Salve and infused oil
A salve is essentially a plant extract in fat, thickened with wax just enough to stay spreadable. The detour through oil has a reason: part of what is interesting — the red hypericin of St John’s wort, the triterpenes of calendula — is fat-soluble and does not pass into water at all.
How it is done
- Make an infused oil: cover dried herb with a good plant oil (olive, sunflower or almond).
- Cold method: three to four weeks on a windowsill, shaken daily. Warm method: two hours in a water bath at no more than 60 degrees.
- Strain through a cloth and press well.
- For the salve, melt eight to ten parts infused oil with one part beeswax in a water bath, depending on the firmness you want.
- Test it: put a drop on a cold plate. Too soft — add wax; too firm — add oil.
- Pour into clean, scalded jars, let them cool open and only then close them, otherwise condensation collects and the salve spoils.
What this form suits
Fat-soluble constituents: resins, carotenoids, essential oils, the naphthodianthrones of St John’s wort. Calendula, comfrey, arnica, St John’s wort and chamomile are the classic salve plants.
Where it ends
Use dried herb only. Fresh material brings water into the infused oil, and water in fat means mould and bacteria. Home-made salves are not sterile and do not belong on open wounds, fresh surgical scars or inflamed skin. Test a small patch on the inner forearm before first use — calendula, arnica and chamomile are daisy-family plants, and a proportion of people react allergically. Arnica does not belong on broken skin. St John’s wort oil makes the skin light-sensitive; keep out of the sun afterwards.
Storing it
Kept cool and dark, a home-made salve lasts about six to twelve months. Always take it out with a clean spatula, not a finger. A rancid smell means throw it away.
Plants used this way
37 plants in this database have at least one documented use in this form. Not on this list: toxic and legally controlled species — and, for plants carrying a caution, any internal use resting on folklore alone. Everything remains reachable through the search and the plant index.
Pure leaf gel or ointment containing Aloe vera gel applied externally to cool and moisturize minor burns, sunburn, small skin irritations, and dry…
Folk medicine salve with marshmallow root for dry, irritated or cracked skin, eczema and scabs.
Arnica ointment or gel (standardised on sesquiterpene lactones, typically 0.5-1 % helenalin derivatives or equivalent to 15 % tincture in ointment…
Classic home-remedy salve for bruises and minor wounds — the gentler sister of arnica, traditionally also used for children.
Historical birch tar ointment from bark distillate for psoriasis and eczema — folk and historical-dermatological; modern equivalent is PAH-free bet…
Alongside cough, the EMA also lists localised muscle pain as a traditional use — as a diluted rub.
Borage seed oil is largely PA-free (unlike the herb) and rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).
Classic calendula ointment for care of minor skin wounds, abrasions and irritated skin patches.
Capsaicin-containing preparations from cayenne or other hot Capsicum cultivars have been used in folk medicine for centuries externally for muscle…
In folk medicine, capsaicin-rich Habanero or Scotch Bonnet fruits are used similarly to cayenne (C.
The classic folk use: a cooling, soothing salve for itching, soreness and various skin complaints.
In a randomised double-blind trial a cream containing Fumaria officinalis and silymarin showed improvement of the SCORAD score in mild to moderate…
Folk medicine tradition in parts of Europe: root extract externally for skin conditions, fistulas, and abscesses.
External salve or cream with expressed juice for superficial wounds, abrasions and mild skin inflammation — EMA traditional use.
Beech bark extract was used in folk healing in antiseptic ointments or oil preparations for skin rashes and toothache.
Traditionally, an ointment-like preparation of fresh plant juice and butter was used for scalds, swellings, and skin rashes.
Traditional external use to support wound healing and for minor skin inflammation.
Mullein flower oil macerated in oil is a well-known folk household remedy formerly used for earache and irritated skin.
A leaf-based salve is traditionally used to care for minor skin damage and irritated skin.
Witch hazel ointment / cream (EMA-recognised) for minor skin inflammations, itching, bruises and haemorrhoid complaints — a classic pharmacy skin r…
Traditional external use as red oil for minor skin inflammations (sunburn) and minor wounds.
Traditional chamomile salve or cream for inflammatory skin conditions, atopic eczema flares, wound healing and dry skin — alpha-bisabolol as key ac…
Haemorrhoidal complaints and varicose veins (topical salve)
Traditional topical use for minor wounds and small boils (skin sores).
Extra virgin olive oil as skin care and salve base — emollient, re-fattening; traditionally for dry skin, wound care and infant skin care.
Spruce resin salve: the resin (pitch) is dissolved in fat or oil and used as a wound salve, furuncle poultice, or rubefacient for back and joint pain.
Bud salve from Populus buds (often Populus nigra or hybrids; also aspen buds in folk medicine) contains resinous phenyl glycosides and flavonoids,…
Some folk medicine traditions use lungwort extract in a fatty base topically for skin irritations, rough skin, and minor wounds.
Quince seed mucilage is incorporated into salves and creams for external use on cracked skin, sore nipples, and minor burns.
Sea buckthorn pulp oil in salve base for inflamed skin, mucous-membrane inflammation and folk-medicinally for stomach ulcers — high carotenoid prof…
Houseleek salve from leaf juice combined with beeswax or lard is used in folk medicine for eczema, warts, corns, and irritated skin.
Blunt trauma: bruises, sprains, strains
Traditional Indigenous and folk use of Thuja leaf pastes and salves in North America: Ojibwe, Algonquian and other First Nations used infusions and…
Oil macerate from flowers and leaves as a base for salves for skin problems.
Turmeric paste applied externally — folk remedy for skin inflammations, eczema and minor wounds in Ayurveda and Asian folk medicine.
Bark powder or extract of field elm was processed into ointments and creams in folk medicine and applied externally for skin eczema, skin rashes, a…
Folk oil salve from wild pansy herb for dry scaly skin, eczema and minor wounds — soothing and emollient action from mucilage content.