Diy Herbal Medicinal Salve

Making your own salve is actually relatively easy:

I like to make mine with coconut oil, as it requires no extra ingredients to 'set' firm..

To prepare the herb, this photo is with Devil's Club bark in example for a specific forum member (Oplopanax horridus) (use the inner bark for best results), use a sharp knife to chop the material up


Put equal parts material and oil into a double boiler.



This is actually quite important, not only for safety, but you will get a much more superior product. If you do not have one, it is quite simple to make a DIY version with a bowl and saucepan.



Turn the heat on low. It must be very low. I actually use a small riser under my pot, a trivet, to reduce the heat. You don’t want to cook the roots, just extract the medicines!

I keep this going for three days, all day long, turning the stove off during the evening, and restarting it again in the morning.

When I deem it done, I strain the oil through a cloth. I have brewing bags of various sizes as well as silkscreen fabric.




Then pour it, carefully into “sample” glass jars and cool, uncovered, until the salve ‘sets’.



That's really all there is to it!

 

that's awesome. can that be done with other herbs, lets say plantain or balm of gilead etc ?

 

Absolutely! I myself. prefer plantain chewed raw straight outta' the ground, but I do wildcraft buds for my Balm of Gilead, as well as make many other salves using the exact same method!

 

I wonder if a crock pot would work for this, not sure if it goes low enough in temp. I've had balm of gilead soaking in oil for about two years now but wonder if it may have lost it potency ad should start over?

 

Hi randy, I'd make a double boiler out of your slow cooker. Cut a piece of plywood to replace the lid, cut a hole in the plywood to just fit a stainless bowl with a lid. Put water in the cooker and bring it up to temp, probably on low heat.

 

that's a great idea

 

if you turn it into a double boiler, like Caribou suggested, but I wouldn't use my crockpot - even on the warm or the low setting it actually gets extremely hot! Slow and Low is the Way to Go!

 

if you turn it into a double boiler, like Caribou suggested, but I wouldn't use my crockpot - even on the warm or the low setting it actually gets extremely hot! Slow and Low is the Way to Go!

 

So what are the ingredients? Coconut and devil's club bark?

 

For this salve, yes! That's it! If you make a large batch, but don't use it very often, then add some vitamin E as a preservative after the heating phase, but before the pour!

 

Bee's wax and olive oil has always been my base for salves but I can see the merit of coconut oil due to it solidifying at room temps.

 

thinking about this liniment thing and wondered why does bee's wax or some such need to be added to the oil? Why wouldn't finger dunks rubbed onto the area be just as well?

I'll be laughed at but that's ok LOL but earlier today I received in the mail a little bottle of linspeed-oil (gunstock oil). It talked about in the directions to use finger dunks to apply the oil to a stock.

 

I heard about something that may be beneficial for oil extraction. Not trying to reinvent the wheel but if something looks promising I thought I would mention it.

I heard about a kitchen appliance called a instant pot. Sorta like a crock pot. pressure cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker etc.

 

That is true, but I like the absorption of the coconut oil better than straight beeswax.

I switched to just coconut oil because that's one less ingredient to have to process to get the same effect! More efficiency, and less money!

I'm not laughing! Finger dunks can work! The beeswax and/or solidified coconut oil serve as an emollient; they soften and preserve the skin more-so than just straight absorbed oil. It also helps in the preserving and softens the scent.

InstaPot, and it does work, but it also has a low temperature that is too high for efficient extraction of the beneficial goodies of herbs, at least in my opinion - Slow and Low makes for all the goodies to really get outta' the herb!

 

Speaking of coconuts. I used to watch the show with Bear Grylls called Man vs Wild when the show was on. In one episode it was him on a deserted island. In that show he showed how the coconut was a very resourceful fruit. Islanders called it something and now I can't remember what they called it. Something like fruit of life or what ever because of its very diverse uses. One use was of course hydration and food. The other use was that the coconut oil I guess can be a sun screen agent. Just spear the coconut over your skin. And I think the coconut oil can be used as a lip balm. However! Bear noted that coconuts can give you diarrhea if you eat enough of them. So you really want to limit how much you consume. Having diarrhea out in the middle of no where can kill you since you'll lose a lot of fluids and it is hard enough to get water.


Interesting tidbit I read here about how you can dig in the sand and get water. I don't think Bear did that. Instead, I think he made solar stills from material he found around the island I think. Been a long time since I seen that episode.

The other thing he mentioned, and I've heard this before was that you never ever want to sit or lay under a coconut tree. Coconuts are very heavy and dense and can kill you when they fall.

 

LOL... I watched a video of a teenager harvesting them. He'd shinny up a tree with a machete and toss down the ones that were ready for picking.... couldn't help but notice the loud "THUD!" ever time one of them hit! His momma was down below picking them up and I kept wondering how many times she had close calls!

 

"Stupid is as stupid does."

 

Has anyone added grapefruit seed extract to salves? It's suppose to aid in preservation and potency

 

Good morning F22 and Randy,

Depending on how - solar stills - defined, it takes a little digging (nothing like seeking water between sand dunes) to set up. Only a little water is collected. Walking around the island means the person in decent shape.

Just keep the linseed oil away from the metal. A stretched T-shirt at wood-metal interfaces worked for me.

 

It's an anti-fungal in a topical application, and can also protect skin against sun damage. There are many complimentary herbs that go together to help in absorption, potency, and effectiveness, like; ginger and turmeric, black pepper and paprika. Any of your high-acid ingredients, like grapefruit, are likely to increase the ani-oxidant properties of whatever you mix them with.