown with
herbicides and you don't want that on your skin!
59
Rose salve uses:
There is just nothing quite like the luxury of roses. Roses are known
to have a calming and opening effect on the heart. Rose petal salve
is comforting and I use it for general anointing and nurturing type
healing. Rub a dollop of rose salve on your chest or temples and
notice how your body responds by taking a little bit deeper breath.
Rose petals are cooling and have a nervine action helping to calm
the nervous system.
I use dabs of rose petal salve on my heart chakra before going to
bed. It is calming and refreshing and has an energetic decongesting
effect. It helps you to decompress and let go of the day. Think of
using rose to drain the mental tension out of the brain, encouraging
a gentle transition to sleep. It is a nice salve to use in your bedtime
ritual with children, patting a little on their forehead or feet.
Rose petal salve is a wonderful remedy for rest, relaxation and
bringing more beauty and repose into your life.
Self-heal
Prunella vulgaris
leaf
Dried
plant
60
Self-Heal salve uses:
Give this plant a medium sunny spot in your garden, water it once
a week and watch it grow like a weed.The second years' growth will
triple in size and by the third year it flourishes into a matted lawn
throughout your garden. You don't mind this plant spreading
everywhere because it is such a useful medicinal herb.
One of the great vulnerary, skin healing herbs, self-heal is the perfect
addition to any salve or lip balm used to keep the skin healthy and
soft. Self-heal makes a beautiful bright green salve that is perfect for
keeping your lips healthy. Put the salve into a ChapStick container.
Carry it with you to protect your lips against the summer sun or
winters' harsh winds.
Self-heal salve is good for bruises, scrapes, nicks and scratches.
Self-heal salve can help heal up just about any minor skin condition.
It helps to resolve acne, bug bites, itchy skin and rashes. Self-heal is
the perfect remedy for when you wake up in the morning and didn't
realize until now that there was a mosquito in your bedroom.Where
did all those bites come from!? Time for self-heal salve.
Self-heal is one of those herbs that is an apothecary in itself. If you
have it growing outside your front door, you end up using it for just
about everything. It didn't acquire the name self-heal by accident….
61
ST.JOHNS WORT
Hypericum perforatum
FLOWERING
TOPS
fresh or
dried plant
St. John's wort salve uses:
Saint John's wort salve is vulnerary and anti-inflammatory. It is a first
rate treatment to help regenerate the skin tissue and reduce topical
inflammation. It is good for first degree burns, sunburns, cuts, bruises
and contusions.
Saint John's wort is your go-to herb when the nerves are involved.
It helps to regenerate and heal nerve tissue. St. John's wort is a great
natural remedy for sciatica and shingles. I have seen many people
benefit from using Saint John's wort to help with pain caused by
shingles.
Saint John's wort helps strains caused by repetitive stress injury and
numbness from damaged nerves. Is that enough? Are you convinced
that this is a good salve to have around!? Just think of how many
people you can help if you bring Saint John's wort into your life!
62
Saint John's wort salve also has an anti-spasmodic action on tight
muscles. It helps to relax the muscles and calm muscles spasms.
When the muscles relax the body's healing energy can get into the
area and start the healing process. Think of my son who begs for it
in his sleep when he has growing pains. I worked as a massage
therapist in a chiropractor's office for many years and used it on a
lot of people with whiplash and neck pain.
Saint John's wort is a great salve to use on sunburn after excess sun
exposure. Take note that some people experience an increase in
sensitivity to sun exposure when they wear St. John's wort on their
skin in the direct sun. Putting St. John's wort on the skin before going
out in the sun is contra-indicated for some people.
63
If you make a salve or slather with plain olive oil you will have very
happy lips and skin. Salve is such a perfect medium for getting herbs
on the skin that I hope you are encouraged to take the next step
and infuse herbs into the olive oil. Once you get the hang of making
infused herbal oils, you will love creating salves for all of your skin
care needs.
