What do lotions, salves, and massages have in common? What can you use on a pulled muscle that will not only relax it but penetrate deep down into the tissues to bring healing to that area?
Herbal-infused oils and liniments… that’s what!
These two herbal preparations are very similar, and today, we’ll be talking about what infused oils and liniments are, how you can use them, and, of course, how to make them yourself at home.
Herbal Infused Oils
Herbal-infused oils are one of the most basic herbal preparations, and they serve as a base for many therapeutic and skin care products you can make at home or find on store shelves.
When it comes to making herbal-infused oils, the possibilities are endless! You can use countless combinations of herbs and a wide range of oils that can be blended together.
Infused oils have many different uses. They can be used on their own to nourish the skin, as a lubricant for a massage, or to promote tissue regeneration in wounds. They can also be used to lightly sauté foods, replace plain vegetable oil in a recipe, or blended with vinegar to make homemade salad dressings.
Infused oils can also be used as a base in herbal salves, creams, lotions, hair products like shampoos and conditioners, and more.
As you can see, herbal oils have many uses, but how do you infuse herbs into oils?
Well, the process that I’m gonna share with you today is the quick version of infusing herbs into oils, but there are actually several different methods. They all work great, but everyone has their preference.
How To Make Heated Herb-Infused Oil
- Find two saucepans, one larger than the other so that the smaller one sits just inside the larger one, or use a double boiler.
- Fill the larger pan with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil on the stove. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.
- Fill a clean, dry glass canning jar half-full with dried herbs. Cover the herbs with a carrier oil of your choice, ensuring that the plant material is covered with at least 1 inch of oil.
- Transfer the herbs and oil to the smaller saucepan. A silicon bowl scraper removes all plant material and oil from the jar.
- Place the smaller pan (the one with the herbs and oil) inside the larger saucepan. Let this infuse on the stovetop for 8 hours. Keep an eye on the bottom saucepan’s water level, ensuring it doesn’t evaporate out completely. If it starts to get low, add more water. Also, keep an eye on the oil temperature inside the top pan using a digital thermometer, keeping the oil around 110 degrees F and no more than 140 degrees F. )
- When time is up, place a piece of layered cheesecloth inside a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl or glass measuring cup. Pour the warm oil and herbs into the cheesecloth. Let this sit for 20-30 minutes to drain, or bundle the cheesecloth and squeeze the oil from the herbs.
- Compost the used plant material, and bottle, label, and store your infused herbal oil for up to 1 year.
Note About Herb-Oil Ratios
As a general guideline, most herbalists use 1 oz of dried plant material to 12 fl oz of carrier oil. However, the ratio of herbs to oil doesn’t have to be precise and will often vary based on how you plan to use the oil and the herbs being infused. The more herbs to oil, the stronger your infusion will be. The more oil you put into herbs, the weaker your infusion will be.
For example, if you’re infusing garlic into olive oil for a yummy cooking oil, chances are you’ll use more oil to garlic since garlic is pungent, but if you’re infusing rose petals into almond oil to make a lovely face cream, you’ll probably want to use more rose to oil so the infusion is more potent. Make sense?
The ratio of herbs to oil will also vary based on how dense your herbs are. For example, comfrey is a denser leaf than arnica (fluffy flowers). It would take more oil to cover the fluffy arnica than it would to cover the comfrey leaves, so you’d have to adjust your oil amounts to fit the herb used.
Herbal Liniments
Now, what about herbal liniments?
An herbal liniment is made very much like an herbal tincture (which we’ll be talking about soon), except that it’s made using rubbing alcohol instead of liquor, and liniments are for external use only. Let me say that again. Liniments are not to be consumed internally. DON’T DRINK THEM!!!
Herbal liniments are most commonly used for disinfecting things or penetrating deep down into the tissues to decrease pain and inflammation and bring healing to an area. They are excellent herbal preparations for first aid kits and medicine cabinets.
An example of a disinfecting liniment is Dr. Kloss’s Disinfecting Liniment (found in his book Back To Eden), which is great for boils or abscesses, acne, ingrown toenails, or cleansing the skin using it as a mouthwash. Wash the infected or sore area hourly with the liniment to help reduce pain, redness, and swelling.
Examples of using liniments for decreasing pain and inflammation and promoting healing would be when using them on pulled muscles, sprained ankles, or headaches. Pour a small amount of liniment on a clean cotton ball and rub over the affected area every 1-2 hours until relief is felt.
Below are the steps to making an herbal liniment.
How To Make An Herbal Liniment
- Fill a clean glass jar 1/3 full of herbs.
- Pour a high-proof alcohol (70% ABV) over herbs, filling the jar up 1 inch from the top.
- Cap and let sit for 7 days, shaking once each day.
- After 7 days, strain herbs from alcohol. Compost the used plant material, and bottle, label, and store for 3-5 years.
So that’s it for today. So far in this series, you’ve learned how to make herbal teas, infusions, decoctions, washes, compresses, fomentations, poultices, powders, electuaries, oils, and liniments. You’re on your way to becoming an herbalist, mama! Go you!