A 'Ranger" Salve and Brainstorming Projects

[turnip]

Greetings to all!
Okay, Turnip and I have been brainstorming on many different projects...

First, a salve that we have been making and using for many years - thought that others might be interested... will tell you the basics of making your own. This stuff has been great in many ways: we've used it for cuts and scrapes (nothing seems to get infected with this stuff - that's the oregano oil), for achy muscles (cayenne- circulation and pain relief), rashes of unknown character, chapped skin (especially in our cold winter air), etc. Our boo-boos seem to heal MUCH faster, and it seems to reduce scarring. (A couple of years ago, our dog got into a fight with another - she was basically shredded. Couldn't afford to take her to the vet, so cleaned everything up, packed all wounds with the salve, cleaned and repacked every day for about 2 weeks - it healed from the inside-out, NEVER had any infection, left no scars - Awesome!)

I am giving some amounts for a reference, but I usually make much bigger batches (we use A LOT, and I give much away). As the 'base', I use coconut oil - is readily absorbed into the skin, makes a good carrier oil. So for, say, 1 cup of coconut oil, I will add 10 drops (more or less) of PURE oregano oil (I don't use the diluted stuff found at most health/herb stores - I can give you the name of the outfit I get mine from ). The oregano is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, so kills off most nasties! I then add about a tablespoon of powdered cayenne pepper (the hotter, the better). The cayenne increases circulation in the area, which promotes faster/ better healing. Cayenne also has an accumulative pain relief. Often, I also add a little cayenne oil (usually make my own with peppers and olive oil). I also add about 1 tablespoon of wheat-germ oil - a natural vitamin E. Melt the coconut oil, blend everything in, stir frequently while the coconut is re-solidifying. Use often.

The great thing is, this stuff is all edible materials, so unless you have an allergy to some ingredient, it isn't going to hurt you! Well, will sting if you get it in your eyes, doesn't taste all that great... although our dog LOVES it and would eat it all!

If you have any questions, or are unable to make your own, let me know via the private message/reply. Will try to get some together for you.

Also working on a tent/shelter design - using tarps, of course... will put together, try it out, then maybe get Jenny (oops, I mean Turnip) to post pictures.

Also, does anybody else out there know about 'Buddy-Burners'? Made them a lot when in Scouts ( and since). Great emergency fuel source, easy to cook over, etc. (I can give you the how-to's on making those). However, I figured that those aren't really made with Middle-Earth or Arulean Ranger materials - will work on it, and keep you posted.

Meanwhile, protect and help others, take care of yourselves, in true Ranger fashion! Sindara (mom)

[turnip]

OH, CAUTION! MUST TELL YOU - do not use straight, undiluted oregano oil on your skin (or anything else)!!!!! It is extremely strong - will BURN tissues. That's why what you get at health/herb stores is diluted... By mixing the pure stuff into our salve, we are diluting it.
Sindara

[Eärendur]

Interesting. Are you going to post the website you get your materials from?

[turnip]

Greetings Earendur (and anyone else interested in this stuff)!

I purchase my oregano oil from "newdirectionsaromatics.com". Their prices are a little higher, but the oil is NOT diluted, and a little goes a long way. This is the purest oregano oil that I have found to date, and they have always sent an analysis with each order (of course, I also order this stuff by the liter). You can buy oregano oil from most health-food / herb stores, but it is usually diluted in a 12:1 ratio - 12 parts olive oil (most common), and 1 part pure oregano oil. Still works fairly well, but gets diluted even more when added with the other ingredients. The oregano oil is the stuff that 'kills off' the germs, bacteria, fungus, etc.

I usually pick up any organic coconut oil at the grocery store - currently am using Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

I try to get the hottest ground cayenne that I can find - usually from the local herb / health-food store. Your can use the ground cayenne from the spice aisle in the grocery, but it's probably pretty old, and therefore, may not work quite as well (but, it will help - have had to resort to this step before).

Wheat-germ oil - usually get this from the health-food store, also. (This stuff alone is wonderful for dry, itchy, or chapped skin - just rub it in - natural vitamin E).

Don't really need to add 'cayenne oil', but I just like the added beneficial olive oil, and MORE cayenne! I make my own: get fresh cayenne peppers, prick them several times each with a knife, pack peppers in a smallish jar (I use a pint), then fill with good olive oil. Let sit at least a week - longer is better. (In true old-crone tradition, I put mine together on the new moon, let it sit for a month-and-a-half, until the second full moon. I have used the cayenne oil after waiting two weeks, though - from the new moon to the next full moon).

