I working on a recipe for an herbal salve. I have been doing a lot of reading about methods, preparations, the benefits of many popular herbs for the skin. I have a list of 10 or more that I am interested in using.
But it got me to thinking, at what point does having too many herbs in a remedy become detrimental. Or does it at all? Is there some kind of synergy between different herbs that make them more effective? Is simple better?
Thanks in advance for any insight you have to share.
Remedies
Having too many won't necessarily become detrimental, just too many unneccasary herbs, some of which may be doing the same thing.
I got a little pamphlet at the local health food store on herbal synergy -- based on Chinese medicine, they talk about how they work together. It's interesting, but I'm not positive I wholeheartedly buy it. The one definite reason simple is better is that if you react negatively to one of the ingredients, it's easier to pinpoint which one!
What are you using for your base? And are you putting calendula in it? Details, please!
Okay, from my notes I have: (You'll notice some of these herbs have similar properties, I don't want to waste time or money on infusions that are not going to produce a better remedy when used with others so that's why I'm wondering)
Comfrey - healing , promotes rapid healing of both skin lesions, It is a popular addition to herbal salves and ointments, which can be used for bruises, sprains, eczema, swellings and burns.
Plantain - Anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory
Mullein - soothing agent
Lavender -useful in treating acne, psoriasis , contraindicated for gallstones
Lobelia - soothing herb
Sealf-heal (prunella) - dried flowers, pain-relieving, astringent
Oregon Grape - used for bacterial infections, very healing to the skin, treats eczema, psoriasis, acne, boils, herpes, and skin conditions linked to poor gallbladder function, leaves and root bark in tinctures
Yarrow - anti-inflammatory and antiseptic astringent
Echinacea - stimulates immune system
Calendula - antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, stimulates the production of collagen, for sunburn, diaper rash, insect bites and chapped skin, may help prevent staph infection.
Are you making this to sell or to use? (As in, are you making really big batches?) I think I'd start out making comfrey and calendula cream for wounded skin, or maybe grape and yarrow for skin conditions, then add from there if that's practical. You've certainly done your research!! I'll try to remember to get that pamphlet when I go home (don't have the net there) in case you're interested.
I don't want to sell this. I'm not an expert, just a hobbiest and I don't think hobbiest have any right selling remedies to people.
I'd give the recipe and instructions to anyone who wanted it when I'm all done with the process. In fact, I'll probably add it to the HOW-TO page on my site.
So the batches would probably like a crockpot sized. Enough for everyone!
I really want to add the Plantain since it grows everywhere and I like the idea of harvesting my own herbs for this project. I also have comfrey and calendula on hand in the herb garden. The rest I would have to buy or wait for mature plants.
This message was edited Jun 21, 2007 4:27 PM
I would take out the yarrow and echinacea. You don't need them.
Whatever you do, please post results! VERY interested in this area.
Please do let us know how this works for you. I enjoy using my home-grown herbs various ways and will sometimes make things up with essential oils. I'm always concocting something. I do keep a book and try to measure things properly. I've never made a salve. Do you use an oil in it to hold it together?
When you make your base with one herb (let's say comfrey), split it in half or in quarters. Keep one remedy pure, just one herb, the second batch add a second herb, the third batch add another... and so on. By tracking the addition of each herb you will know if it really improved the salve or not. In order to really learn about all the healing herbs you should experience them at least once by themselves in a formula before adding another agent. This is not to say that formulas with multiple agents are not superior...you are missing the importance of learning them one by one. Keep in mind the base you use also creates diffences within the same herb...coconut oil absorbs more quickly, shea butter gives a nice texture, olive oil seems to have it's own healing properties....
Just IMHO...hope this helps
I agree rparrny
Good advice, rparrny. Do you buy your bases online? I have done that before.
I find I get the best prices online for glycerine, shea butter, coconut oil and the like...usually because they are offered in bulk or a good search can yeild bargains on sale and then I stock up. Olive oil I get in bulk at Costco or BJ's. Now that Amazon has an organic section and I have the amazon prime (free shipping), I'll be looking for them to start carrying some of the items I use.
Another good reason to start out with only one herb or base oil at a time is in case you are allergic to some ingredient that you don't know about. I am allergic to grapeseed oil, for instance.
Thank you for your responses!
rparrny - That is a really good idea, thank you! All the infusions I have seen with oil are done with Olive Oil, but I have been entertaining the idea of using another oil. While coconut absorbs quickly, it can also cause "breakouts" in people with acne prone skin. Olive is wonderful, but the price of it has gone up this season and it remains (IMO) the best choice. There are lots of oils on my list and I'm agonizing over all of them as I agonize over the herbs.
roybird - I'll probably use lavender and tea tree EOs as well. When the herbs are infused into the oil, I'll add a little melted beeswax to thicken it up and make a nice salve.
kanita - I was thinking the same thing. Echinacea is not one of my favorite remedies and I've never worked with Yarrow before. Thanks for chiming in! I'm considering doing away with the Oregon grape as well. I found a patch of prunella and mullein yesterday afternoon! So that is drying right now with the Comfry, Calendula, and Plantain I already have.
I make a "blemish blend" with witch hazel as the base, then add lavender and tea tree essential oils. I think I use more tea tree but not an awful lot of either, a few drops to about an oz. of witch hazel. Very simple. Works,too.
Tea Tree is amazing stuff. I always have some on hand.
Update:
I finished my first infusion and made it into an ointment last night. I am so pleased with it!!
I did dried Chamomile flowers and dried Plantain leaves in olive oil. It smells so wonderful! I decided to keep things simple for the first go around.
I found a nice patch of self-heal (prunella) and I need to get the Comfrey drying.
Ummm... that sounds wonderful! And I'm sure it won't cost a whole lot to send each of us a tub of it!!! It IS in the mail, right???
Renwings, sounds good and I want to look at your recipe.
HE HE! I wish that I had made enough to share with everyone!
The recipe is nothing special. I gathered a few handfuls of plantain leaves and dried them and bought dried comfrey flowers bulk at the health food store.
Then I stuffed my dried herbs in canning jars (pint sized) and covered the herbs with olive oil. It took a little while for the olive oil to settle in and saturate everything. Then I put a pot on the stove with the pint jars inside and filled it with water up to the necks. Set the temperate to the lowest setting and let the jars sit in the hot water for most of the afternoon and into the evening. I never let it bowl.
Then I strained out the herbs from the oil using cheesecloth and squeezed out the excess into a small saucepan.
I added beeswax pellets to the oil and again set the temperature to the lowest setting so the beeswax would melt. When all the beeswax was melted, I took an icecube and dipped it into the oil to test the ratio of beeswax. When the ointment coated the ice nicely, I stopped adding beeswax.
I poured my ointment into two small plastic containers with tight fitting lids and went to bed!
Then next morning, the ointment had cooled and was a very pretty shade of medium green. I made labels for the containers and decided to call it Sweet Ointment because it smells so sweet. It has a very thick consistency, like Zam-Buc (does anyone remember that stuff?)
The finished ointments only weighed a few ounces.
Oh, that sounds very nice. I like the idea of coating the ice cube, I hadn't heard that. It might help me with the lavender-jojoba oil- beeswax salve I'm messing with. I got too much wax in the first time. I could melt it down, I guess, but I've just been topping it off with jojoba oil every now and then and it seems to sink in to the wax on it's own. It would be good to get it right, tho. Congratulations.
renwings, you're inspiring. Thanks!