Spring finally has arrived in my world, which means my herbal harvesting has begun. I have anxiously awaited the dandelions blooming so I could make more muscle salve. A dandelion salve is one of the earliest herbal things I would make with confidence. Salves are a wonderful gateway herbal for anyone who wants to start learning about making their own plant medicine. I like to call salves “sturdy herbals.” They are simple to make at home and last indefinitely as long as they stay clean.
Dandelion Salve starts with picking the flowers. Don’t worry about “how” to do it correctly. Just pick the flowers when they first open and pinch off any stems. Work fast, the blossoms don’t like to sit around before they start to decay.
Once you pick what you want, go to a comfortable spot and get an empty jar, a pair of scissors and a little bit of patience. 🙂
Cut the bottoms (officially the receptacle) where all the petals meet-where they fade to white, and place the yellow petals into your glass container. I use a quart canning jar. Fill the jar with your dandelion petals(don’t worry if a little bit of green gets in with them. It doesn’t matter) and then pour your choice of of oil over the petals until they are completely submerged. I like olive oil or sweet almond oil. Stir the petals and oil to release any trapped air and ensure the petals are completely mixed with the oil.
In your slow cooker, place the glass jar filled with your dandelion/ oil mix. Add a couple inches of water to the slow cooker and heat on low for at least 4 hours. I cover my jar with something breathable; a coffee filter works great.
After your 4 hours are up, turn off the heat and allow your infused oil to cool. When it’s a comfortable temperature to handle, strain the petals out of the oil using a fine mesh strainer. This bright yellow oil is now ready to make use as is or to make into salve.
Now, it’s only a matter of adding beeswax to make the infused oil into a more portable (sturdy) herbal remedy. You could simply use the oil as is, but if you are anything like me, I spill things ALL the time, so creating a salve is best.
My ratio of oil to wax varies with the season. I use more wax in the warmer months because the sun’s heat makes things melt. Adding additional wax makes it a balm, but that is simply semantics. They both contain the same ingredients, just more wax to create a firmer product. When making your recipe, place a small dish in the freezer. When you have all of your ingredients melted together, drop a couple of drops onto your cold dish to harden quickly. Then test to see if it is thick enough. You can easily add more wax if needed at that point.
Ration of Wax to Oil for Salve or Balm
1/4 cup beeswax + 1 Cup infused oil = Salve
1/4 cup beeswax + 3/4 Cup infused oil = Balm
Now that you know how to create a basic salve, it’s time to get even more creative and make it your own by adding different butters, Essential Oils, different infused oils, to make it unique!
Tips:
- EOs will evaporate with heat, so allow your base to cool before stirring them in.
- Add in different butters as desired, but keep the final measurements the same; 1 cup of infused oil and butters together.
- Adding butters will change how much wax you need, so test a few drops and check before pouring.