The coconut oil has a low melting point, so just warm it up, remove from the heat source, then,add the other ingredients. Need to stir as it's cooling and solidifying again - otherwise the ground cayenne will all settle to the bottom. This stuff will melt again if in a warm room, hot car, backpack on a warm day, etc. Fine, if it is melted, you can just stir it up and put the liquid mixture on - a little on the runny side, but still works great.

I have never had a batch of this salve go bad, but that's because of the oregano oil (this stuff is definitely multi-purpose - IF you REALLY want to know, just send a note, and I will fill your ear (or in this case, page)!!!

If you use the 'pure' oregano oil, be careful in handling... will cause burns to skin and other tissues. If you need more info, just ask, I'll fill you in.

I am very glad to share this knowledge with you and others - the more that we can do for ourselves, the better. Take care, give me a 'holler' if you need to know more! Sindara

[Eärendur]

Interesting. How can you tell how pure/concentrated an essential oil is? Is it that 39.45% number on the page?

I'm asking because I found another site where the number is 62-69% - Does this mean it's more concentrated? (See it here: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/aroma/m-p.php)

[turnip]

Greetings Earendur!
Yes, that is the number that you need to look at - the carvacrol. Thanks for the latest info - I looked up my last order with New Directions, and the analysis sheet came back with a 67% on the carvacrol, BUT, you are right, the current number is the 39.45%! That is much lower than I have ever seen from their company (I wonder if they're getting their oil from a new area?). I do order quite a bit of stuff from Mountain Rose Herbs, and as their percentage is much higher at this time, guess my next order will probably be with them! Thanks again for the update!
Sindara

[herbcraft]

one consideration when using coconut oil is that while it's a great oil - stable, good penetration, and with healing virtues of it's own, its solidity is tempermental. So, depending on the preparation, what's solid sitting on a counter might be liquid on a hot day in a pack (or in your pocket... be wary of lip balm tubes, or hastily opening pocketed salve tins).

If you want to be period correct, animal fats make awesome salves. That could be lard or tallow; you can get pork fat cheaply from local, free range, not abused pigs in many places if you look up local farms on localharvest.org. Leaf lard gives a more neutral scent; keeping a low temp while rendering helps immensely, too. Animal fats penetrate better than any plant fat or oil I've used. A bit of beeswax firms up the consistency.

Mountain Rose Herbs is a great source for herbs (and as a company, they rock), unless you want to get them direct from growers/wildcrafters. I have a number of regional resources on my links page:
` http://www.herbcraft.org/links.html

then click on "Wildcrafters, Growers, and Medicine Makers…"

[turnip]

Greetings Jim!
Thank you so much for sharing your links page; I will be browsing it often! You are very correct - the coconut oil liquifies very easily, so care should be used when opening the container when melted (can be a big mess). Even when melted, the stuff works well. BUT, I will try using some animal fats - I suppose that the oregano oil will help keep it from becoming rancid? Would definitely be more 'period'. I LOVE Mountain Rose Herbs!!! - but most of the time try to use the herbs that grow in our area. For a few years, we lived in Browning, Montana; while there, I studied with Wilbert Fish - one of the medicine men of the Blackfoot tribe. As a result, it has become habit to respectfully ask the herbs for their help, conscientiously gather them, and then thank them when I'm done. I am allergic to almost everything pharmaceutical, so must use herbs (don't have the side-effects). I really don't know that much yet about herbs, but will probably spend the rest of my life learning about them and sharing. Thank you so much for your info, Jim!!!! Sindara

[Ringulf]

I thank you too Jim the links were both helpful and interesting and I got a chance to read through many of the stories.
It is good to see a community of herb conscious rangers developing here. I know very little about the subject but have always wanted to learn more.
My Grandmother was an herbalist and gardener and taught me many things.
I wish I had paid more attention then, but I shall have to study more now to honor her memory.
I look forward to more on these subjects from all of you folks!

[herbcraft]

Greetings Jim!
Thank you so much for sharing your links page; I will be browsing it often! You are very correct - the coconut oil liquifies very easily, so care should be used when opening the container when melted (can be a big mess). Even when melted, the stuff works well.

yup - efficacy isn't an issue, but I played around a lot with coconut oil trying to get a stable consistency for clients (who might be put off by stained clothing more than I am) but to no avail. Beeswax does help, but if it gets cold your salve can end up rock hard.

BUT, I will try using some animal fats - I suppose that the oregano oil will help keep it from becoming rancid? Would definitely be more 'period'.

