In Part 1, you learned how to make a tincture of Jewelweed to be used (on the skin only ~ remember it is toxic to ingest!) in treating poison ivy. Now we are going to make an oil which you can turn into a salve, use in a soap etc. The process is very similar.
You will need to let your Jewelweed dry a bit more than you did for your tincture. If you have moisture in your plants, your end product can mold. So, let it sit for several more days. Then you will cut or tear the Jewelweed up and loosely fill a canning jar with the plant material
I’ll be adding a few more leaves and flowers to this jar to fill in the spaces – not packed but loosely filled.
I like to use olive oil because it has a longer shelf life but you can use any oil you like. You will be heating this oil in a stainless steel, ceramic or glass pot – never aluminum or copper! You will need to heat enough oil to cover the plant material.
The oil needs to be very hot to the touch but not hot enough to burn you. Pour the oil over the plant material, cover and let sit at least a day or two. I let mine sit until I need to use it – usually well over a month but you don’t need to wait that long.
When you are done your jars should look like this….
When you are ready to use your oil, you will place a stainless steel strainer (not plastic or aluminum!) into a glass, stainless or ceramic bowl and pour the contents of your jars through sterilized cheese cloth. Be sure to wring all of the wonderful oil out of the plant material. It may appear a little cloudy…this is fine…you just don’t want plant material in your oil.
Now that you have the oil…what are you going to do with it? You can leave it as an oil to apply to poison ivy, you can add beeswax to the oil to turn it into a salve, and/or you can add essential oils to it for additional healing properties!
If you decide to add beeswax to make a salve, the general rule is 1/4 cup beeswax to 1 cup of oil. (If you like a “softer” salve, add less beeswax. If you like a “stiffer” salve, add more beeswax.) Let the beeswax melt and make sure to stir well to combine. Since poison ivy involves inflamed skin, blisters and open wounds (when the blisters pop) I recommend a softer salve. You don’t want to have to be pushing down on poison ivy to administer a salve! Ouch! Start with less beeswax and work your way up until you like how the salve feels. I test the softness of the salve by dipping a spoon in the warm oil and setting it on a plate until it cools. I can tell by touching it if it is as soft or stiff as I want.
I also add essential oils that reduce and alleviate discomfort. Remember just a little essential oil goes a long way. I add my essential oils after I get my salve just the way I like it and after I have turned off the heat – you don’t want to “cook” your essential oils! Again, mix them thoroughly.
Now, pour your warm oil into the container of your choice ~ no plastic or aluminum please! Let cool and label. I know you think you will remember what it is…trust me on this…make a label!
Ask. me. how. I. know.
Be sure to research any essential oils you are thinking of using to make sure that they can be used on rashes or on broken skin….and check to make sure there are no adverse warnings listed for your purposes!
Herbal medicine is a lost art in our society today but we can reclaim this wonderful tool! If you are interested in learning more about making your own medicine, you might be interested in attending a class here on the farm to learn how to make your own herbal remedies. Or perhaps, if you aren’t local, you would like to purchase my Medicinal Herb Course.
Either way you take it, the course covers all the basic forms of herbal remedies from tinctures to poultices and it also covers 10 basic and easy to find herbs. You will find lots of recipes and also receive a private email address so that you may ask me as many questions as you like for 30 days! I have tried to make the course very simple and straight forward…the feedback from my students has been very positive as you can see below:
M.S. writes: My favorite herb resource is your course, of course! (I know you mentioned it in your list, but I thought I’d add my appreciation for it here.)
My mother has 8 or 10 books on medicinal herbs, at least one of which you mentioned in your post, I think (same author, anyway). She’s hardly looked at them, even though she wants to learn from them. I think she probably has the same problems with them that I have. I’ve looked through some of them numerous times, only to put them away, feeling at a loss for where to begin. I didn’t even know what herbs to buy or collect, where to buy or collect, etc. And I am immediately turned off by the mysticism influence so prevalent in some of them.
Starting from the vantage point of zero knowledge, I needed more direction. Your course offered that, focusing on herbs that address normal family needs in the course of any given season or year and that can even be grown or collected here. The 10 herbs you cover hit many of our needs: colds, coughs, headaches, exczema (Is that spelled correctly? Too lazy to check!), bug bites, etc.
And as I’ve said in recent posts, I’m making good use of some of those herbs now!
Personally, I’m hoping you continue to put out more courses along the same line, or add supplements to this one, with more herbs, so I can continue to learn in such a practical, easy-to-use, and very applicable way.
Thanks for all your work on the course, Cheri!
Let me know if y’all have any question on making Jewelweed Salve or on my course. I am preparing to teach another Medicinal Herb class here on the farm this fall…dates coming soon!
Blessings!
The Essential Herbalist 
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