Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
When it comes to salve, I much prefer one that will work for nearly all situations and challenges the skin may encounter. This simplifies things considerably! Everyone knows exactly what to grab and use when a skin problem crops up. It also keeps your medicine cabinet free of unnecessary tubes and jars that are confusing to sort through.
A couple of years ago, I tried a comfrey salve that functions in this manner. I originally purchased it from a local herbalist-in-training and over time, have found it to be the most effective salve I have ever tried.
My family and I have discovered that this comfrey salve works so well that we basically don’t use anything else when we have a skin problem, whether sunburn, bruise, insect bite, windburn, mild rash, or a kitchen scalding. In fact, anytime I bump or burn myself, I get this salve on the area as fast as possible as more often than not, it will prevent any sort of bruise or burn from forming.
Once I scalded about one-third of my hand as I was straining bone broth from the stockpot. I thought for sure my hand would be burned for weeks and possibly even scarred. I can’t even begin to describe how much it hurt.
Fortunately, I put a generous amount of this comfrey salve on it fast and kept reapplying until the pain subsided (which took a while). Would you believe, the skin never turned that beet red/purple color that usually indicates a bad burn. What’s more, the skin never even peeled.
Unfortunately, my herbalist friend is no longer making her homemade creations, so I’ve had to learn to make this comfrey salve myself. Fortunately, she generously shared her recipe with me so I can make and continue to use it. This turned out to be a good thing, as it is super easy to do even if you have little to no experience using herbs medicinally.
Why Comfrey for a Salve?
Used for millennia to help heal burns, sprains, bruises, and even slight bone fractures, comfrey contains allantoin which is thought to speed up the production of new cells. It’s also known as knitbone. Even its Latin name, symphytum, is derived from the Greek, “symphis”, meaning growing together of bones, and “phyton,” meaning plant.
Other Important Herbs
The healing power of comfrey to the skin and connective tissues is enhanced by five other herbs contained in this salve recipe.
- Echinacea both in its root (more potent) and leaf form is included to provide natural antibiotic properties.
- Yarrow flower also helps counter infection, stop the pain and encourage rapid healing particularly with sunburn and kitchen burns.
- Rosemary leaf brew is an effective wash for the skin and wounds of all kinds. It also acts as a natural preservative for the salve.
- Plantain leaf, when included in an ointment, helps to counter stings, stop itches, heal wounds, and relieve pain.
- Calendula flower is included because it is useful on all external skin problems and injuries but especially those that are red, tender, and oozing. This helpful herb will also help to heal burns, bruises, and sprains. Calendula decreases swelling, clears infection, speeds tissue regeneration, and prevents scarring.
Making Your Own Salve is Easy!
While you are welcome to include any other herbs you feel would be helpful in an all-purpose salve, the ones listed above are the ones I have found to be super effective. As I mentioned before, this comfrey salve is the only one we currently use in our house for anything skin related.
It also works as a mild herbal antifungal as well.
The recipe below makes about 2 cups of herbal salve. You only need to make a batch every few years. It lasts a long time! It also makes great gifts if you divide it up into small jars to give away to friends and family.
Prefer to Buy?
There isn’t anything commercial on the market that can compare to homemade. However, if you just don’t have the time to make your own comfrey salve, you can buy a couple of similar ointments on the market.
My Mother-in-Law swears by Christopher’s Complete Tissue & Bone ointment which contains a generous amount of organic comfrey. In addition, this brand of comfrey creme will produce good results. Another excellent remedy for bug bites and bruises that costs pennies is old fashioned Witch Hazel.
Herbal Salve Recipe with Comfrey
All purpose medicinal herbal salve containing 9 helpful herbs including comfrey for all types of skin problems including rash, kitchen burns, sunburn, bruises, insect bites, dry/chapped skin etc.
Ingredients
- 3 oz Comfrey leaf preferably organic
- 3 ox Plaintain leaf preferably organic
- 3 oz Calendula flower preferably organic
- 3 oz White Yarrow flower preferably organic
- 3 oz Rosemary leaf preferably organic
- 3 oz Echinacea purpurea root preferably organic
- 3 oz Echinacea purpurea leaf preferably organic
- 3 oz St. John's Wort preferably organic
- 3 oz Lavender flower preferably organic
- 2 cups Extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil
- 6 oz beeswax preferably organic
Instructions
-
Fill non-BPA lid mason jar two-thirds full of the herb mix above in roughly similar amounts. This is about 3 ounces by volume for each herb.
