Be Your Own Herbal
Expert - Part 6
Herbs in
Fat Bases
By Susun
Weed, the
Wise Woman Way.
In our first session we
learned how to "listen" to the messages of plant's tastes. In
session two we learned about simples and how to make effective
water-based herbal remedies. The third session helped us
distinguish safe nourishing and tonifying herbs from the more
dangerous stimulating and sedating herbs. Our fourth session
focused on poisons in herbs and entered the herbal pharmacy to
herbal tinctures, which we collected into an Herbal Medicine
Chest. Our fifth session found us still in the pharmacy,
learning how to make and use herbal vinegars for strong bones
and healthy hearts.
In this, our sixth
session, we remain in the herbal pharmacy and turn our
attention to herbs in fat bases. We'll explore fresh infused
oils, ointments, salves, and lip balms, essential oils, and
even herbal pestos.
HERBAL OILS: INFUSED
VS. ESSENTIAL
I make and use many infused
herbal oils. I use little or no essential oils. Why?
Infused herbal oils use a
small amount of plant material; essential oils require tons of
plant material. Infused herbal oils are safe to use internally
or externally; essential oils are poisonous internally and
problematic externally. Infused herbal oils are good for the
skin; essential oils can cause rashes, burns, and other skin
reactions. Infused oils are used full strength; essential oils
are diluted before use. Infused herbal oils have subtle scents;
essential oils have powerful scents.
The scent of an essential oil
can kill gut flora just like antibiotics do, according to Paul
Bergner, director of the clinical studies program at the Rocky
Mountain Center for Botanical Studies. He told me that
breathing the oils puts them into the blood stream very quickly
and can be a major disturber of intestinal health and
contributor to poor immune functioning.
Massage therapists are
embracing Natural Scent Therapies such as growing live aromatic
plants in their treatment rooms and using pillows of dried
aromatic herbs instead of essential oils. Their skin and their
immune systems are thanking them for the switch.
MAKING INFUSED HERBAL
OILS
To make an infused herbal oil
you will need the following supplies:
* Fresh
plant material
* Scissors or
a knife
* A clean dry
jar with a tight lid
* Some olive
oil
* A label and
pen; a small bowl
Harvest your plant material in
the heat of the day, after the sun has dried the dew. It is
best to wait at least 36 hours after the last rain before
harvesting plants for infused oils. Wet plant materials will
make moldy oils. To prevent this, some people dry their herbs
and then put them in oil. I find this gives an inferior quality
product in most cases.
Coarsely chop the roots,
leaves, or flowers of your chosen plant. Fill your jar
completely full of the chopped plant material. Add olive oil
until the jar is completely full. (Patience and a chopstick are
useful tools at this point.)
Tightly lid the jar. Label it.
Put it in a small bowl (to collect seepage and over-runs). Your
infused oil is ready to use in six weeks.
Fresh Plants That I
Use to Make Infused Oils
Arnica flowers (Arnica
montana)
Burdock seeds (Arctium
lappa)
Calendula flowers (Calendula
off.)
Comfrey leaves or roots
(Symphytum uplandica)
Dandelion flowers (Taraxacum
off.)
Plantain leaves (Plantago
majus)
Poke roots (Phytolacca
americana)
Spruce needles
St. Joan's wort flowers
(Hypericum perforatum)
Yarrow blossoms (Achillea
millefolium)
Yellow dock roots (Rumex
crispus)
USING YOUR INFUSED
HERBAL OILS
I use my infused herbal oils
to heal and ease the pain of wounds, bruises, scrapes, sprains,
burns, rashes, sore muscles, insect bites, and aching joints. I
make my infused oils into ointments, salves, and lip balms. I
use my infused oils in rituals, to anoint. I use my infused
oils after bathing, to moisturize. I use my infused oils as
stunning salad dressings. I use my infused oils as sexual
lubricants. I use my infused oils to nourish my scalp and
hair.
I apply my infused herbal oils
directly to the body. I rarely take infused herbal oils as
internal medicines although it would be safe to do so. I use my
infused oils to make salves, ointments, and lip
balms.
MAKING SALVES,
OINTMENTS AND LIP BALMS
When herbs are infused into
animal fat, they form a natural salve, without need of
thickening. But herbs infused into oils are drippy and leaky
and messy. They need a little beeswax melted into them to make
them solid. The more beeswax added, the firmer the oil will be.
A little beeswax will make a soft salve. A medium amount will
make a firm ointment. And a lot will make a stiff lip
balm.
* Pour one
or more ounces of infused herbal oil into a saucepan or double
boiler.
