Herbal Branch 29:
By request: Herbal cream recipe

I couldn't resist posting this photo. The kids were too cute the other night. It was Hailey's first time out and BOY did she take to it quickly. "Hey Dad, this is great! Free nany (candy) everywhere!"

Well, if you missed yesterday's Special Herbal Branch notice, click on the banner below. There is a free dandelion activity eBook and you can find out about our Herbal Teleconferences (our best free info offering yet! Jess Moore is next Wednesday!) AND keep updated on the latest in the Wildcraft! game delivery saga.

Remember, we are in HOLIDAY BRANCH MODE here, so we'll be sending you out top quality herbal info once a week until early December. We don't want to be information overkill, so just file 'em away for when you're ready.

Here's what we did...

We polled Herbal Medicine Making Kit users about WHAT THEY WANTED TO SEE US DO this month in Herbal Branches... and well, we listened...

Without further adieu, Branch Request Number 1:

How to Make an Herbal Cream, by Kimberly

The cold weather is definitely settling in here in Washington. We’re starting our mornings with a cozy fire in our woodstove, and are cooking warming soups and comforting casseroles for dinner. Inevitably, when the weather shifts like this, I start to dream of Thanksgiving feasts with family and friends and of holiday decorating and celebrating.

Will you be giving out some gifts this holiday season?  

Why not save yourself the stress and hassle of holiday shopping by giving your own hand-made herbal gifts this year? It’s a great way to put your budding herbal knowledge into practice, and something handmade will really be appreciated by your loved ones.

Here’s one great herbal gift idea for you.

Make your own lotion or herbal cream.

Recently, we made a simple chickweed lotion that came out beautifully. Lotions can be somewhat challenging since you are mixing oil and water together, so we suggest starting with a small amount and perfecting your formula and technique before jumping into a large batch for Christmas gifts.

The first thing to consider when making an herbal lotion or herbal cream is what oil you would like to use. We made ours with olive oil infused with chickweed and calendula. For a less greasy lotion you can choose almond oil or grapeseed oil as your base.

Infusing herbs in oil can be a six week long process, so if you want a quick batch of lotion, you may choose to use straight olive, almond, or grapeseed oil. If you don’t mind waiting a few weeks to experiment you will be able to get the healing power of the herbs in your herbal lotion or herbal cream.

We give detailed instructions about infusing herbs in oil in the Herbal Medicine Making Kit, since this is also an early step in salve making. There are also instructions for a faster method of oil making in the kit involving heating the herbs in oil if you are in a hurry.

If you are not yet a kit owner and would like some basic steps for making an herb infused oil, click here (takes you to bottom of this page).

Next, consider what sort of water you would like to use. You can buy distilled water or rose water or you can make and use a lavender infusion.  

We made a lavender infusion by putting one ounce of dried lavender in a quart mason jar, and then filling the jar with boiling water and allowing it to steep for 4 hours before straining out the lavender.  

You will also need beeswax and a few drops of an essential oil of your choice for added scent.

You can get all your herbal cream supplies at the same place we get ours. Right here.

Once your oil and water are prepared, and you’ve gathered your supplies, you can start making your lotion.

Let's get started...

Put your 1 cup of oil into a small saucepan or double boiler. Add 1 ounce of beeswax and heat until melted.

Pour this mixture into the blender and allow it to cool slightly. (It will become solid at room temperature, so five minutes of cooling is plenty. You don’t want it to solidify yet.)

Now, here’s the challenging part – mixing the oil and water. Start the blender on a low speed, and add six Tablespoons of distilled water, rose water, or lavender infused water while the blender is going.

Pour your mixture into jars or tins and add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice for added scent. (We used lavender essential oil). Once it’s fully cooled you will be able to check if you got a consistency you like.

If not, play with your amounts, the cooling time, the type of oil you use, until you get the cream or lotion you like.

We tried another lotion, using Rosemary’s Perfect Cream recipe from her book, Family Herbal, as a guide.

1. This time we mixed 2/3 cup lavender infused water with 1/3 cup aloe vera gel and 2 drops of lavender essential oil.

2. We then heated 3⁄4 cup Calendula infused olive oil, 1/3 cup cocoa butter and 3⁄4 ounce of grated beeswax until melted.

3. We put the oil mixture in the blender and then added the water mixture while the blender was running.

4. Adding a few drops of vitamin E can also help to preserve your lotion. You can also just use your lotion up in the first couple of months or store it in the refrigerator to help preserve it.

5. Finally, you can add more types of oils like cocoa butter or coconut oil, and other watery substances like aloe vera gel.  

Herbal cream for pain relief.

We specifically got a request for pain relief lotion. There are essential oils you can add, such as lavender, eucalyptus, camphor or clove. They all have pain relieving qualities.

You could also use cottonwood oil (not essential oil) as the base. Click here for that. St. Johnswort Oil would be great if it was related to nerve pain. See this page.