You can make your infused herbal oil using either fresh or dried
herbs. Many herbs infuse well into oil when they are fresh and some
plants infuse more effectively with the dried plant infusion method.
Over the past 25 years I have paid close attention to my oils and
have learned which oils do better with which method. Many years
of experimenting and experience are condensed into this little book!
One consideration of whether you make your infused herbal oils
with fresh or dried herbs is if you have access to fresh herbs. If you
don't that is fine, you will make oil using the dried plant method.The
other reason we use dried plants for making infused herbal oil is
that fresh plants contain water and can reduce the shelf life of the
oil. Some plants contain more water than others and the water can
have your oil molding before it is even ready to use. I will outline
which herbs are best made with which method.
Supplies needed:
- Fresh herbs
- Organic olive oil
- 2 sterilized pint glass jars with lids
- Knife or clippers for chopping herbs
65
- Bowl
- Funnel
- Cotton muslin bought at the fabric store. Use muslin that is thin
and tightly woven
- Label
When making your herbal oils it is
important to begin with high quality
organic oil for your base carrier oil that
you will infuse the herbs into.These oils
will be made into salve for your skin. If
they are rancid, grown with herbicides
or processed with chemical solvents,
then the body has less energy to focus
on healing because it now has another
layer of chemicals and bad fats that have
been put onto it. This is another place
in our lives to just say no to unnecessary
chemicals.
The oil that you infuse the herbs into should be organic and free of
chemical solvents. I use olive oil. Some people use almond oil, grape
seed oil or coconut oil to infuse their herbs into. When I started
making herbal oils 25 years ago the only organic oil that was readily
available was olive oil. I love olive oil and have just stuck with that
oil.
I like to use organic, cold pressed olive oil that is grown close to
where I live. Be careful with imported olive oils, many of them are
66
diluted with other oils.
Think of your herbal oils as food for your skin. One of my first herb
teachers, Rosemary Gladstar says, "If you can't eat it, don't put it on
your skin." This is a good rule to live by. Just remember that your
skin eats whatever you put on it.You wouldn't put rancid oil on your
salad, so it doesn't belong on your skin either. Sometimes you can
smell rancidity, sometimes you can't. Just use the same principles for
your body oils that you use for the oils you use in food.
- Buy oils from good sources
- Store them properly out of sunlight
- Don't dip your fingers directly into the oil when using it
- Put the lid on the bottle after using
- Avoid extreme temperature variation
- If you are unsure of the quality of the oil, don't use it
Directions:
1. Have a clean, sterilized, pint glass jar ready to use.
2. Chop your fresh herbs as finely as possible into a bowl.
3. Fill the dry, sterilized glass jar ¾ of the way full with the finely
chopped herbs.
4. Pour the carrier oil/olive oil over the herbs and fill the jar all the
way to the top with olive oil.
67
5. Make sure that the carrier oil covers the
herb by 2 inches. This also varies
depending on the size jar you are making
the oils in. If you use a ½ gallon jar and fill
it up ¾ of the way with fresh herbs, you
will have more than 2 inches of space
above the herbs. Two inches is the minimum and when you use a
bigger jar, that space will be more.
6. Sometimes the herb rises to the top as you pour the oil into the
jar and it is impossible to cover the herbs. It can take a couple of
days for the herb to settle down to the bottom of the jar, but just
make sure you originally put enough oil in the jar to cover the herbs.
7. Within a couple of days if the herbs continue to rise to the top,
place a coffee filter with a glass weight on top of the herbs to help
the olive oil to continue to cover the herbs.
8. Label the jar with the contents and date.
9. Let this mixture of herbs and oil infuse for four weeks in a cool
dry place.
10. Put your infusing oil into an area of the house where there is not
direct sunlight or exposure to excessive fluctuating temperatures.
A cupboard or pantry area is usually a good place to store your
herbal preparations.
