My Herbal Salve

I hope to make up my herbal salve this week. It is an all around good salve. You can use it on burns, on sunburn, on chapped lips, on diaper rash, etc. Here is the recipe.

Marci's All Purpose Salve

Dried comfrey leaves

Dried calendula petals

Dried echinacea petals

Olive oil

3 oz. beeswax

4 drops tea tree oil

If you have time to wait for the salve, this is the best way to do it. Take a jar, about the size of a Polaner all fruit jar (I think it is 10 oz.) pack it with calendula petals, and pour olive oil over it, all the way to the top. Do the same with comfrey and the echinacea each in a separate jar. Keep in a dark place for about three to six weeks (you will see the oil begin to draw out the color of the herb, the longer the better) Turn it upside down every day, to make sure all the herbs are covered with oil....for the first few days you may need to add a little more oil as the herbs start to absorb it. Once you are ready to make your salve, strain the herbs off. Measure out 1 cup of the oil (combined total) and heat on low for 30 minutes. then melt in 1/4 cup of beeswax. Remove from heat and add the tea tree oil. You can also add vitamin e if you would like. I want to add jewel weed into, but never knew how to do the jewel weed. I have recently read how to do that. So next year, I will add it in the mix as well. Pour immediately into containers, as beeswax hardens pretty quickly! This should fill around three half pint jars. You don't want to make too much of this, because of the oil, it could go rancid. I usually put some in smaller jars and when people are in need of it, I give them away.

If you don't have a long time to wait, then you can make it this way. Heat your herbs in olive oil over low heat for five hours. Don't let it boil. You can put it in your crock pot on the lowest setting. Strain out your herbs, and slowly melt in beeswax. If you cut it into small pieces it will melt faster. When the wax is melted, remove from heat and add tea tree essential oil.

You can adjust this salve to fit different needs, by adding different herbs or essential oils. A good place to get herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs. If you use this link, I will get credit for your order. I plan on doing more posts on herbs.