Herbal salves are really easy to make. The great thing is then you know what is inside of them and tweak them to your specific taste.
Some herbs that are commonly used in salves are:
- Calendula
- Chamomile
- Peppermint (and other mints)
- Lavender
- Echinacea
- Pau D’Arco
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Yarrow
- St. John’s Wort
- Goldenseal
- Eucalyptus
- Myrrh
- Plantain
- Clove
- Comfrey
These can be used solo or in your favorite combination.
Basic Salve
You will need:
- oil (virgin olive oil, jojoba, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, hemp seed, or avocado oil)
- herbs
- binding material (usually beeswax, but some people also like to use shea butter or lanolin)
1. First, infuse your oil with your herbs by one of the following methods:
– Put your herbs in a bottle and cover with oil adding about an inch extra of oil over the top of the herbs. Stir, cover, and place in the sun for 3 to 4 weeks. Strain through a cheescloth and discard herbs. You can repeat the process with the same oil over and over to make it stronger or use as is.
– You can also do the same as above, but store in a cool dark place for 6 weeks instead of in the sun.
– In the crockpot, you can speed up the process by just cooking the mixture on low for 8 hours and strain.
– On the stovetop, heat the herbs and oil (to cover) over very low heat for an hour or so, then let sit for a couple of days and strain.
2. Mixing the salve is done by gently heating your binding agent (usually beeswax) in a saucepan until melted, then remove from heat and add in the infused oil. Pour into containers.
So, here are 5 salves we love. These of course, should be used under a doctor’s suggestion only.
Black Salve
Black drawing salve has a lot of uses and is well known in the Amish community. Black Salve Recipe
Sweet Dreams Salve
One of my favorite salves! Dream Salve
Hippie Healing Salve
Cute name for an awesome salve. Hippie Healer’s Salve
Peppermint Hand Salve
Pain-Be-Gone Salve
Smells good too! Pain-Be-Gone
Starter
To make your life a little easier, you can buy kits that already have the majority of what you need. All you need to add is your choice of oil! Here is a really versatile one that can be found on Amazon. It even includes a some containers for the finished product:
ALWAYS consult a doctor before starting any herbal therapy!