CoSM Medicine

Medicina
1
Comfrey and Plantain
“Bug and Bruise” Salve
Comfrey is a biodynamic herb that is hugely beneficial
in fertilizing, soil mending and composting, and which
has a long history of use as a healing herb. It has a
high concentration of Allantoin, (one of the main
healing ingredients in Neosporin,) which speeds the
healing of surface wounds and has anti-inflammatory
properties. It has even been called “bone-knit” and is
believed to help speed the healing of broken bones
when applied topically near the break site.
Plantain is one of the most common wild herbs in
North America, and is likely growing in or near
your home right now! The younger leaves are tasty
and nutrient dense and can be eaten cooked or
raw. The leaves are rich in Tannins, which is
anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. The leaves
can be applied directly or used in a salve helps
heal sunburns, stings, insect bites, poison ivy, and
minor cuts. A salve containing Plantain can also be
warmed and used to treat sore muscles and joints.
Design : Unity - www.unitylifeavatar.ca
Envoy : Delvin Solkinson - www.gaiacraft.com
Source Text : Grace - grace@cosm.org
Please feel free to photocopy and share
More worksheets available freely at
www.gaiacraft.com
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License.
A salve is an ointment used to protect and heal the
skin. It is also one of the simplest medicines that you
can make at home, probably with things you already
have or can gather from your yard or surrounding
area. For my “Bug and Bruise Salve” I am focusing on
the healing properties of two native medicinal plants
that are powerhouses of healing: Plantain and
Comfrey.
Medicina
2
Comfrey and Plantain
“Bug and Bruise” Salve
strain the mixture through a muslin tea towel, or a
clean piece of fabric to remove the vegetable
matter.
This method can be used to infuse most any oil
with most any partially or fully dried herb. By
making the oil with dry herbs you remove the
need to add a preservative to the recipe or keep
the mixture refrigerated to prevent bacterial
growth.
Step Two: Making the Salve
Step One: Making a Herb Infused Oil
Pick enough Comfrey and Plantain to loosely fill your
jar with roughly 50% of each herb. For longest lasting
salve, allow the herbs to air dry for 24 hours to remove
excess water from the herbs so your oil will not go
rancid. Fill your clean glass jar with your dried herbs
and then cover them completely with your choice of
oils. Some skin friendly choices you can get at your
local health food store or supermarket are Olive Oil or
Avocado Oil. For our demonstration I will be using a
50/50 mix of these two oils, but in a pinch you can
make this recipe with almost any vegetable oil.
5 parts Herb Infused Oil
1 part Beeswax
Optional: Rosemary and/or Lavender Essential Oil
Combine Oil and beeswax in a double boiler over
very low heat and allow beeswax to melt
completely. Stir the mixture thoroughly to mix and
remove from heat. Pour mixture into small jars and
allow to cool completely before capping. Label
jars with ingredients and date made and they are
ready to use!
Design : Unity - www.unitylifeavatar.ca
Envoy : Delvin - www.gaiacraft.com
Source Text : Grace - grace@cosm.org
Please feel free to photocopy and share
More worksheets available freely at
www.gaiacraft.com
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License.
Now, you will let this mixture sit in a cool dark
cupboard for 4-6 weeks, turning the jar at least once
per week to mix it. Alternately, you can place this glass
jar in a pot of water on your stove on the very lowest
heat setting or in a crock pot of water on the low
setting for an hour, and then let the mixture rest for a
few days before it will be ready to use. Before use,