11. You can also put your infusing oil into a paper bag and place it
near a sunny window for a couple of days while it is infusing. This
will allow the heat to help infuse the oil without the direct light that
can decrease the integrity of the oil.
68
12. Shake your jar any time you think of it, the agitation of shaking
helps the infusion process. I like to shake my infusing oils every few
days.
13. Check your oil several times during the four week infusing period
to make sure there is still plenty of oil covering the herbs. If the oil
gets sucked up by the plants, just add more oil.You may have to add
more oil a couple of times. It is important to check for this especially
during the first few days after you make the oil.
14. Store your infusing oil on a surface that you don't mind getting
oily. Oil will leak from the jar no matter how tightly you put the lid
on! Put the jar on a wood surface that needs oiling or put it on a
plate or in a bowl that will catch the oil. Trust me on this one! You
will think, "Oh, this lid is on tight enough". But somehow the oil just
oozes out below the lid at night when you aren't looking.
Straining herbs from the oil:
1. At the end of four weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil.
2. Put a funnel into the opening of a clean, sterilized jar.
3. Place a large piece of cotton muslin on top of the funnel. I use a
10 inch by 10 inch piece of cotton muslin that I purchase from the
fabric store. I wash and dry the muslin before using it.
4. Be sure that the muslin piece is large enough to hang at least 2
inches over all sides of the funnel.This is to help make sure that the
69
plant pieces don't squeeze out and drop back into the oil. The idea
here is to remove all of the plant pieces from the oil. If some of the
plant pieces fall back into the oil, finish straining it and then strain a
second time into a clean jar.
5. Pour the infusing oil through the muslin and funnel and let it drip
passively into the jar.
6. Do not squeeze the oil through the muslin because you will
squeeze residual water from the herbs into the oil; just let the oil
drip through the muslin at its own pace. Fresh plants contain water.
You don't want that water squeezed out of the plant into your oil.
Just let the oil drip through passively until it stops dripping.
7. When all the oil has dripped through the muslin lined funnel into
the jar, you are finished with the herbs and can put them into the
compost pile.
8. Put a label on your jar that includes the name of the herb, where
the herb was harvested, the
type of oil used and the date it
was made. I like to look at
where the moon is and write a
symbol of the phase of the
moon on the label. I can
remember that the oil is ready
the next time the moon comes
70
around to the stage it is in when I made the oil.
I discard the cotton muslin. For years I tried to wash the oil out of
the muslin fabric.The oil ends up getting into the rest of your laundry
and the muslin eventually goes rancid with the residual oil. You can
wash the muslin a couple of times with very hot soapy water and
then use it again once or twice, but after that it becomes gunky.
Make sure the muslin is completely dry before using it again. Store
the used muslin separately from other clothing.
Many herb books talk about using cheesecloth to strain herbs from
oil or tea. Cheesecloth is expensive and has large loose holes which
require you to use many layers of it to efficiently strain the herbs
out. It is important to really separate all of the herbal material from
the oil.Tiny pieces of herb left behind can become a source of mold
growth. Cotton muslin has a very tight weave and effectively keeps
the herbs from leaking through to the oil. Instead of cheesecloth I
use cotton muslin that can be purchased at the fabric store. In the
resource section there are contacts for finding it online.
Troubleshooting herbal oil made with fresh plants:
When making infused herbal oil with fresh plants, mold can
sometimes be a problem because fresh plants contain water. Here
are some things to think about to help you prevent mold in your
fresh plant infused herbal oils.
Ÿ Don't harvest the herb right after it has been watered or after a
rain, there will be more water in the plant.
71
Ÿ Plants harvested in the early spring will contain more water than
plants harvested later in the spring or during a drier season.
Ÿ To check your oil, open the lid every few days and look inside to
make sure there isn't any mold. If you check it often you can
troubleshoot mold before it becomes a problem. If there is a tiny
piece of mold forming on top of the oil, just take a pair of tweezers
and pull it out. If the mold has grown to over the size of a pea,
then it is time to compost this oil project.
