Healing Herbal Salve: Recipe

I love how the natural color of each homemade salve varies depending on the oil infusion. Cottonwood Bud Salve has a rustic brown-orange hue. Oregano & Eucalyptus Salve is a honey yellow. Today's Healing Herbal Salve turned out to be a sunny gold due to the mixture of calendula and chamomile flowers.

Calendula extracts have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. In herbalism, Calendula in a tincture is used topically for acne, reducing inflammation, controlling bleeding, and soothing irritated tissue.

Follow the recipe below to make this incredible healing herbal salve.

Ingredients:

-1 1/4 C. quality olive oil
-0.3 oz. dried calendula flowers

-0.3 oz. dried chamomile flowers
-0.3 oz. dried plantain
-0.2 oz. dried St. John’s wort
-0.2 oz. dried Oregon grape root
-1-2 ounces beeswax

-1 Vitamin E capsule

Directions:

1. Weigh the dried herbs using a kitchen scale.

2. Prepare the oil infusion. You can do this one of two ways:

Cold Infusion

In a glass mason jar, cover the weighed herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to combine, and allow oil and herb mixture to steep for 4-6 weeks.

Hot Oil Extract

In a glass mason jar, cover the herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to combine. Place the glass jar in a pot on the stove, or in a crock pot, filled with a few inches of water on lowest setting (Be sure to put a towel on the bottom of the pot.). Infuse the oil and herbs for 4-8 hours, a day, or up to 3 days. Note: Watch the pot and add water as it evaporates.

3. Strain the oil and herb infusion through a cheesecloth. Squeeze to extract as much oil as possible. You need to strain at least 1 cup of herb infused oil.

4. In a saucepan over very low heat, melt beeswax together with oil.

5. When the consistency is to your liking, add Vitamin E capsule. Mix, and pour the salve into your containers.