Herbal Salves - have been in existence almost as long as man has harvested herbs for medicinal uses. A salve is simply a healing ointment for the skin, usually a base of beeswax and oil. As you make your salves and work with the recipes, keep in mind that the beeswax will make the salve more solid, while a higher percentage of oil will make it softer.

 

The 'basic' salve will be a carrier for the herbs that you add to it. You can make the basic salve in a number of ways:

*Combine one part oil and five parts beeswax.

*Combine one part beeswax with four parts [lard or ]lanolin and one part oil.

*Combine four parts cocoa butter, shea butter, or a combination with one part beeswax and one part oil.

 

Here's how you make the salve:

  1. Melt the ingredients over low heat.
  2. Stir until blended.
  3. Add the herbs or herbal infusion of your choice.
  4. Pour the mixture into a container and cool.

 

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Herb Infused Oil :

This oil is used in the basic salve to add more strength to the remedy. The longer the herbs stand in the oil, the more potent it will be.

*1 part dried herbs

*2 parts oil

 

  1. Mix in a container and leave in a warm place for two to three weeks to infuse.
  2. Shake once a day.
  3. When herbs have infused into the oil, strain the oil into a glass container.
  4. Store, covered, in a cool, dark place.

 

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Healing Properties of Specific Ingredients

 

Certain ingredients are used for 'specific properties' in your salve recipes.

*Coconut oil is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is very good for the skin and is particularly good in diaper rash salve and salves for burns, hemorrhoids and the face.

*Olive oil makes a very greasy oil. It is a superior moisture barrier that is best used in combination with other oils.

*Sweet almond oil helps relieve irritation, inflammation, muscular aches and pains and itching. It is a superior emollient.

*Avocado oil is a good base for salves that are used in treating cuts, acne, skin problems and burns. It is great for use with sensitive skin.

*Macadamia nut oil is good for burns, very fragile skin, bedsores and extremely dry, chapped skin.

*Shea butter has anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties and is helpful for dry skin.

*Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps with healing. It also is a natural preservative.

*Lanolin helps heal dry, cracked skin and keep it soft and supple.

Remember that essential oil is 'not the sam'e thing as : oil or herbally infused oil ... It is 'a very concentrated form' of the herb essence.

Generally only a few drops of 'essential' oil are needed in any recipe.

 

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Specific Herbal Salve Recipes :

 

NOTE**When using any herb for the first time, always rub a bit of the salve or infusion of the herb on the 'inside of your forearm to test for sensitivity'. For instance, some people who are sensitive to ragweed have an uncomfortable reaction to goldenseal. Doing this simple test can help to avoid such discomfort.**

 

First Aid Salve

1 part goldenseal oil

1 part calendula oil

1 part comfrey oil

1 drop essential oil of lavender

1/8 tsp. tea tree essential oil

800IU vitamin E

Use as the oil in any of the basic herbal salve recipes. This is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and promotes quick healing. It is good for use on cuts, scrapes, infections or just about anything.

Lip Salve

1 part lavender oil

1 part comfrey oil

1 part rose oil (be sure to use unsprayed petals)

800IU vitamin E

Use with the 'lanolin' salve recipe. Coconut oil is a good oil to use with this.

Diaper Rash Salve

1 part calendula oil

1 part lavender oil

1 part comfrey oil

800 IU vitamin E

Use with the 'lanolin 'salve recipe.

Chest Rub

1 part rosemary oil

1 part thyme oil

1 part peppermint oil (not essential oil, homemade oil infusion)

½ tsp. camphor essential oil

½ tsp. eucalyptus essential oil

 

Gardener's Salve

3 parts comfrey oil

3 parts calendula oil

3 parts St John's wort oil

2 parts plantain oil

1 part vitamin E oil

 

Storing Salves

Making salves for your family is an easy hobby and an important skill. Over time, you will want to develop and perfect your own salve recipes.

Keep your salves, sealed and labeled, in sterile jars in a cool dark place. [[Baby food jars work very well.]] Use a clean utensil to remove the salve so bacteria won't be transferred from your fingers to the salve. By keeping your herbal salve clean, you will extend the shelf life of your product.

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Make Your Own Medicine: Herbal Salve

Making Salves: The Key Ingredients

Infused oils are carrier oils that have been “infused” with one or more herbs. They are used to make any oil-based apothecary items, such as lip balms, creams, massage oils and salves. Although you can buy prepared infused oils, I like to make my own using the folk technique called the “solar infusion method.”

To make an infused oil at home, find a jar with a tight-fitting lid, such as a Mason jar, and fill it halfway full with a dried herb of your choice. Fill the jar with oil until it completely covers the herb (about three-quarters full). Any quality vegetable oil will work, but if you’re using this infused oil to make a salve, use one that can tolerate heat and is good for the skin, like olive or almond oil. Put the lid back on your jar and store it in a sunny location like a windowsill for three to six weeks. Shake the jar every day for the first week and once every week after that. When it’s fully infused, strain the oil through cheesecloth and store it in a closed jar for future use.