Ÿ Usually mold forms in the space where the fresh plant sticks out
above the carrier oil, so make sure you fill the jar all the way to
the top with the carrier oil. You want to eliminate the air space
between the oil and the top of the jar, this is where plants can pop
up and become moldy. Make sure that the jar is filled to the very
top with oil. Check your oil a few days after you make it to see if
it needs more oil.
Ÿ If you haven't checked your oil for a while and find mold that has
permeated your oil, you have to throw things away and start over.
Ÿ To help prevent mold, you can add 1 tablespoon of 100 proof
vodka to every 1 quart of infusing herbal oil. Mix the alcohol into
the oil while the herbs are infusing.The alcohol will help to prevent
mold. Using 100 proof vodka is preferable to using 80 proof vodka
which contains more water. If you can find a higher percentage
alcohol such as Everclear, that is even better because it contains
more alcohol and less water. If you can only get the 80 or 100
proof vodka, that will work just fine.
72
Herbal oils made with fresh plants have a shelf life of about one year,
depending on how you store them.
I keep oils in my bedroom in decorative bottles, because I just love
pretty bottles! The oils that I keep in my car or yoga class bag are
in a small plastic squeeze bottle so they are easy to transport and
don't break. I love going to yoga class, then taking a nice hot sauna
followed by a good oil rub down! After that I am really ready for my
week!
73
This dried plant method of making infused herbal oils requires using
a scale. It has a few more steps that take a little practice to fine-tune,
but it is worth the effort! This method is more involved in the
beginning but your final product is finished within a day or two
instead of a month!
When making infused herbal oil with dried plants, this is the
preferred method and the one I always use.
Supplies needed:
- Dried herbs
- Olive oil
- Small kitchen scale
- Blender
- Glass or ceramic bowl with lid
- 80 or 100 proof vodka
- Funnel
- Cotton muslin purchased at the fabric store
- Bowl
75
- Two sterilized glass jars
- Measuring cup
- Label
Directions:
This process uses the agitation of the blender, the warmth that
accumulates in the blender while it's blending and the time that the
oil sits in the blender. The combination of these three things
contribute to infusing the herbal constituents into the oil.
This dried plant method calls for powdered dried herbs, whereas
the fresh plant method uses finely chopped fresh herbs. I usually
powder the dried herbs myself. You can purchase your dried herbs
already powdered if you prefer. Once herbs are powdered, their
shelf life starts to diminish.You don't know how long ago the herbs
were powdered before they were shipped to you. When making
these oils, I like to leave the herbs in their more whole form and
then powder them up right before using them to make oils.
Proportions: 1:7, weight/volume
The top number (1) is the amount of plant used.
The bottom number (7) is the amount of carrier oil that you use.
This means that for every one part plant by weight (using a scale)
you use seven parts oil by volume (using a measuring cup).
If you use 1 oz. dried powdered herbs by weight, you will use 7 oz.
oil by volume.
76
If you use 2 oz. dried powdered herbs by weight, you will use 14 oz.
oil by volume.
Powder and rehydrate the herbs:
Ÿ Put the dried herbs into a bowl.
Ÿ Put the bowl on a kitchen scale and measure out the weight of
the dried herbs.You don't want to include the weight of the bowl
in your measurement. Remember to subtract the weight of the
bowl, or measure the bowl first, zero out the scale with the bowl
on it and then add the herbs to the bowl.
Ÿ Put the weighed herbs into a blender.
Ÿ Powder the herbs as finely as possible.
Ÿ It can be easier to powder the herbs in batches instead of stressing
our your blender while trying to powder them all at once.
Ÿ Measure the weight of the herbs again as some is lost in the
powdering process.You may need to powder more herbs to bring
it back up to the original amount you accounted for.
Ÿ Put powdered herbs in a bowl.
