Plant Medicine: Plantain Drawing Salve
This is my response to this challenge from @naturalmedicine!
I have been an amateur herbalist for about 20 years now, and one of the things I make that has been a great success has been my plantain drawing salve, AKA my Extra Potent Hoover Vacuum Salve.
What's a drawing salve?
A drawing salve is something you use when you get a splinter that you can't dig out with tweezers because it's too far in. You apply salve, cover it up with a bandaid, and if everything works as it should, the splinter will be sucked out and either left on your bandaid or sticking out so that you can pull it the rest of the way out later.
This salve is so potent, I have sucked out an ingrown hair with it so that I could tweeze it the rest of the way later. No shit! This is why I am always floored by bloggers talking about how "gentle" plantain is. If you make it my way, it's not!
my little jar of drawing salve
So why is this salve so potent?
Because I tincture it for a year. Minimum.
Basic how-to:
Cover plantain with extra virgin olive oil in a jar. Leave it somewhere where you will see it every day, because you're going to want to vigorously shake it as close to every day as possible (but don't leave it in the sun). Do this for at least a year.
Strain the plantain out. In a double boiler, melt enough beeswax for the amount of oil you have (the ratio for salves is 3 to 4 Tablespoons of beeswax per one cup of oil). Blend oil and beeswax, and pour into containers.
Unless you are making lots to share, don't make a lot of this one at once, because you don't often need drawing salve generally - one little jar like mine will last ages.
dried plantain
When you do long tinctures like this (I also tincture vanilla beans for 3+ months to make vanilla extract), it's a good idea to note on a calendar when you started, or when it's due to be finished, so you don't forget. ;)
Side note: when I say this is potent, I mean it. Do NOT put it anywhere near your eyes. I wouldn't put it anywhere on my face, to be honest. STRONG. SO STRONG. It makes Gollum cry, strong. Use with caution, and wash your hands after applying it - you don't want to rub your eye with some on your fingers.
Super Industrial Black Hole Salve, complete! :) Thanks for reading!
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I am going to echo the common sentiment in your comment thread --Awesome!! I can really tell 2019 is all about Plant Medicine. This is a great one to have on hand! Very cool. Very very cool. I've got one in mind for this contest. Balm of Gilead i think it's called. It's for burns and scrapes and many other things. It's made from sappy poplar buds of all things!!
Ooh I'm curious to read about it, do share! :)
Damn...this stuff looks awesome and super easy, thank you Phe!!!!
Thanks for the resteem! :)
wow, that's amazing!!! I really need to make this! I love the way you include instructions as well. I had no idea it was that potent!! You should sell it on @homesteaderscoop - looks like a good one!! The more I read about plantain, the more amazed I am by it!
Looking at your tags, I'm not sure how people would find this post - sure, #naturalmedicine, but I'd recommend maybe #health, #healing #makers #homesteaderscoop, #homesteaders #medicine #herbalism - more general than 'salve'. HOpe this helps xx
I tend to make some tags practical, and some tags just for funsies or specific. It's how I roll. ;)
Maybe I'll start a new batch and have it out next year. LOL!
#fuckhashtagsletsmixitup xxx
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LOL! I took your advice on "herbalism" instead of "salve" - that's a good one. I thought I shouldn't use "homesteaderscoop" unless I was in that group, though. But I'm keeping "blackholesalve" because that's just fun. ;) And "drawingsalve" will help me myself find it later when inevitably I say, "Oh, I wrote down an instructional on that once... "
Ah there is method in your tag madness!!! Ha xxx
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wow, I didn't know a plantain salve could be so potent! But after shaking a jar for one year, it better give some result ;D
It definitely does. LOL
cool! i have yet to make a drawing salve, but definitely am considering it after reading your article - yes please!!!
Holy freaking awesome batman! Love it!!! I'm bookmarking this so I can use it on the spring when the Plantain finally comes out!
Right on! <3
Well that's fucking cool. 💗💗💗🍌
Thanks! LOL
For clarity, I am not using the fruit that looks like a banana, I'm using the leaf that looks like this:
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/plantain-leaf/profile
Yeah, there's no emoji for that. 😂
But seriously, moar posts like this please!
I want to try this, but simon is allergic to English plantain, is it the same thing?
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Yeah, it is, sorry. :(
Dangit. Lol.
Do you have a good burn salve?
I might be going back to work soldering soon. 😁😂
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Honestly, I usually use aloe vera for burns. :) Red clover might be good? Or bay leaf? Or calendula? That's just me brainstorming off the cuff, though.
Aloe is my go to for burns, I really wanna grow some this year. Never heard of the other stuff, I'll definitely do some research on it if I ever burn myself too bad. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes you can't avoid it. 🤷♀️😁
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Bah ha ha, love the descriptive phrases here!
Drawing salves are something I have just never tried making! Boy, I wish plantain grew here... Ill have to find some seeds and give this a try! Thanks for sharing how you make it!
Thanks! LOL. If you can't grow it, dried herbs work fine (that's what I used).
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Drawing salves are SO IMPORTANT for splinter-prone gardeners & herbalists. A great post. Also enjoying to see someone else who tinctures for a year. 😉🤣 Great to see yiu jumping onto the challengebso quickly.
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Woo, super tincture solidarity! LOL