-
Gently liquefy the oil if necessary (coconut oil liquefies at 76 F/24 C).
-
Add the oil until it fills the mason jar. Leave one inch at the top. Screw on the lid tightly.
-
Keep on low heat (be very careful not to boil the oil as it needs to be hot to infuse the herbs, but never boiling) for 72 hours. As water evaporates, add more water to maintain the proper level. Enjoy ... your kitchen will smell lovely as the herbs release their medicinal properties into the oil.
-
After 3 days, the oil will be darkened and ready to use. Strain out the herbs using a cheesecloth or an old white cotton shirt. The comfrey infused oil may now be used as is for a wonderful massage oil.
-
To transform the oil into a salve, you need to add beeswax (get it here). Depending how much oil you have once the herbs are strained out, add 3 ounces/85 grams of grated beeswax (or beeswax pastilles) for every cup of oil. Warm the mixture together in a medium sized pot on low heat until the wax is melted. Stir gently to distribute the wax evenly. Add a drop of Vitamin E oil or wheat germ oil per 1 ounce/28 grams of oil if you desire additional natural preservative effect beyond what the rosemary provides.
-
While the salve is still warm, pour into your containers of choice (I prefer these).
-
Let the containers sit until the oil hardens. Screw on the lids and be sure to label and date each one.
More Information
How to Prepare an Herbal Infusion
Traditional Remedies for Modern Families
How to Make a Vinegar Compress for Bruises and Sprains
Bruise Easily? Here’s the Nutrient You Need
Wise Woman Herbal by Susun Weed
Helen, you’ve probably already found a supplier for dried herbs, but for the benefit of others in NZ who might come across this, there’s herbalshop.co.nz/category/33.
Their pricing does seem a bit excessive, so I’d be shopping around for better prices…there’s also australherbs.com.au – they’re based in NSW but they DO deliver to NZ and their prices, including postage, might turn out to be cheaper than the NZ one I’d listed.
Can this salve be used on itchy dog?
I’ve started making this with all fresh herbs! Am I too late to save all that oil? And those herbs from my garden?
Would this be a good treatment for heat rash?
Hi Sarah , I would like to make some comfrey ointment using root powder
I’m thinking it would be more potent than using leaves ..
if you agree would you kindly send me a recipe
HI, Do the herbs need to be fresh or dried? I would love to make some right away, but am sure I can’t get the fresh herbs for this salve.
Dried herbs as indicated in the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe.I plan on making this very soon, as my 3 super active kids get boo boos on a daily basis. One question though, can we add more herbs to the recipe?Something like lavender flowers,goldenseal,myrrh,lobelia,skullcap,mullein ,slippery elm (any or all,and how much).
Recently I made people’s paste and somehow I am not vey impressed by it.I applied it in a burn on my stomach and did not see any difference between the paste and the honest company healing balm mixed with organic lavender essential oil.
I have close to 40 types of herbs as of right now, all organic and each in a 1 lb weight,so a lot of herbs that need to be used.
I am confused…Do I fill the lid 2/3 full with the dried herb mix and then add to jar, or do I fill the jar 2/3s full? The instructions make it sound like I should use the lid as a measure, but seems to me to be a very small amount of herbs to oil ratio.
Fill the jar two-thirds full. What meant was choose a mason jar that has a nonBPA lid. Sorry to not be clear on that point!
So in your direction to say to put 3oz of each herb into a masonjar. What size jar are you useing?, cause these no way to fit 3 dry oz of each herb into a quart size jar. Are you using the 3 liquid oz measure measurements on the jar as you guide. Also 2 cups is not enough liquid to cover 1oz of each herb let alone 3oz.
I’ve measured it out carefully and it works fine for me. Not sure what else to tell you.
Can you use this comfrey salve for eczema.
Yes you can but remember to check your diet for the top 8 triggers as treating it externally alone won’t be sufficient in the long run. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/eczema-and-diet-top-food-triggers/