[Herbalist] Re: Immediate Help Needed for Holiday Presents

[Dianaim]

Well, as I stated in my previous email, I am a complete novice.  This was my
very first project that needed to be "cooked".  If anyone has any further
suggestions to this recipe, steps and/or hints that I have included here,
please by all means speak up.  I am always interested in new ideas and would
like to become much better at herbalogy.

I actually combined two recipes, one from the Herbalist Anteorra
list(Isamin's), one from the SCA-Herbalist list(Johanna's) and added some
suggestions from my local herb shop(in Massachusetts). Here is what I did.

1 1/2 cups calendula flowers (pot marigold-dried)
8 oz pure Lanolin
6 oz Almond oil
1/2 cup Comfrey leaves (dried)
1 oz Arnica flowers (dried)
1 cup Juniper berries (dried & crushed)
1 oz or more beeswax to thicken

Put all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1
hour. Strain the mixture into a glass container and place into the
refrigerator for about 15 minutes plus. Once it starts to harden, check the
consistency.  If too hard add oil, if too soft, add beeswax in small
quantities.

When it is the right consistency, reheat to a liquid form slowly (double
boiler is the best way to do this).  While the liquid is reheating add:

10 drops/2 oz container - Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops/2 oz container - Red St. John's Wort

to each container that you are using for the final product.  Add the liquid
herbal mixture to the containers and stir gently with a wooden chopstick or
the like to mix in the essential oils.  Let cool then cover.

I increased the recipe to 12 oz Lanolin and 8 oz Almond oil and ended up
with 11 - 2 oz containers to give away as gifts (and of course 1 went to my
husband for being such a good guinea pig).

You can add cloves(to improve the smell) and/or bay leaf (1 cup dried -
Anthimus nobilus) to the mixture.  It will change the scent, but I am not
sure about what it will do as far as staining goes.

Now for some preparation advise. As this being my very first project, I can
tell you that this advise is from my personal experience (and too many hours
cleaning up my mess!)

I used cheesecloth to strain the herbal mixture.  I do not recommend this.
If you have some type of press (the herb shop suggested a ricer over a metal
strainer) USE IT.  The mixture is very hot and will burn you (almost did to
me).

Put down newspaper in your working area and use some type of gloves when
handling the hot mixture.  It will make clean-up easier and will prevent the
liquid lanolin from getting all over you, your kitchen counters and anything
else that might be in the way. Dawn dishwashing liquid and  hot water (as
hot as you can stand) will cut through the greasy film that is left on your
tools, hands, counters, stove, etc.

Hope that this is easy to understand and that it works well for you.

Dianaim

-----Original Message-----
From: herbalist-admin at ansteorra.org
[mailto:herbalist-admin at ansteorra.org]On Behalf Of Tricia Emery
Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2002 10:15 AM
To: herbalist at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Herbalist] Re: [SCA-Herbalist] Immediate Help Needed for
Holiday Presents


--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

Would you mind possibly sharing the recipe for the "bruise butter"?  There
is a very popular "bruise juice" down here, but it is a liquid and tends to
stain....  Yours sounds much nicer!
Jessimond

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to thank everyone who came to my aide with their suggestions.
I have made 11 - 2 oz containers of bruise butter using Almond oil in place
of the coconut oil. My husband has tested the bruise butter and says that it
is as smooth as butter and absorbs nicely into the skin. Not bad for the
very first item that I have tried that needed to be cooked.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Dianaim



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