The Herb Patch

I've been interested in herbs for many years. I make my own simple herbal remedies to treat the minor ailments that afflict every family, especially during our long, cold Canadian winters. I also make my own toiletries and of course I use herbs when I cook. I thought I'd share a recipe that I find very useful.

Simple Salve

five part extra virgin olive oil
one part bees wax.

Place oil and beeswax in the top of a double boiler and heat until the beeswax is melted and mixed with the oil. Pour into clean containers and allow to cool completely before capping.

This mixture, by itself, can be used in place of petrolium jelly but it can be enhanced by the use of herbs and essential oils. My favorite salve involves infusing the olive oil with herbs from my garden. I usually use a mix of calendula petals, plantain and echinacea leaves.

To infuse oil you can use fresh or dry herbs. If using fresh you should let them sit for a few hours after picking to allow a little of the moisture in them to evaporate. There are two methods you can use to infuse oil. The first method is to heat the oil with the herbs over a very gentle heat until the herbs are crispy, usually several hours. The second method is to place the herbs and oil in a jar with a tight fitting lid and allow this to sit for a week or two. I find you have to be very careful how long you allow it to sit as it may become rancid. If I let it sit for two weeks I'm usually sniffing it every day to make sure it smells ok.

When I'm in need of salve in the winter and can't get my hands on good fresh herbs I use essential oils instead. I usually make one with several drop of tea tree oil for minor skin irritations, cold sores etc. and one with something nice smelling like tangerine or mint for use as a lip balm. My skin is so dry in winter that I can use this as a night cream.

Click here for some information on Stevia, a great herbal sweetener with which I have been experimenting in my baking.

Links

Of course there are many really great herbal sites on the web. Here are a few of my absolute favorites:

Henrietta's Herbal Home page

The Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

Richter's - My favorite place to buy herbs. The best variety around.

Native American Herbal-Plant Knowledge

Herb Research Foundation

The Herbal Touch

Herb Web

The Wild Herb Kitchen