Herbs used in Salve Making
Who loves a great salve?? This girl!! Salves are one of the most versatile items you can have in your stash of natural aids. I love to choose easy to grow, versatile herbs. This way your salves can be used for a myriad of applications. A few of my favorites are comfrey, plantain, mint, and calendula. These herbs are not only easy to grow in our climate, but also have many attributes that make them a great choice for a soothing or restorative salve. The comfrey plant is a plant that produces a large amount of material that can help to create an abundance of oils and salves. Comfrey contains allantoin which is an anti-irritant and is believed to have an effective application for wounds. It’s a demulcent that can moisturize the skin and has been used extensively for eczema and dermatitis.
One of the reasons plantain hits the top of the list for me is that it is so easy to find and takes little to no input to grow. This is a wild-growing plant (some even think it’s a useless weed) that is prolific in the south, among other places. You can find plantain in most yards or even cracks in the sidewalk. Plantain is edible, it’s considered a good source of fiber, and is commonly used fresh to apply to bee stings or ant bites. Using this plant in a salve makes its properties available year-round and mobile. I grow a variety of plantain called Turkish Plantain. It has the same properties as the plantain that grows wild but has a larger leaf that can produce an abundance of material.
Mint is a favorite of mine and many of my customers. Mint’s volatile oils not only have a great fragrance that is believed to relieve nausea, heartburn and allergy symptoms, it is also associated with sore muscle relief and can aid concentration. Mint is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. These qualities make it a notable choice for salves.
Calendula is most known for its effect on the skin. While comfrey is well-known as the powerhouse healing herb, sometimes deeper wounds need restored more slowly than comfrey has a reputation for doing. This is when calendula really hits the spotlight. Recently, it has become a popular, natural ingredient in cosmetics. Calendula’s flower petals are edible, although for the full medicinal benefit of this herb, you will need to use the entire flower head in herbal applications such as salves. Because of it’s antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, calendula makes an excellent choice.
If you are interested in learning more about salves, we will be offering a salve-making class at Sander’s Garden Center in Union in May. Details coming soon!
Jessica