It would seem like it should but I've not used it that way. Like you, I mostly collect what I use for myself and the people I work with (mostly wildcrafted, but I do grow some things). I don't use many essential oils, because while they're not impossible to make yourself, you need a still and a LOT of plant material. There's a wild bee balm (monarda fistulosa) that grows throughout much of the US and I use that where most people use various oil of oregano preparations. That, infused in oil/fat, isn't as strong as using oregano essential oil, but it's similar in effect.

For helping a salve keep, there are a few issues: How stable is your oil or fat? If you infused herbs into it, did you strain out the plant material well? Did you let it sit on a counter for a few days to let the water settle (if you infused fresh herbs)?

Many herbalist nowadays use vitamin e oil as a preservative... not really period. If you live in the southwest and have access to jojoba oil, you're set: it doesn't get rancid, and probably has the best penetration of any plant oil (well, actually it's a liquid wax). You can buy it, but it's pricey. Get organic (always).

Some native american tribes infused slippery elm mark into their fats: totally period. I have info on that here: http://www.herbcraft.org/slipperyelm.html

You can find old references from europe about using salves made from butter; you'd end up with a very stable product if you clarified the butter into ghee before infusing. A friend recently shared this with me, which infuses herbs in cream, then you make butter from the cream and use that as the salve: http://naturallysimple.org/living/2013/ ... ointments/

I LOVE Mountain Rose Herbs!!!

I know a lot of the people there. They're really super cool, awesome folk.

I really don't know that much yet about herbs, but will probably spend the rest of my life learning about them and sharing.

I still feel the same way...

It is good to see a community of herb conscious rangers developing here. I know very little about the subject but have always wanted to learn more.
My Grandmother was an herbalist and gardener and taught me many things.
I wish I had paid more attention then, but I shall have to study more now to honor her memory.

in much of america, a lot of knowledge was lost within one generation of people not taking the time to learn. Thankfully, the herb community here is one of the most vibrant in the world.

In addition to what's on my site, I have a slew of videos you can watch for free here:
` http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVtmlAxU ... AA064FB1D9

(I also have DVDs...)

Bringing this back around to Tolkien:

I think the first time I really felt badass as an herbalist was when I walked out from a bonfire into that dark and picked something by touch and scent. Total kingsfoil moment.

[turnip]

Greetings!
Wow! I've gotta get some slippery elm and try mixing with fats! Jim, thanks so much for sharing your garnered information! Going to sit down one night soon, and really look over all your info - a treasure of knowledge, I'm sure!

Aye, Ringulf - all too often, we miss golden opportunities... my grandfather was a man of the woods - had SO MUCH knowledge - wish that I had been able to spend more time picking his brain (and sharing in his great adventures)!

Jim, don't know if I'll ever be at that point - but your 'Tolkien kingsfoil' moment is so inspiring!

I want to thank everyone on this forum for their sharing - I (and my daughter, Turnip) am learning so much! Wish the rest of the world operated this way! Sindara

[Willrett]

great info thanks everyone. I would be interested in learning more. How long would something like this last? I think about the sword of truth books richard has some i believe alm based cream that he uses and seems to have the same container for the whole series which is over a year.

[herbcraft]

Oh: I left out a pretty significant salve preservative" balsam poplar (not balsam fir) buds. These are the sticky "cottonwood" buds that fall off the trees and stick to your feet, your cars, your dogs. These add a pain relieving effect to a salve, too, as they contain salicylates.

I've rarely had a salve go bad in a year. Stable oils and some or another preservative should ensure this. But salves are used often, and "going bad" is less an issue that "using up". Most of the time I go out camping or travelling, I don't take a lot of stuff with me - as long as I know I'll be in a somewhat familiar environment, I can forage for plants I need there, rather than carrying around a lot of glass bottles. But I always bring an all purpose salve. Handy stuff, that is. Other thing I usually take is propolis tincture, which is an awesome waterproof liquid bandage (well, except that as a resin it needs to be extracted in 95%/190 proof alcohol, and that means it can hurt like hell going on). It's awesome for scraped knuckles and small cuts and wounds. Keeps then sealed, prevents infection, and doesn't wash off.

[turnip]

Jim Herbcraft, Gi suilon!
I thank you again for your knowledge and sharing. Do you have classes that I could do online? Be kinda hard for me to get back into your territory.... I am very appreciative of any info you send this way. I am definitely a beginner on this herb path, but know that it works much easier with our bodies than the pharmaceutical stuff. Gur nin glassui! Sindara

[turnip]

Greetings Willrett! Like Herbcraft says, the salve is usually used before any chance of going bad. Nature gives us wonderful gifts, and if used correctly, are great blessings! I haven't read the 'Sword of Truth" books - guess that will give me something to do while holed-up this winter. Well, that, and chatting with everyone on the forum! A star to guide your path.... Sindara