[Herbalist] bruise salve

[Maggie MacDonald]

At 09:02 PM 2/5/03,foxryde said something like:
>--
>Has anyone actually ever made this concoction?

Yes, I've made it several times. The original article was written by Dame
Catherine deSteele, former head of my household (first laurel for herbalism).

>  What makes the oil and the
>alcohol stay mixed together - I don't see an emulsifier.

its not emulsified, so you shake it before use.

>I also don't see
>any preservative to keep the mixture from going bad (oil and water make a
>wonderful bacterial soup - my research doesn't support alcohol as a
>reliable buggie killer).

I've never had it go bad. There's quite a bit of alcohol, and quite a bit
of oil. Maybe its just not getting enough air for it to rot? I don't know,
but it hasn't gone icky.   I had a problem once during the fermentation
process with the SJW getting moldy, but it was salvageable.


>Comfrey root is for open wounds, the leaf is for bruises.  Arnica is
>wonderful for bruising but a very bad idea for open wounds, SJW for nerve
>pain.  I don't get why the witch hazel - where does one get the leaf?  It's
>a powerful astringent - has it's uses, again mostly for open wounds.  Black
>willow?  I can't even find it in my books - they all look at white willow
>with great respect for pain and such.

Yeah, it seems that black willow was common in the area that she lived when
she wrote the article. Since she has moved to the west coast, we've just
been using the white willow, which is what they have here.

>I have seen this kicking around the 'net for year and have never seen it
>actually made up.

The one thing that isn't in the article is the mention of a scenting
additive. I've used wintergreen (JUST A SMIDGE), and/or eucalyptus
oil.  Catherine has also suggested camphor, etc.


>I make just a simple infusion of herbs in olive oil that I sell as Weekend
>Warrior Balm tm.  If you want to just check it out, go to our web
>site.  There should be a link below or contact me directly off line.
>
>Ever questioning,
>Leonora

Questions are good, and recipes are never written in stone.  THey're always
a starting point to get to where you want to be.

Regards,
Maggie MacD.