Infused Herbal Oils & Salves
Herbal oils are an excellent way to get medicine to the skin,
muscles, tendons and ligaments. They can be used for massage,
poultices, baths and other topical applications. Plant parts that
are delicate or that contains oil-like compounds infuse best in oil.
Most roots, seeds and barks are not oil soluble.
What oil should I use? Olive oil is inexpensive, accessible, has a long shelf life and heats well.
Use extra virgin cold pressed oil if possible. Jojoba is a wax that looks like oil at room
temperature. Of all vegetable oils it is best absorbed and most normalizing because it is so close
to human skin oil. You pay the price for quality, as jojoba is about $9.00 for 4 ounces! It has a
long shelf life and withstands medium heat. Any nut oil including almond, hazelnut, grape seed
and apricot kernel oil can be used for salve, but you may want to add a preservative because these
oils have a short shelf life and can go rancid quickly.
Fresh Solar Infusion Method: This low-heat method is preferable when using delicate plants.
High heat extraction causes aromatic oils in to evaporate and fragile constituents to break down.
Arnica, lavender, rose and St. Johns wort oils are best prepared by solar infusion manner.
1. Gather the plant material, preferably in the morning when the energy and volatile oils are
at their peak. Allow plants with a high water content to wilt for about 1 day. This
lessens the likelihood of mold growth in your oil.
2. Place the herb in a wide mouth jar and completely cover with oil. Let it steep in a warm
place like a sunny windowsill or near a warm vent for one to two weeks. Stir the oil
every few days and wipe condensation away from the underside of the lid.
3. Strain with muslin cloth and place in glass jars. Don’t forget to label your precious
concoction including the date. Store in a cool dark place.
The tricky part about making fresh infused oils is that they can mold easily. To prevent this, use
a jar that you can fill to the top to minimize air exposure to plant material. If herbs are sticking
out of the oil find a clean rock or crystal to hold them down. Once your oil is pressed you can
add preservatives like vitamin E (1 teaspoon per cup) or essential oils including benzoin and
rosemary.
Stovetop Method: Oils can be infused with fresh
plant material by gently heating them on a stovetop.
Chop herbs finely and place in a double boiler.
Cover with extra virgin olive oil so the oil is
completely covering the herbs. Heat in a double
boiler anywhere from 4-5 hours to several days,
stirring occasionally. Strain through muslin cloth.
Discard remaining pressed herb and place the infused
oil in glass jars in a cool dark place.
Preparing Herbal Salve
1. Measure the volume of your infused oil (or combined oils) in a measuring cup.
2. For every five ounces of oil, use one ounce of beeswax by weight. Cut or grate the
measured beeswax so it melts more quickly.
3. Combine oil and beeswax in a double boiler. Heat slowly. Try not to overheat the oil as
it will burn and damage fragile plant constituents.
4. As soon as the beeswax has melted, test the firmness of the salve by taking a spoon full
and placing it in the refrigerator to expedite the set-up. The consistency should not be so
soft that it will melt in the sun or so hard that it is difficult to apply. Adjust the hardness
if necessary by adding more oil or beeswax.
5. Pour the mixture into salve containers and add a few drops of essential oil if desired.
Essential oils are added at the last possible minute because they are so volatile and will
evaporate quickly. Stir in 1-4 drops per ounce with a chopstick.
6. Cover salves with lids immediately. Let cool and then label.
Possible additions:
Lavender essential oil smells euphoric and is wonderful for burns and skin irritations.
Tea tree essential oil is antiseptic, drying and healing.
Rose Geranium essential oil is balancing to the skin and has anti-fungal properties
Vitamin E is a preservative that is helpful for skin regeneration.
Tincture of benzoin can be added to herbal oils or salves as a preservative.
Salve containers can be purchases through mail order suppliers, bottle distributors or local herb
shops. Tins or brown glass jars work best as they protect the salve from the sun. Make sure to
get a jar with a secure lid. A salve that has melted in the sun and leaked in a backpack or
elsewhere is a mess to clean up!
Get creative! Many herbs can be used for salves. I like to use what is fresh but often play with
new ideas and additions. Most essential oils are antiseptic and safe for topical application. You
can also add tinctures of non-lipid soluble plants to herbal oils and heat off the alcohol and water.
Trauma Balm
Use equal parts of any of these oils: arnica, cayenne, cottonwood, dandelion, devil’s club,
ginger, St. John’s wort. Use no more than 25% cayenne. Use about 2 drops each of essential
oils of rosemary and peppermint per ounce of salve.
Apply several times a day to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis, sore muscles,
tendonitis, bruises, and sprains. Be careful not to get this around the eyes or on sensitive skin.
Healing Salve
Use equal parts of any of these infused oils including: calendula, cedar, chamomile, chickweed,
comfrey, echinacea, Oregon grape, plantain, rose, St. Johns wort, yarrow…
Add 3-6 drops of lavender essential oil for every ounce of salve. Use for cuts, scrapes, dry or
chapped skin, bruises, diaper rash, etc.