Ÿ Rehydrate powdered herbs by mixing 100 proof vodka into your
dried powdered herbs. Mix in just enough alcohol to moisten the
herbs. If you pour too much alcohol over the herbs, they will drip
when you pick them up. Just moisten the herbs with alcohol,
don't soak them in it.
77
Ÿ Rehydrate the herbs by pouring an ounce of vodka at a time into
the dried, powdered herbs. Mix the alcohol in and then feel the
mixture. When you pick up a handful of moistened herb and
squeeze it, it should hold its form like a snowball in your hand, but
not drip.
Ÿ Every herb is different as far as how much alcohol is needed for
rehydration. Some herbs need more than others. If you have one
ounce of powdered herb, start with one ounce of alcohol and
then add little by little until you have the perfect consistency.You
want to have a well-formed ball of herbs in your hands, but when
you squeeze the herb mash, it does not drip.
Ÿ Let moistened herbs sit in a bowl for one hour with a lid on the
bowl. Keep the bowl away from the window, open doors, heaters
and direct light. Protect the rehydrating herb from breezes to
prevent it from drying out. You want the herbs to maintain the
moisture during this hour.
The process of rehydrating the herb with alcohol before infusing it
increases the extraction of the constituents from the dried plant.
Without rehydrating, some plants just kind of sit in the oil without
too much change.Taking the time to do this one simple rehydration
step enhances the extraction process and give you a more healing
and therapeutic oil.
78
If you have an Osterizer blender, the round, bottom plastic part and
the blade screw off the pitcher and fit interchangeably on the bottom
of a regular mouth Mason jar. The black bottom piece and blade of
the stock Osterizer blender pitcher can be kept on the blender
pitcher or screwed onto the mouth of a Mason jar for blending.This
piece does not fit onto wide mouth Mason jars, only the smaller
regular mouth Mason jars.
I often make my oils in a regular mouth quart Mason jar. I put the
blade and plastic bottom piece from the Osterizer onto the mouth
of the Mason jar and use that in the blender instead of the blender
pitcher. I like doing it this way, because in between blending, I can tip
the jar over so nothing leaks out.
Mixing Oil and Herbs:
Ÿ Measure amount of oil you need
with a measuring cup.
Ÿ After herbs have moistened for
one hour, put herbs and oil into
the blender.
Ÿ In general, a standard Osterizer
type blender holds 5 or 6 cups of
liquid. It will hold 2 to 3 oz. of
dried herb which would have you
using 14 to 21 oz. of oil. This is
about the maximum of what you
can put into that sized blender.
79
Ÿ If you have a larger, industrial
sized blender or Vitamix, you
can do a larger quantity. If
you use a Mason jar, the
quantity will be less.
Ÿ Blend the rehydrated herb
with oil in the blender for
five minutes.
Ÿ Keep the oil and herbs in the blender for 48 hours and blend it
for up to 5 minutes 5 times each day for 2 days. This is a general
guideline as to how many times to blend. I keep it on the counter
and every time I walk into the kitchen I give the herbs a good
blend.
Ÿ Using the highest blender speed, let it blend each time for up to
five minutes or until the blender gets warm. Turn off the blender
if it gets hot, starts to smoke, smells funny or if the people you
live with start to go crazy. Now just exactly why is the blender on
again??
Ÿ Be sure to use the highest blender speed. If you use a low blender
speed, it will stress the blender.
Ÿ Blend it this way at least five times over the next 48 hours.
Ÿ After 48 hours strain the herbs out of the oil.
80
Straining herbs from the oil:
Ÿ Place a funnel into the opening of a clean, sterilized jar and lay a
piece of cotton muslin over the funnel.
Ÿ Be sure that the muslin piece is large enough to hang at least 2
inches over all sides of the funnel. (Do funnels have sides? You
know what I mean).This is to help make sure that the plant pieces
don't squeeze out and drop back into the oil. If some of the plant
pieces fall back into the oil, finish straining the oil and then strain
it a second time into a clean jar and be sure that all plant pieces
are separated from the oil.
