Thyme & Lavender Herbal Salve
Ah, Zephyrus! art here, and Flora too! Ye tender bibbers of the rain and dew, Young playmates of the rose and daffodil, Be careful, ere ye enter in, to fill Your baskets high With fennel green, and balm, and golden pines, Savory, latter-mint, and columbines, Cool parsley, basil sweet, and sunny thyme; Yea, every flower and leaf of every clime, All gather'd in the dewy morn: hie Away! fly, fly! — Keats - Endymion
You'll find mention of herbs woven through history and literature. Since ancient times we've known of their healing properties.
Terrifying legends, poetry, songs, and verses tell the tale of our connection with these powerful allies. There was a time when most households kept a herb garden and knew how to forage for wild culinary and medicinal herbs. We would be well served to embrace this timeless tradition and cultivate our own natural medicine.
I'll tell you a secret that everyone with an herb garden knows; growing herbs in itself is a therapeutic practice. One only needs to brush their hand against the leaves, catch the mingling scents in the air or carry a bundle of hand-picked herbs to the kitchen to understand why our ancestors loved them so.The fact is, we rely too much on health items that have been imported, packaged in fancy bottles, promising this or that for our health. Not only is it more sustainable to use the plants that grow in our backyard, but the herbs that you grow are also fresh thus more potent, and retain an indefinable part of their quintessential essence.
Most culinary herbs can be used to make salves, balms, oxymels, tinctures and other beautiful herb infused products that nourish the body naturally. Once such herb is thyme, a plant renound for its antibacterial properties.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) also know as Garden Thyme, Thym Vulgaire
There are more than three hundred varieties of thyme, the most common one being Thymus vulgaris. Wild thyme (Thymus serpillum) and Citrus thyme (Thymes citriodorus) are also widely used.Thyme is a small garden herb whos uses date back to ancient times. Its primary essential oil thymol is commonly used as a disinfectant and an antiseptic in modern-day remedies. In the culinary world, it pairs beautifully with sage and rosemary. We infuse thyme in oil, and this infusion is used to make a variety of products. One of my favorites is thyme & lavender anti-bacterial herbal salve.
Thyme: anti-septic, anti-helminthic, anti-viral, antibacterial, astringent, expectorant, spasmolytic, anti-fungal
Lavender: anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-depressant, antiseptic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, analgesic, calmative, detoxifier, hypotensive, and sedative.
Thyme & Lavender Herbal Salve
The first step in making a salve is infusing oil with herbs. Herbal oil infusions are easy! I have a detailed tutorial called Herbal Infused Oils For Natural Skincare: a folk medicine style cold infusion method. If you are in a hurry, you'll want to look up quick herbal infused oil method, which involves low and slow heat to infuse the herbs into the oil.
One book I recommend to beginners is Medicinal Herbs: A Beginners Guide by Rosemary Gladstar. My copy is well worn, and I still refer to it for reference. Once you dive into this book, you'll be unstoppable when it comes to mixing magic with herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) Thyme infused olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 g) beeswax
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops thyme essential oil
Directions
- In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl nestled on top of a pot, add a few cups of water to the pot. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Place the heat proof bowl over the pot and add the infused oil and beeswax.
- Stir until the beeswax melts and is fully incorporated.
- Remove from the heat, Add the essential oils. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the salve into clean and sterilized jars. Allow to cool before affixing the lids.
Information offered on Walkerland is for educational purposes only. Walkerland makes neither medical claim nor intends to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Links to external sites are for informational purposes only. Walkerland neither endorses them nor is in any way responsible for their content. Readers must do their research concerning the safety and usage of any herbs or supplements. If you are pregnant or nursing consult a professional before using herbs.
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Wow, what a great post! I love your photos. Do you have a macro lens? I always find it hard to take photos up close with my SLR. I was proud of this picture today of my artichoke flowers and thought of you!
Thyme is such a gorgeous plant. I had two die in the heat this year so I've put one in a wicking bed JUST in case I run out. I do need to make a salve - perhaps this one will be my first one! Funny though, I have no lavender... I'm just not a fan of it as a plant in my garden, I have no idea why! Plus, the ones that Jamie planted died. I do think I should put in a medicinal hedge though, and I know where, as I have some kangaroo paws which need pulling out as they are very very straggly.
I'm going to order some beeswax right now!