Elise Krohn, 2007
Infused Herbal Oils
Arnica – This queen of first aid plants is used for bruises, sprains, strains, rheumatic pain and
trauma. As herbalist Michael Moore say, “It opens sleeping arterioles and blood vessels and
helps waste products disperse from injury.” It is best used just after an injury to abort damage to
the tissue. The homeopathic remedy is used internally and topically for the same reasons. It
should not be used on broken skin as it dilates capillaries and has potential to increase bleeding.
The whole plant is used in infused oil and can be gathered in May-July in mountain meadows (or
growing in your garden). The flowers should be processed as a fresh infused oil almost
immediately as they have the uncanny power to turn to seed within hours and have been seen
blowing out car windows as white fluff on the way home from hiking trips. The leaves should be
wilted for half a day to decrease water content.
Calendula – This beautiful yellow to orange flower is easy to grow. The flower-infused oil is
helpful for soothing irritated skin, for promoting wound healing and for treating diaper rash and
fungal skin infections. It is the most popular plant in children’s herbal skin preparations because
it is so healing and gentle for sensitive skin.
Cayenne – This heating and pain relieving oil is prepared by the stove top method. Cayenne
works wonders on cold, creaky, painful joints, sore muscles and cold inflamed tissue that is
lacking circulation. Be especially careful NOT to touch any sensitive skin after using it.
Cayenne is a fiery medicine and can burn if applied in the wrong places.
Chapparall – This desert shrub has a strong almost terpentine odor. It is a powerful antioxidant
that helps to diminish tissue damage from burns and other injuries. Chaparral is a very potent
antimicrobial that is used for treating skin infections including fungal infections. It can be helpful
for eczema and has been traditionally used to prevent or treat skin cancers.
Comfrey - Comfrey is a powerful healing herb that helps to stimulate tissue regeneration
including skin and bone injuries. The leaves can be made into a poultice, compress or an infused
oil, which is deep green. However, it is difficult to make oil with the fresh leaves because they
are so full of water. The leaves should be dried for at least a day, cut finely and then covered in
olive oil. I recommend gently cooking the leaves in a double boiler for a few hours to remove
water, then placing them in a jar for a couple of weeks.
Cottonwood – Herbalist Joyce Netishen calls this the “Oil of Life”. Cottonwood buds are
gathered in the early spring when drops of resin are emitting euphoric smells of honey and
propolis. The sticky buds are placed in olive oil and carefully blended, heated in a double boiler,
then steeped in the sun for several weeks. The oil is anti-inflammatory, pain relieving and antispasmodic. It is an excellent rub for swollen joints, sore muscles and inflamed injuries.
Cottonwood oil is also high in antioxidants and can be used to heal burns or damaged skin.
Cedar Leaf – Chop cedar very fine and infuse in olive oil. June O’Brian makes magnificent
cedar oil by heating it on low in a double boiler. She turns it on and off for up to a week. Cedar
oil can be used for fungal infections, warts and as a ceremonial anointing oil.
Devil’s club – The root and bark of devil’s club are traditionally used for arthritis, pain and
swelling. It is used both internally and topically as a soak or an infused oil. The fresh root and
bark extract best by a gentle double boiler method. People at Quinault Reservation have had
good success using this oil for sore feet, muscles and joints.
Lavender – Lavender flowers make a beautiful smelling oil that can be used straight as a
massage or body oil or as an ingredient in lotions and lip balms. Lavender is healing to the skin,
antibacterial and, of course, relaxing for irritability and insomnia.
Plantain – Also called frog leaf and Indian band aid plant, plantain is said to have the ability to
draw out infection and to seal wounds. The leaves are often used as a poultice, but the oil can
also be used as a topical healing remedy. It can be prepared by any method, but it extracts
especially well by the alcohol intermediary method.
Rose – Rose infused oil has a delicate scent that reminds one of delicious summer days. Above
all other infused oils, rose is excellent for fragile, delicate skin including acne rosacea. It is
astringent and soothing. Rose oil is very fragile and should not be heated. Do a solar infusion,
but make sure to wipe condensation off the jar every couple days. The oil will usually last one
year. Rose extracts well in jojoba oil, which has a lighter scent than olive oil. This is a favorite
addition to face cream.
St. Johns Wort – This beautiful red flower oil is the number one remedy for surface nerve pain,
bruises and mild burns. It is also helpful for tendonitis, varicose veins and is anti-infectious,
especially against staphylococcus aureus. The fresh buds and flowers are gathered in June,
wilted slightly, crushed with a mortar and pestle and covered with olive oil. The magnificent red
color of the buds comes out almost immediately when infused in the sun.
Yarrow – The flower and leaf of yarrow are used in first aid to stop bleeding, cool down
inflammation and help treat infection. Yarrow is a common ingredient in healing salves for all of
these reasons. It is best gathered when the flowers are in full bloom and can be infused in the sun
or gently on the stovetop.
Arnica
Cottonwood
Plantain
St. Johns wort
Yarrow
Body Care Resources
Radiance Herbs. 113 E. 5th ave, downtown Olympia. 360-357-5250
Magestic Mountain Sage. www.thesage.com
Essential Wholesale. www.essentialwholesale.com
Bramble Berry. www.brambleberry.com
Zenith Supply. Retail in downtown Seattle or www.zenithsupplies.com
Elise Krohn, 2007