| Do you remember the wonderful world of the Watkins | | | | Basic Recipe: |
| Man coming by your home, showing you all these | | | | 1 cup herbally infused oil |
| wonderful salves and remedies and other marvelous | | | | 1 — 2 oz. Beeswax |
| things? Have you ever wished you could find the | | | | 10 capsules Vitamin E Oil |
| Watkins Man and buy some of those salves? A good | | | | ½ tsp. each tea tree and lavender essential oils |
| Herbal Healing Salve would be a marvelous thing to | | | | In a small pan, gently heat the herbally infused oil and |
| have around for all the little cuts and scrapes that one | | | | beeswax until barely melted. Cut or poke the vitamin E |
| gets into around the house. Soooooo — what if | | | | capsules open, and squeeze the vitamin E oil into the |
| you could make your own? What if it was | | | | beeswax/oil mixture. Remove from heat, and add the |
| easy? What if it might be even better than the | | | | essential oils. Pour a tiny amount of the salve mixture |
| Watkins variety? | | | | onto waxed paper or into a container to cool. Test it |
| I'm not really sure what I’d do without my | | | | for thickness — if you’d like it to be |
| multi-purpose homemade healing salve. I use it on | | | | harder, add more beeswax. If you’d like it to |
| gardening-inflicted sunburns, cuts and abrasions, on | | | | have a thinner balm, add more oils. |
| martial arts blisters, the grandson’s chapped | | | | When you’re satisfied with the consistency, |
| cheeks and hands, insect bites when we’re | | | | pour the balm into clean, sanitized jars and let cool. This |
| wilderness camping or gold panning, and the | | | | all-purpose salve can be used for cuts, scrapes, |
| dog’s scrapes and scratches. Herbal healing | | | | splinters, diaper rash, burns, rashes, or for dry skin. |
| salves are gentle, soothing balms made from natural | | | | To make a herbally infused oil: |
| herbal ingredients. | | | | In a saucepan, combine dry herbs and a vegetable oil |
| Here’s something everyone can do, quickly and | | | | (we like extra virgin olive oil, but just about any kind will |
| easily, at home, with no special skills. | | | | do). Specific proportions are not important — |
| Generally speaking they’re safe to use on kids, | | | | use a few generous handfuls of herbs and use |
| pets and people. They are naturally soothing and | | | | enough oil to cover them. Heat over lowest possible |
| healing. In this sample recipe, herbally infused oil is | | | | heat for several hours — three minimum, we |
| chock-full of natural healing powers. | | | | usually try for 12 or 15. |
| Vitamin E oil contributes antioxidants and | | | | Alternatively, use a crock-pot on the low setting. |
| wound-healing abilities. Tea tree oil (Melaleuca oil) | | | | Strain out the herbs and use your herbally infused oil to |
| provides anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal | | | | make balms, or as a massage oil, bath oil, or as a |
| properties. And lavender essential oil works it’s | | | | great winter moisturizer. |
| magic on burns and adds soothing aromatherapy. | | | | |