Today let’s put something together for those brave souls willing to advance into salve making.  Over the years many of our members have asked for a good set of directions.

The Salves made by HEAL are done by extracting the properties of the herbs into extra virgin olive oil then hardening the oil with a bit of bees wax.  The salves can then be used to saturate the area needing support with the herbal nutrients by way of the skin.  Drinking a supporting herbal extract in water or juice three to five times a day will work in addition to the salve to aid in clearing the condition.

To begin the process one will need three equal amounts of the herb or herb mix to be extracted into the olive oil.  The larger the amounts of herbs the more salve you will be able to make.  Three 8 oz portions of herbs will extract into around 70 ounces of the olive oil.  The three packs of herbs will be extracted one after the other into the same oil.  This is called making a salve to the 7^th powder.  When this triple extraction process is completed I don’t believe the oil could hold more nutrients.

Use a dehydrator oven set to 150 degrees.

Mix the first pack of herbs into the amount of oil you will be using.  This is the only time you will add oil to the process, be generous but at the same time don’t over dilute the herbs.  Depending on the type of herbs in the formula the amount of oil used can be increased or decreased.  A good rule of thumb is the use of between 8-9 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil per 1 oz dry herb or herb mix.

Set pan with oil and herb mix in the oven for three hours at 150 degrees

Remove hot oil mix from oven and strain through wire mesh strainer.  Allow the oil to drip from the loose herbs for an hour or so to ensure as much of the oil has been recaptured as possible.  Do not use any cloth material when straining out the herbs as it will absorb a large amount of your oil.

Add second herb pack into oil and return to dehydrator over for another 3 hours at 150 degrees.

Remove Hot Oil –Strain out used Herbs—Add Third Pack and return to over for another three hours.

Your oil is now finished.  You can use the oil as is or continue on to thicken it into a slave.

Adding the Bees Wax

When adding the Bees Wax you will need the following items:

• Bees Wax: The amount used will depend on how much oil is being processed.
• Two Cooking Thermometers
• Small pot for melting wax
• Pot for warming oil
• Salve Jars
• Turkey baster for transferring the liquid salve to the jars

Pour the nutrient rich oil into large pot and warm to no more than 150 degrees.  Ensure this with the cooking thermometer.

Pour an amount of bees wax into small pot and heat until liquid.  This will be well over 200 degrees when melted.  Allow wax to cool to at least 180 degrees before mixing with the 150 degree, cooler oil or the wax will clump instead of mixing throughout the oil mix.

Start by mixing only a small amount of wax into the oil mixture.  Now sprinkle a few drops on a cool surface to see the consistency.  You are looking for something a bit firmer than Vaseline.  If after the drops have cooled properly they are not quite firm enough then add a bit more wax.  Remember adding more is easy, removal when too much has been added is impossible.  Take your time with the process.

When the salve consistency is correct here is a tip for quick wax clean up.

Line a storage container with foil and pour any left-over wax from the pot into the storage container.  After removing as much of the left over wax as possible from the hot pot add 1 or 2 cups of the oil into the wax pot.  Swish the oil around to absorb the residue of the wax from the sides of the pot.  Pour oil back.  The wax pot should now clean easily with soap and water.

Use your turkey baster to transfer the hot liquid into your salve jars.

Cover jars with clean towel; leave lids off unto completely cooled: Overnight is good.

Label and enjoy.  Store in cool room or fridge.