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Using only three ingredients, salves are a topical application made from wax and oil. Sometimes known as herbal ointments, they’re very easy to make and—once you know the basics—very versatile. Here’s how to make herbal salve…the easy way!
How to Make Herbal Salve
What you need:
- 1 cup herbal-infused oil*
- 2 tsp beeswax pastilles OR 1oz beeswax (by weight)
- Tins/Mason jars for storage
- Essential oils/other ingredients (optional)
Instructions:
Melt beeswax into infused oil using a double-boiler. (DON’T cook herbal oils, partly because beeswax is flammable.) Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding other ingredients like honey, charcoal, or essential oils. Quickly pour salve mixture into containers before it cools. If you like thicker salve, add more wax.
*How to Make Easy Herbal-Infused Oils
There are many different ways to make infused oils, but Cat Ellis uses a warm slow cooker. (Note: You must use the “warm” setting, not the “low” setting. Low will eventually get too hot for making herbal-infused oils.) She turns it on during the days and turns it off during the nights for 1-2 weeks.
If you’ve ever left a doctor’s office with a prescription for antibiotics, and then RIPPED IT UP before you even reached the parking lot (or you’ve taken antibiotics that you NEVER WANTED because you didn’t know what else to do), then you’ll want to check this out.
Your instincts are right. There ARE more natural ways to handle serious infections, cuts, wounds, animal bites, breaks, sprains, and more!
Want to Learn More from Herbalist Cat Ellis?
Cat presented a training session in our Summit Online Course about how to make your own herbal medicines, including different preparation methods and overviews of her favorite 20 herbs. This course provides 30+ training sessions from experts like Cat Ellis, Wardee Harmon, Rick Austin, Wranglerstar, Sharon Peterson, Noah Sanders, Michael Bunker, Scott Hunt, and many more. It's a 45+ hours of content and includes $130+ in bonuses, too!
Read the Entire Herbal Medicine Chest blog series:
Introduction
Herbal Preparations
Herbs
- Herbs for the Circulatory System
- Herbs for the Respiratory System
- Herbs for Injuries and Pain
- Infection-fighting Herbs