2 part Chickweed
2 part Plantain
1 part Comfrey Leaf
Olive oil
Beeswax
Tincture of Benzoin or Vitamin E
Notes - If 1 part equals 1/3 cup then
you will need 12 - 14 ounces of oil and
about 1 ounce of beeswax. Use this salve
to soothe itching caused by insect bites
and rashes, and to aid healing of minor
skin irritations.
St. John's Wort Salve
1 part St. John's Wort
1 part Calendula
1 part Comfrey leaf
1 part Plantain
Olive Oil
Beeswax
Tincture of Benzoin or Vitamin E
Great all purpose salve. Use for insect bites, itching, wounds, burns and on fungal infections.
Baby Salve
1 part St. John's Wort
2 part Calendula
1 part Comfrey leaf
1 part Comfrey root
1 part Plantain
Olive Oil
Beeswax
Tincture of Benzoin or Vitamin E
Goldenseal Salve
1 part Goldenseal Root
1 part Comfrey Root
1 part Calendula
1 part Echinacea
1 part Myrrh
Olive Oil
Beeswax
Tincture of Benzoin or Vitamin E
Use this salve to prevent infection and
aid in the healing of wounds.
Black Walnut Salve
2 part Black Walnut
2 part Chaparral
1 part Myrrh
1 part Burdock
1 part Echinacea
Olive Oil
Beeswax
Tincture of Benzoin or Vitamin E
Optional - Tea Tree Oil - 10 drops per
ounce
This salve is primarily used
to fight fungal infections such as,
eczema, ringworm, and athletes
foot.
Dreamtime Salve
2 part Mugwort
1 part Rosemary
1/2 part Spearmint
1/2 part Calendula
1/2 part Sage
1/4 part Lavender
Olive Oil
Beeswax
Tincture of Benzoin or Vitamin E
Apply Dreamtime Salve to your temples at
bedtime to encourage imaginative
dreams.
Eucalyptus Salve / Chest Rub
30 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
40 drops Camphor essential oil
15 drops Wintergreen essential oil
1 ounce Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Beeswax
Melt the beeswax in the olive oil.
Remove from heat and add the essential
oils. Stir, pour into salve container
and label. Eucalyptus salve is used to
relieve respiratory congestion.
Directions for Making Salve:
These recipes
require you to use parts rather than a
specific volume of each herb. This
technique allows you to easily adapt the
recipe.
If you want a small amount of
salve you can choose one tablespoon as
your part, if you want a large amount of
salve you might choose 1/2 - 1 cup as
your part.
The amount of oil needed is
enough to completely cover the herbs,
plus an inch of oil above the level of
the herbs.
The tricky part of this is
determining exactly how much beeswax is
needed to harden the salve. You can
approximate the proportions based on the
following equivalents. One pint of oil
will need about 1 1/2 ounces of beeswax,
or one ounce of oil will need about 1/2
teaspoon of beeswax. There are about 5
teaspoons of beeswax in an ounce.
If you intend to make your salve using
freshly collected plants, you will want
to clean
them. Do this by shaking them to remove
dirt then spread the herbs out to allow
them to air dry for several hours (
until wilted ) to reduce the moisture
content. Fresh chickweed, for example,
contains a lot of moisture and this
water content could cause your salve to
spoil quickly.
To begin your salve,
measure the desired amount of herbs into
an enamel or stainless steel pan, or
into a crock pot. Cover the herbs with
oil. Use enough oil to cover the herbs
plus another inch of oil above the level
of herbs.
Heat the herbs and oil over a
low heat for several hours ( about 3
hours). If you are using roots you
should heat the oil longer( about 5
hours).
I strongly encourage you to use
a crock pot for heating your oil because
it operates at a controlled low
temperature which is less likely to be a
fire hazard. If you don't use a crock
pot then use a double boiler.
After heating, cool your oil for awhile.
Set
up a strainer lined with cheesecloth
then pour the oil through to strain.
When most of the oil has filtered
through the cheesecloth, pick up the
cheesecloth, keeping the herbs enclosed,
and squeeze as much oil as possible from
the herbs and cloth.
Add beeswax to the
oil and heat it until all the wax is
melted. To test to see if your salve is
hard enough, put some on a spoon and set
it in a cool place for a few minutes. If
your salve is too soft, add more
beeswax.
If you are using essential
oils, Tincture of Benzoin, or Vitamin
E., you can blend them in now. Finally,
pour your salve into containers and
label.
