As a mama of little ones and fellow farm hand with my husband, I have seen my fair share of bumps and scrapes, bee stings, burns, cuts of varying degrees. When I open my first aid kit, this salve is what I’m going for.
I’ve made and used this salve for about five years, gifted it to friends, shared the recipe with others that have made it for themselves, and we all agree… this stuff is legit. It works so.well. Period.
Plantain, “the skin herb,” and comfrey, “the knit bone herb,” working together are a power house of healing, and they are the key ingredients in this salve. I pair them with lavender for its anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral properties.
Note: Generally, I use this salve for anything skin related; however, on deeper wounds (such as when my husband split his head open with a t-post pounder! Who knew fencing could be so dangerous?!), I wait until some healing has taken place before using this salve. Comfrey is known for healing wounds so quickly that it could potentially close up bacteria in a wound. That’s one of the main reasons I pair it with lavender; however, I still like to practice caution with deeper wounds and use only honey and olive oil for the first couple of days.
Here’s how to make this simple and easy DIY all purpose healing salve with plantain and comfrey:
Ingredients
- 4 cups olive oil
- 1-1/4 cups plantain leaves, dried
- 5 rounded Tbsp. Comfrey leaves, dried
- 2 Tbsp Lavender, dried
- 3/4 cup organic beeswax pearls
Process
1. Simmer olive oil and herbs on low heat for 20 minutes. (Alternatively, you can combine the herbs and olive oil in a jar and set in a dark place for about 2 weeks to infuse the herbs into the olive oil.)
2. Strain herbs from oil and set pot of oil aside; dispose of herbs in compost.
3. Use a double boiler to melt the beeswax. (Technically, you can skip the double boiler, but watch the beeswax carefully, and stir often to keep it from burning.)
4. Pour the beeswax into pot of herbal oil and mix well.
5. Test the consistency by dipping a spoon into the mixture and setting it aside for 3-5minutes. If the salve needs to be harder, add more beeswax. If it needs to be softer, add more oil.
6. Pour into desired jars and cover with lids. Allow to cool completely, and store.
Shalom!
Raquel
Women Living Torah 
What a great salve! I have plantain, I will look into getting the Comfrey and Lavendar so I can make this.
My go to for almost anything is Castor Oil. Specifically Heritage Store The Palma Christi, it’s got a pink sort of sun rise on it. This has removed warts, healed persistent dry skin ‘splits’, chapped lips, healed a rash I had for months that nothing else worked.
I have a back up salve I bought but doesn’t do much. I will bet your recipe is hands down better. I plan on making that for my alternative.
My husband jokes with me that Castor oil is my ‘Windex’ – (from my Big Fat Greek Wedding, the gal’s dad used Windex to cure anything)
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Wow! I had no idea castor oil was so versatile. I bet you could add castor oil into this salve— just may need to increase beeswax pellets to thicken it. (You can actually mix and match other herbs into this salve, too. Calendula is a great addition!!)
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Hi! I love this! I just finished making some salve like this, but with the addition of home grown calendula. I start my calendula seeds with my tomatoes in Feb/March ish and they are ready to transplant when the tomatoes are :). Not hard to grow at all! I love your addition of infusing lavender dried flowers instead of adding an essential oil. I’ll have to try that next time! Thank you!
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Yes!! Calendula is an excellent addition!
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Agreed!
I just wanted to add – I am sorry if my comment about calendula being easy to grow seemed directed at you. It wasnt my intent :). Just to encourage people in general and share my joy in growing it, as it really does quite well once it takes off. Thank you for hearing me out, Raquel. Appreciate your content and the heart behind it!
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Absolutely no offense taken! I think the information you shared is great— and helpful! I have grown calendula the last two years. It’s one of my favorites, too! Shalom!!
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