Ÿ Squeeze all of the oil through the muslin into the jar. Oils made
with dried herbs can be thoroughly squeezed out because there
isn't water in the plant to cause mold. This is different from the
fresh plant method where you do not squeeze the oil out of the
herbs.
Ÿ When you have
finished squeezing
the oil through the
muslin into the jar,
discard the herbs.
Put them into the
compost pile or
onto a garden bed
and tell them thank
you.
81
Ÿ Put a label on your jar that includes the name of the herb, where
the herb was harvested, the type of oil used and the date it was
made.
Sometimes the oil will absorb enough alcohol from the rehydration
process that it carries the alcohol scent. If the alcohol smell seems
too strong, you can do this next step, otherwise it is not necessary.
Ÿ Put your finished oil in a large, glass Pyrex type casserole pan and
place it in the oven on the lowest heat setting. After about fifteen
minutes much of the alcohol will precipitate off. Do not boil or
overheat your oil, keep the oven on the very lowest heat setting
while doing this.
Ÿ Let the oil cool and then pour it into a container for dispensing.
82
If you have any concerns about your skin it is important to get it
checked out. Skin problems need to be diagnosed. The suggestions
in this book are for every day common ailments. Seek the advice of
your medical practitioner if you have any questions about what is
going on with your skin. If anything on your skin persists and does
not respond to treatment, get help.
Oil based applications are not the best choice to use in a situation
when dirt can get trapped in the open skin. Use salves and slathers
on your skin in a clean environment.
You are in charge of your own health. Only apply salve in situations
where it is appropriate to apply an oil based remedy.
83
Carrier oils
Good prices on olive oil
www.bulknaturaloils.com
www.mountainroseherbs.com Wide variety of high quality base
oils
I love this family olive oil company,
www.sciabica.com
I have been ordering from them for over 20 years
Beeswax
www.beeswaxfrombeekeepers.com
www.hiveharvest.com
www.localharvest.com
Search for farms that sell beeswax on this
list.
Bulk Herbs
www.mountainroseherbs.com Organic bulk herbs
www.oregonswildharvest.com Organic bulk herbs
www.starwestbotanicals.com Organic bulk herbs
Essential Oils
www.camdengrey.com
www.sabia.com
www.simplers.com
Salve and Lip Balm Containers
www.brambleberry.com
85
www.burchbottle.com
www.newdirectionsaromatics.com
www.rusticescentuals.com
www.sks-bottle.com
Where to buy cotton muslin fabric in bulk
www.fabric.com
www.hancockfabrics.com
www.joann.com
Scales
www.wishfulchef.com
Common kitchen scales
www.wasserstrom.com I have a Yamato DKS-3002 Digital
Kitchen Scale.You can input that model number into the search box
on this website. I have used this same scale for 20 years. It measures
up to 5 pounds. It is small and I keep it in my kitchen for measuring
out herbs for making oils and tinctures. There are also other more
expensive Yamato models that hold more weight. This scale sells for
about $50, but it is sturdy and lasts! You can find cheaper scales in
department stores or in the kitchen section of a hardware store.
Medicinal Herb Seeds
www.americanmeadows.com
www.bountifulgardens.org
www.clearcreekseeds.com
www.highmowingseeds.com
www.johnnyseeds.com
www.rareseeds.com
86
This book is intended as an educational tool. The techniques
described are not to take the place of professional medical
care. The author and publisher disclaim any liability resulting
directly or indirectly from the use of any remedies,
procedures, or preparations found in How to Make Healing
Herbal Salve and Lip Balm. If you are pregnant or taking
medications consult a health care practitioner before taking
herbs.
Copyright 2014 by Kami McBride
All rights reserved. This electronic book is intended for the
personal use of the reader. No part of this book may be
reproduced or distributed in any printed or electronic format
without written permission from the copyright holder.

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