Thyme is gorgeous. I wish I was working with fresh but I feel fortunate to have plenty of dry material to play with over the winter. I would love to have it growing as a ground cover in my front garden. We are apparently a little cold for most varieties of thyme so I am hoping the plants I grew are hardy enough. I don't have a macro lens, and I would LOVE one, I shoot mainly with the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens. It keeps me learning as I try to make it do what I need it to do.
I LOVE your Gorgeous sunny sunchoke flowers, love them so much.
Maybe lavender isn't a plant you've needed in your life? I could dip myself in lavender, but there are other plants that I just don't respond to at all. I used to feel nauseated by the scent of garden sage and now all of a sudden I love it. Not sure what that is telling me?
Oh I douse myself in lavender oil each bedtime..
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Really? I do too! We are both lavender scented - our friendship was meant to be in a bazillion kazillion ways. xx
Awwwww Xxxx
When Jarrah was little and we went walking and found lavender in front gardens I used to wave it under his nose and pretend to fall asleep! So cute.
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agh, that sort of sweetness is just too perfect. That just floods my heart with warm and fuzzies. So cute.
What a winning combination @walkerland! I love your recipe's. I really enjoy thyme - in the kitchen but I forget it as an incredible herb with healing properties outside of dishes! This is so easy. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, @buckaroo! I figure if we eat loads of herbs and slather them on our skin as well then we've got all basis covered. I hope you are still feeling nourished from the rain.
Awesome
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I completely agree.. Nothing beats home-grown and doing it yourself!
This looks like a great recipe.. Lavender seems to have a very calming effect.
Thanks, @walkerland!!!
Lavender is one of my favorites, very calming indeed. Thanks for the nice comment @wolffeys, it is heartening to hear others sharing similar sentiments about the value of home grown.
A REALLY NICE herbal combination @walkerland... I can almost smell it. Delightful post & I just especially loved your poetic touches. 🌿
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You've been visited by @porters from Homesteaders Co-op. Lovely combination for a salve! Will you be offering this in your store at Homesteaders Coop? ---
A community marketplace of ethical, handmade and sustainable products available for STEEM, SBD (and USD): https://homesteaderscoop.com follow: @homesteaderscoop
Thanks, @porters. We have a collection of products that we'd love to sell but we have to deal with insurance and all the bureaucracy first. Probably in the Autumn when we've gathered and harvested fresh new material! :)
You've been visited by @porters from Homesteaders Co-op. Wonderful! I'll be watching for your products from my fellow Canadian! ---
I also grow a few herbal plants in my backyard, specially rhododendron, tulsi and chamomile. They always keep me and my house aromatic and fresh. So, I can understand how fullfilling and beneficial having a herb garden can be.
The thyme and lavender salve also feels to be a very rejuvenating infusion. I'll definitely try it :) Thanks for sharing.
Hi @himalayannomad, thanks for the thoughtful comment. You've got quite a nice collection of herbs. Chamomile is so pretty, one of my favorites and tulsi is such a valuable herb. I don't actually grow tulsi yet but just bought seeds - can't wait to get to know it better.
This looks beautiful! I so agree that even growing herbs is healing in itself.. just being in the garden with them helps on so many levels.
This salve looks lovely. I’ve not experimented much with Thyme in my salves, so I will be giving this a try. Thank you ❤️
Thanks, @llfarms. Happy First Day of Spring!! I wiped the bowl clean by slathering the salve on my arms and neck, so I smell like an herb garden. It's a poor substitute for the real thing, but it's still very wintery here so I'll take what I can get!
This was such a great post! I couldn’t agree more when you said we rely too much on health items that have been imported and packaged. Thank you for sharing all of this lovely information. I absolutely love lavender and all of it’s health benefits. We use lavender essential oil quite often. I wish you well in the contest!
Thanks, @crosheille! Lavender was the first essential oil I bought as a young teenager (along with peppermint) and all these years later I still surround myself with both plants. It's funny how some people are drawn to a certain plant and others are repelled by it. We just intuitively know.
You’re welcome. Oh wow that’s so cool! I love peppermint’s benefits!! Yes that is funny how it works.
I really wish more people would return to embracing the healing that comes from our natural world. We benefit so much from having a healthy relationship with our natural environment. This is a wonderful recipe. I hope you are well my friend xx
I've been thinking of you. I sometimes think people are afraid because it seems easier to just keep going with the flow of busy traffic that to step onto a path of your own choosing. We, of course, know that once you get a taste of embracing and being embraced by the natural world, there's no other way to be.