* Grate
several ounces of beeswax.
* Put a small
fire under your oil.
* When it is
slightly warm, add one tablespoon (more or less) of grated
beeswax.
* Stir,
preferably with your finger, until the beeswax
melts.
* Test the
firmness by dropping a drop on a china plate. It will solidify
instantly.
o Too soft? Add more beeswax, a little at a time.
o Too hard? Add more infused oil (if possible) or plain
oil.
* Pour your
finished salve or ointment into wide-mouthed jar.
* Pour lip
balms into little pots or twist tubes.
PESTOS
The simplest pesto is green
leaves pounded with salt and garlic. I don't put cheese or nuts
into my pestos when I make them, as these ingredients spoil
rapidly.
I use a mini-size food prep
machine for the "pounding". A blender will work too, but watch
that you don't burn out the motor.
The oil in a pesto both
preserves the antioxidant vitamins in the fresh green herbs and
also softens the cell walls so minerals become more available.
With the added health-benefits of garlic, herbal pestos are
great medicine as well as superb eating.
Basic Herbal
Pesto
Stays good for up to two years
in a cool refrigerator; up to five years in the
freezer.
* Start
with half a cup of extra virgin olive oil.
* Add 2-4
coarsely chopped cloves of garlic.
* Add a good
sprinkle of sea salt.
* Add a large
handful of prepared herb leaves and blend.
* Continue
adding leaves and oil as needed. Perhaps more garlic and salt?
Blend.
* When all is
blended to a fare thee well, pack your pesto into a skinny
jar.
* Leave some
space between the pesto and the top of the jar and fill this
with olive oil.
* Cap, label,
and refrigerate.
Green Herbs for
Pesto
Catnip (Nepeta
cataria)
Dandelion (Taraxacum
officinale)
Garlic mustard (Alliaria
officinalis)
Sheep sorrel (Rumex
acetosella)
Violet (Viola species)
Yellow dock (Rumex
crispus)
COMING
UP
In our next sessions we will
learn how to make herbal honeys and syrups, how to apply the
three traditions of healing, and how to take charge of our own
health care with the six steps of healing.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
ONE
Make three or more infused
herbal oils from different plant parts, such as leaves, roots,
and flowering tops. (See list for suggestions of plants to
use.)
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
TWO
Make several infused oils from
the same plant at the same time using at least three different
kinds of oils and animal fats, including ghee. Label carefully.
After six weeks, decant and compare.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
THREE
Make a salve, ointment, or lip
balm. Beeswax is sold at farmer's markets, health food stores,
and craft shops.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
FOUR
Treat at least three injuries
with an herbal oil or ointment that you have made. Record your
observations. Plantain, yarrow, calendula, or comfrey are good
choices for this experiment.
EXPERIMENT NUMBER
FIVE
Make an herbal pesto. (See
list for suggestions.)
FURTHER
STUDY
1. Buy a small
bottle of essential oil. Also buy the plant the oil is made
from. Lavender and mint are good choices for this experiment.
Smell the plant, then smell the essential oil. How do you feel
afterwards? Taste the plant, then taste a drop of the essential
oil? What do you perceive? Put a drop of the essential oil on
your skin; rub the plant vigorously on your skin. Are there
differences?
Extra credit: Make an infused oil of the same plant and repeat
this experiment using your infused oil in addition to the
essential oil and the plant.
2. Use organic
animal fat to make an herbal preparation. Keep the fat barely
warm - in the sun or by a pilot light - until it is infused. No
need to add beeswax. The fat will solidify at room
temperature.
ADVANCED
WORK
* Read
about the production of essential oils.
* How is a
hydrosol different from an essential oil?
* Can you make
a hydrosol? (Jeanne Rose is a good resource on
this.)
Legal Disclaimer: This content is
not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any
suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or
symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a
clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner
with a specific formula for you. All material contained herein
is provided for general information purposes only and should
not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a
reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical
care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second
opinion.
Study with Susun Weed in the
convenience of your home! Choose from three Correspondence
Courses: Green Allies, Spirit & Practice of the Wise Woman
Tradition, and Green Witch - includes audio/video tapes, books,
assignments, special mailings, plus personal time. Learn more
at The Wise Woman Center or write to:
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit Susun Weed at The Wise
Woman Center and Ash Tree Publishing ashtreepublishing.com
Vibrant, passionate, and
involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation
for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on
health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical
approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic
knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her
animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often
profoundly provocative.
Susun is one of America's
best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural
approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are
recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and
are used and cherished by millions of women around the
world.
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