How to Make a Medicinal Herbal Oil
Healing herbal oils can easily be made at home from wild or organically grown, fresh medicinal plants at no cost except for the price of the olive oil. Herbal oils such as yarrow, plantain, chickweed, St. John's wort, and others are invaluable for external use in healing wounds and treating skin problems. By making your own infused oil, you can be sure that your ingredients are fresh and potent and harvesting your own herbs gives you a healing intimacy with nature.
Things You'll Need:
Extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
Clean, completely dry jar with wide mouth and tight lid
Saucer to place under jar
Sticky label and marker
Chopping board and knife (optional)
1
Identify and locate the plant you with to use to make your oil. A knowledgeable friend or a good field guide can confirm your identification if you are not intimately familiar with the species.
2
Harvest the plant, which must be absolutely dry on the outside when you gather it, to prevent the formation of mold in your oil.
3
Chop the plant into pieces. This step increases the surface area of the material for infusion, making the resultant oil slightly stronger, but it can be skipped.
4
Fill the jar with the plant matter, packing it down firmly but gently.
5
Fill the jar again with olive oil, all the way to the brim, cap the jar, and label it with the
date
and contents.
6
Let the jar sit in a dark place for six weeks, resting on a saucer to catch any overflow as the herb reacts with the oil, sometimes causing it to bubble. This action is normal. Every couple of days, open the lid and check the level of the liquid. Add oil back up the the brim if the level has gone down.
7
After six weeks, strain out the oil, squeezing the plant matter to get the last bits out. Store the oil in a bottle or jar, pouring some into a smaller bottle for easier use.
Tips & Warnings
This oil is for external use only.
Consult books such as Susun Weed's "Healing Wise" for information on selecting and using herbs for oils.
Any plant parts sticking out of the oil will tend to mold, so the herbs must be kept covered by oil.
Moisture will also cause mold, so every item involved, including plants, jars, and hands, should be kept dry. DO NOT WASH THE HERBS before putting them into oil.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2161920_medicinal-herbal-oil.html
Healing herbal oils can easily be made at home from wild or organically grown, fresh medicinal plants at no cost except for the price of the olive oil. Herbal oils such as yarrow, plantain, chickweed, St. John's wort, and others are invaluable for external use in healing wounds and treating skin problems. By making your own infused oil, you can be sure that your ingredients are fresh and potent and harvesting your own herbs gives you a healing intimacy with nature.
Things You'll Need:
Extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
Clean, completely dry jar with wide mouth and tight lid
Saucer to place under jar
Sticky label and marker
Chopping board and knife (optional)
1
Identify and locate the plant you with to use to make your oil. A knowledgeable friend or a good field guide can confirm your identification if you are not intimately familiar with the species.
2
Harvest the plant, which must be absolutely dry on the outside when you gather it, to prevent the formation of mold in your oil.
3
Chop the plant into pieces. This step increases the surface area of the material for infusion, making the resultant oil slightly stronger, but it can be skipped.
4
Fill the jar with the plant matter, packing it down firmly but gently.
5
Fill the jar again with olive oil, all the way to the brim, cap the jar, and label it with the
date
and contents.
6
Let the jar sit in a dark place for six weeks, resting on a saucer to catch any overflow as the herb reacts with the oil, sometimes causing it to bubble. This action is normal. Every couple of days, open the lid and check the level of the liquid. Add oil back up the the brim if the level has gone down.
7
After six weeks, strain out the oil, squeezing the plant matter to get the last bits out. Store the oil in a bottle or jar, pouring some into a smaller bottle for easier use.
Tips & Warnings
This oil is for external use only.
Consult books such as Susun Weed's "Healing Wise" for information on selecting and using herbs for oils.
Any plant parts sticking out of the oil will tend to mold, so the herbs must be kept covered by oil.
Moisture will also cause mold, so every item involved, including plants, jars, and hands, should be kept dry. DO NOT WASH THE HERBS before putting them into oil.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2161920_medicinal-herbal-oil.html