Beeswax thickens the salve and makes it easy to apply to the skin—it also provides slight anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, according to North Carolina State University. Laying a protective barrier between the wound and the air, it calms the skin and helps it retain moisture. You can find one-ounce bars of beeswax at your local health-food store.

Embrace the wonders of aromatherapy with essential oils, or highly concentrated plant extracts. They provide a multitude of body benefits. I like to add a few drops of lavender essential oil to my herbal salve recipe, not only for its pleasing scent but for its ability to treat small cuts, scrapes and insect bites, as lavender is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. You can also strengthen your salve’s medicinal benefits with tea tree or rose, two essential oils with antiseptic and antifungal properties.

How to Calm Irritated Skin: 7 Herbs for Natural Skin Remedies
Calendula (Calendula officinalis), or pot marigold, is a familiar sight in many cottage gardens. This antiseptic was used during the Civil War to staunch bleeding and heal wounds; recent studies show that calendula noticeably stimulates physiological regeneration and skin healing. Use a calendula salve on skin rashes, minor cuts and burns, bruises, eczema, psoriasis, sunburns and chapped lips.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is said to have been brought to England from the Middle East by crusaders using it to heal war wounds. For centuries, it was taken internally, but new research indicates that it should not be ingested, as it contains harmful alkaloids. Use it as an herbal salve to stimulate cell growth and repair wounds, burns, sore joints, dry skin and swelling.

German chamomile (Matricaria recu-tita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) are recognizable by their delicate white petals and pleasing, apple-like odor. Today, this cosmetic favorite is admired for its softening, deodorizing and disinfecting effects on the skin.

Plantain (Plantago major) is a wild perennial that can be found all over the world, often along roadsides. Used by the Greek medic Dioscorides to cure inflammation and burns, it has stood the test of time. Today it is also used to treat insect bites, stings, poison ivy and sunburns. In fact, a range of biological activities has been found in its extracts, from wound healing to anti-inflammatory action.

Aloe (Aloe vera) is one of the giants among herbs and herbal medicine. It is said to have healed a badly infected wound Alexander the Great earned during the siege of Gaza. Today, people commonly keep this easy-to-grow plant potted in their home for the instant and effective treatment of burns. All it requires is a weekly watering. It also treats cuts, eczema and sunburn.

Arnica (Arnica montana) is an ingredient in more than 100 herbal preparations in Germany, where plant-based medications are regulated by the Commission E. This daisy-like herb relieves sore muscles and reduces inflammation. Athletes commonly rely on it to reduce the pain, swelling and bruising that accompany sprains and strains.

Skin-Soothing Calendula Salve

• 1/4 cup beeswax
• 1 cup infused calendula oil
• 3 to 5 drops lavender essential oil

1. Melt beeswax in a double boiler. If there isn’t one available, use a saucepan. Just make sure it’s over low heat so as not to scorch the wax.

2. Once melted, add the infused oil. This will cause the mixture to solidify. Keep it on low heat until the mixture liquefies.

3. Stir the mixture. If you’re worried about the consistency of the salve, take a small spoonful and set it in the freezer for a couple of minutes. If it’s too soft, add a little more beeswax; if it’s too hard, add a little more infused oil.

4. Remove mixture from heat and add essential oil.

5. Pour into salve tins (found at health-food stores or online). Wait until salve completely solidifies before capping it with a lid to avoid condensation.

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Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries had its humble beginnings as an idea of a few artisans and craftsmen who enjoy performing with live steel fighting. As well as a patchwork quilt tent canvas. Most had prior military experience hence the name.

 

Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries.

 

Vendertainers that brought many things to a show and are know for helping out where ever they can.

As well as being a place where the older hand made items could be found made by them and enjoyed by all.

We expanded over the years to become well known at what we do. Now we represent over 100 artisans and craftsman that are well known in their venues and some just starting out. Some of their works have been premiered in TV, stage and movies on a regular basis.

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Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries a Dept of, Ask For IT was started by artists and former military veterans, and sword fighters, representing over 100 artisans, one who made his living traveling from fair to festival vending medieval wares. The majority of his customers are re-enactors, SCAdians and the like, looking to build their kit with period clothing, feast gear, adornments, etc.

Likewise, it is typical for these history-lovers to peruse the tent (aka mobile store front) and, upon finding something that pleases the eye, ask "Is this period?"

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After a festival's time of answering weighty questions such as these, I'd sleep like a log! Only a mad man could possibly remember the place and time for each piece of kitchen ware, weaponry, cloth, and chain within a span of 1,000 years!! Surely there must be an easier way, a place where he could post all this knowledge...

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