Old Fashioned Healing Salve

[kirra]

Old Fashioned Healing Salve

This salve was originally created to treat diaper rash for babies with sensitive skin. It is fantastic for bug bites, cuts and scrapes, burns, and also excellent for perineal healing after childbirth. Because of the intense healing power of the comfrey, do not use this salve on deep wounds (such as those sustained by being sliced by your harvesting knife whilst harvesting said herb). A thin layer of skin will grow over the top of the wound, creating a potential for serious infection.

I never seem to be able to harvest enough yarrow, but if you have a bounty of the plant, go ahead and add more to this recipe. I have no doubt that it contributes the most to the pain-relieving aspect.

This salve will stay good for a year or more, probably longer if you're exclusively using dried herbs, but I like to make a new batch every year, as I'm sure it loses potency over time.

Ingredients:

4T dried comfrey (1c fresh)
2c fresh plantain (broadleaf or lanceleaf)
2T dried yarrow (or about 1/2c fresh)
1/4c fresh chickweed
1T dried goldenseal (please purchase from a responsible source-never wildcrafted!)
6-10 drops tea tree oil
raw honey
olive oil
beeswax (beads or grated)

Preparation:

Place all herbs in a small saucepot with enough oil to cover 1 inch over the fresh stuff. Simmer gently for 1-2 hours. Place a small colander or large tea strainer lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel and pour the oil through it into a clean pot. Squeeze out as much as you can from the herbs in the cheesecloth until no more oil drips out. Add the tea tree oil, raw honey and the beeswax. At this point, dip a spoon into the oil and leave it on the counter for a few minutes to see what consistency your salve is taking on. If you want it to be thicker, add more beeswax. Quickly pour the salve into small, clean jars while its still liquid. It will solidify in a few hours.