An herbal salve is an excellent addition to any first-aid kit.

Luckily, it’s one of the simplest remedies to make. Though simple, it will make you feel and look like a medicine-making pro!

Herbal salves also make a lovely and thoughtful gift that everyone can benefit from. Although I'll be talking about herbs for wound healing and a salve for this purpose, herbal salves are very versatile, and their use depends on the herbs you include.

How to Make a Herbal Salve

Let's begin by discussing the difference between a salve and a cream. The most significant difference is that an herbal salve contains wax and fat (oil). In contrast, a cream will include much more water, resulting in a thinner, penetrating remedy. Salves are going to be much more solid and may not penetrate the skin as fast but yield a much more concentrated remedy due to the ingredients' simplicity, making it best for wound healing. Creams are best for things like dry skin due to their water content.

Step #1 Herbal Oil 

Before making your salve, you must include the herbal oils. These oils will be combined with wax (typically beeswax) to create your herbal salve. If you don’t want to make your own, you can purchase your oils from places like Mountain Rose Herbs.

Olive oil is my favorite and probably the most common herbal-infused oil, but you can also use oils like coconut, apricot, and grapeseed. It is important to note that different oils will have different shelf-stable times. Olive oil is typically 2-4 years. Once you've chosen your oil, select the herb you'll be using.

If you want to use multiple herbs, combine them in separate oils to give you more options later if you combine them differently or just utilize one. Check out the list of wound-healing herbs at the end of this blog to help you choose your herb. When deciding if you should use fresh or dried herbs in your oil, there are a few things to note.

First, for certain plants like St. John's Wort, the medicine you seek can only be achieved by using it fresh. However, fresh plant medicine will not have as long a shelf-life as dried. One way to enhance this shelf life is to use the alcohol intermediary method. This is the process of soaking the herbs in enough alcohol (high-proof vodka like Everclear) to coat them for about 1 day before adding your oil. This is also important when using aromatic and resinous plants like chaparral. These resins won't be extracted with just oil, so adding the alcohol helps ensure a more potent and beneficial remedy.

Once you have chosen your herb, add it to your sterile jar. If you're using fresh plant material,l fill it up to the top, and if you're using dried halfway, it will do. Next, pour your oil over the top of the herbs until they are completely submerged with at least an inch of oil above them. As the herbs sit in the oil, they may soak up some of the oil. If they do, add more oil to achieve that 1-inch gap. Before sealing your jar, add a piece of unbleached parchment paper between the top of the jar and the lid to minimize the oil's and lid's interaction, which can cause rusting. Now, one of the most essential parts…labels!! Trust me, do this now so you don't kick yourself later.

A good label will include the plant's common and Latin name, what it is (in this case, “herbal infused oil”), the date made, the location or company you got the herbs from, and the ingredients used so for example “olive oil and Everclear” or “olive oil.” Once your label is on, set the jar in a cool, dry, dark area, but put it somewhere you will see it because you’ll want to shake it daily. Wait 4-6 weeks (or longer), strain, and bottle. That’s it! Now you are ready to make your salve! 

There are faster methods to make herbal-infused oils, but it's essential to heat the herbs and oil very slowly and for an extended period if you do to ensure you do not burn the herbs. Taking the slower route often creates better medicine.

Making a Salve

Now that you have your oil, you'll need only a few more materials to make a salve. One of them is wax. Beeswax is typically used, but a vegan option could be carnauba wax, or a not-so-vegan version could be animal fat (which was traditionally used). I'll refer to beeswax for this recipe, but feel free to substitute where necessary. 

The other two supplies you'll need are a double boiler and your salve containers. If you want to add essential oils, wait til the end so the heat doesn't ruin them. Lavender is a good EO for wound healing. You can use a makeshift double boiler by placing a glass bowl on your pot. 

Once your double boiler is set up and the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the top portion.

1oz of beeswax + 1 cup of your oil(s) 

Mix and keep an eye on it until the beeswax and oil are fully melted and combined.

To check the consistency, once the wax and oil are melted together, take a spoon, scoop up a little bit, and stick it in the freezer. After a few minutes,s take the spoon out and feel your salve. You can turn off the heat and pour it into your salve containers if it's at your preferred consistency. At this point, you'll want to add your essential oils(s) as well. If not, add more beeswax or oil, depending on the consistency you want to achieve. Before lifting the top portion of your double boiler to pour into your containers, ensure all the water at the bottom drips off to avoid it falling into your containers and causing molding.

Allow the salve to harden in your jar. After a couple of hours, you should have ready-to-use salves! Label and store in a dark, dry, and cool area.

Herbs For Wound-Healing

Some words I may use about these herbs are vulnerary, styptic, and emollient. Vulnerary means to promote the healing of wounds, and herb to herb can vary in how it does this—styptic means to stop bleeding, usually due to an astringent action—emollient means soothing the skin, usually through a moistening action ( think aloe vera).

1. Calendula. Calendula officinalis 

When it comes to calendula's wound-healing actions, I often refer to it as an all-purpose herb. Calendula can do everything from burns to eruptive skin issues to cracked lips and diaper rash. When I speak of burns, it's important to note that these would be applied after the initial burn to promote healing, but putting oil on a fresh burn isn't a good idea. Dr. SharolTilgner'sr's book ‘Herbal Medicine From The Heart OF The Earth’ describes calendula as being great for wounds that will not heal. Calendula is antifungal, antibacterial, and mild styptic. The flowers of calendula are used.

2. Chaparral, Larrea tridentata

Growing abundantly, this is my favorite herb for fungal and bacterial infections. Chaparral is, overall, an excellent antiseptic. I've also seen it do wonders for bug bites! The resinous leaves of chaparral are typically best, but all aerial parts can be utilized. 

3. Yarrow, Achillea millefolium 

The ultimate styptic, yarrow, is an excellent herb for stopping bleeding. The genus Achillea was given to this plant because it is said that Achilles used yarrow to help his soldiers during battle. When paired with witch hazel and white oak, yarrow is also an excellent herb for hemorrhoids, bruises, and varicose veins. The Leaves and flowers of yarrow are used.

4. Plantain, Plantago spp. 

Plantago is an emollient plant used in herbal medicine. It soothes red, hot, irritated, and inflamed skin. Its drawing action is excellent for venomous animals, bug bites, and splinters. The seeds and leaves can be used. Fresh cold infusions or poultices are best, but they can also be turned into oil for salves.

5. Chickweed, Stellaria media

Chickweed is small and delicate but very powerful. It is an excellent cooling emollient for hot, irritated skin like plantain. All of its aerial parts can be used.

6. Comfrey, Symphytum officinale

Comfrey is a rapid wound healer that increases cell proliferation. However, to avoid trapping bacteria inside the skin, it is not recommended to use comfrey with wounds initially. Instead, the leaves can be used at the end of the healing process to speed things up.

Other herbs used in wound healing salves are lavender, thyme, and chamomile. For pain relief, one should consider using St. John's Wort, Ginger, meadowsweet, and cayenne pepper.

Happy Salve Making!