Herbal Salves

On to the final installment of my herbal blog series! Herbal salves are wonderful to have around. Salves are applied externally for cuts, boils, bug bites, poison ivy, etc. -It all depends on what herbs you use! I am going to make a salve today that can take the place of any antibacterial (petroleum-based) ointment in your medicine cabinet.



Salves require a couple more steps than glycerites, but the first few steps are the same!

First, gather your herbs and fat. I am using calendula flowers (marigolds- which are anti-inflammatory), comfrey leaf (a contact healer), and plantain leaf (antibacterial). Coconut oil is my favorite oil to use for salves. I am using a coconut oil I found at Walmart, although expeller-pressed oil would be better.









Fill 1/3 to 1/2 of your jar with herbs. I would not wet the herbs in this type of extract, as water doesn't mix with oil! You would end up with a weepy salve.
















Coconut oil is solid up to 76 degrees, so filling your jar might be easier if you gently warm your oil first :). Since this is going in my crock pot with the glycerite, I will just let the coconut oil melt, then top off with olive oil (another great oil for the skin)!


















Into the crock! Since my crock pot isn't deep enough for this jar, I will probably transfer to a smaller one. It is important for the oil to stay very warm throughout while the herbs are "cooking", so make sure the water level is pretty even with the level of the oil.



This mixture should stay in the crock for 2-3 days, and you should shake it at least once a day to keep the herbs circulating.




When it is darker and herbal smelling, remove and strain oil into a saucepan. You will then need to gently melt about 2 oz beeswax per 9 oz extract in saucepan. Once the beeswax is melted, remove the saucepan from heat and stir in a few drops of vitamin E (a natural preservative). Pour into shallow containers and store for up to one year! It will harden as it cools, but should still be soft enough to spread on wounds.



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Here are the finished products!!
On the left is the glycerite, on the right is the alcohol extract. Notice how dark they are!

I have labeled each of them, and I will store them in a dark cabinet (preferably one that is not used much- sunlight will weaken the potency).







The salve should be green in color. The block in front of the salve is beeswax (it can be bought from a local beekeeper or a craft store in the candle isle), and to the right is the vitamin E (you can use capsules from the pharmacy, also!)



I hope you've enjoyed my herb series! Please comment or e-mail if you have any questions :)

My Herbal blog series is part of Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist