By 
I know that beginning to make your own infused herbal oils can be a little daunting at first but taking that first initial step into creating your own medicine is very rewarding. There are so many plants out there that we can use to help us to assist our bodies in healing. Today I want to talk to you about two of them that I use around the homestead. These are Plantain and Calendula.
Plantain is commonly found in most yards. Some people think of it as a weed and will kill it. The chickens and I think it is wonderful and it can freely grow in my yard.
Calendula on the other hand, I have been purchasing from a local health food store. They sell dried bags of dried flower petals. I am planning on growing it next year because I have learned that you want the whole flower bud when using it for medicine. The petals of the flower will work but it will be a weaker medicine.
Health Benefits of Plantain
- Is an astringent, which means that is helps to cleanse the skin, tighten pores, and dry out oils.
- Soothing
- Rebuilding
- Laxative effects
- Aids in digestion
Health Benefits of Calendula
- Soothing
- Helps new tissue form
- Heal minor wounds and skin ulcers
- Good to use to treat minor cuts and burns
- Research hints that it may offer protection against cancer since it contains beta carotene and other carotenoids.
How to Make Infused Oils
To make the herbal infused oils, I pack quarter pint size jars with the plant material that I want to infuse.
Then I will cover the plants with olive oil. Any pure plant based type of oil would work for this step such as sunflower, almond, etc. I like to use olive oil because it has a long shelf life.
I will then cover the jars and let them sit in a dark cabinet for six weeks up to several months. I will then strain the herbal infusion and label the containers. The leftover plant material will get fed to the chickens for a yummy snack.
The reason I was making these oils was to create a First Aid salve. The salve required plantain and calendula oil. I could have purchased the oils but it was easy enough to make them because I had the plants on hand. The part that takes the longest is waiting for the oils to be infused with the medicinal properties of the plants. Again, both of these infused herbal oils have great wound healing properties. I am excited to add both of these oils to the Herbal Medicine Cabinet and to make the First Aid salve.
Resources:
Brill, “Wildman” Steve and Evelyn Dean (1994). “Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places”. New York: HarperCollins.
Benn Hurley, Judith (1995). “The Good Herb”. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.