BLOOMIN’ BELLY BUTTER
Cheery calendula and dreamily-scented lavender—these Mediterranean flowers that beautify the face of the earth have special benefits for our complexions as well. Their skin-healing properties can be extracted by soothing, moisturizing oils like sweet almond; blending the medicinal oil with beeswax creates a stable and useful topical treatment.
{CALENDULA}
{Calendula has many internal applications—including a long history of use as food coloring and flavoring, but I am focusing here on benefits of its external application, since we will be making a salve for the skin.}
The cheerily colored calendula {Calendula officinalis} offers an excellent remedy for the skin. The resinous blossoms are rich in oil-soluble carotenoids (compounds similar to vitamin A) that promote healing of the skin, and sterols that plump the skin for a more youthful appearance. It also contains anti-inflammatory flavonoids, soothing mucilage, anti-fungal resin and other beneficial compounds including volatile oil, aromatic plant acids, saponins, glycosides and sterols.
Calendula is a vulnerary; applied externally, it promotes the healing of cuts, wounds and sores (bed, pressure). It does this several ways: it has soothing anti-inflammatory properties that reduce pain; bacteriostatic (preventing bacterial reproduction) antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties that prevent infection, and astringent properties that stop blood flow, and help the damaged tissues to contract and epithelialize (grow a new covering of skin). Calendula speeds cell regeneration and stimulates the production of collagen at wound sites, helping to prevent scarring.
Calendula is commonly used to make oils for topical treatment of a variety of mild inflammatory skin conditions; it soothes and heals bruises, rashes, burns (including sun burns), insect bites, impetigo, fungal infections, eczema, dermatitis and ear infection.
{Calendula oil is a mild and soothing remedy that is excellent for even the most sensitive skin; but it very rarely causes a contact allergic reaction in those who are sensitive to other flowers of the composite family—daisies, ragweed, chrysanthemums. Apply calendula to a small area of skin to test sensitivity.}
{LAVENDER}
Lavender {Lavendula augustifolia} is a versatile herb, and one of the most widely used and researched since the time of the ancient Egyptians and Romans. It produces tall spires of plump purple buds whose sweet floral-green scent is a well-recognized relaxant. That wonderful scent is a combination of over 100 different constituents! Its soothing effect—reduced irritability and pain perception—is due to slowed nerve impulses.
This dreamily-scented flower also has soothing and clearing effects on the skin, which rapidly absorbs the tiny molecules of its volatile oils. Lavender can be used to ease painful and inflammatory skin conditions, including rashes, burns {including sunburns}, bruises, and eczema.
Lavender is a powerful antiseptic that was once used to disinfect wounds {and hospital equipment}. It also increases cell growth and prevents or reduces scarring.
Lavender can also be used to ease the pain of sore muscles.
{OILS AND SALVES}
Oil not only extracts the fat-soluble compounds we want from calendula and lavender, it also more readily delivers these compounds through the skin, and has its own medicinal value. {Our skin is thinly coated with fatty acids that repel water but will absorb oil.}
The oil I am going to use is sweet almond oil. It is one of the vegetable oils that is more easily absorbed by the skin, and yet is not too expensive. It is a medium- to light-weight oil, pale gold in color and virtually odorless. Its high fatty content is what helps it penetrate the skin so well without leaving a greasy feeling or clogging pores.
Sweet almond and other oils moisturize and lubricate dry or damaged skin, protecting the skin from premature aging and thinning. The moisture it provides is a balancing moisture; it helps regulate our body’s own production of the oils that keep our skin clear and supple.
Even alone, almond oil has been used to soothe skin allergies and to treat minor cuts and wounds. It is high in omega-6 fatty acids and vitamins A and E (as well as B1, 2 and 6), which protects the skin from UV rays and promotes cell regeneration.
Adding beeswax to herbal oil to create a salve, is an excellent way to preserve an herbal oil. Beeswax is a non-allergenic thickener that also has slight anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. Salves feel less oily on the skin, and are easier to spread evenly and in smaller amounts. They also have a coating effect that locks in the medicine and moisture. Salves are much more easily transported than oils and last longer without refrigeration.
{BLOOMIN’ BELLY BUTTER}
This richly aromatic salve is very nourishing to the skin and has a very relaxing fragrance. I adapted this recipe from Stephanie Tourles’s book Organic Body Care Recipes, where you will find it under the name “Bloomin’ Belly Butter.” Although she explains its use by pregnant women for nourishing and supporting their rapidly expanding skin and capillary network, it is a very versatile remedy that can support skin undergoing other stresses, especially the inflammatory conditions we’ve already discussed.
The combination of healing calendula and soothing lavender makes this a valuable remedy for children’s cuts and bruises!
It is best to use dried herbs when making a medicinal oil. Drying the herbs reduces their water content and concentrates the resins, making a more stable oil that is less likely to produce mold.
Measure one ounce of dried herb {combined calendula and lavender} into a small jar and cover herb completely with sweet almond oil. Close the jar tightly, and place in a sunny spot to steep for two weeks. The gentle heat of the sun will encourage the release of beneficial constituents from the herb, without destroying the ‘live’ compounds.
{Normally, oil will oxidize when exposed to heat and light, but not while the actual herb is in the oil. This phenomenon is not yet understood, but it has been suggested that it is due to the antioxidant activity of the herb.}
After two weeks of steeping, strain the oil through cheesecloth and squeeze the herb before discarding. This oil can be used as is—rubbed into skin irritations or bruises. It should be kept refrigerated to prevent oxidation once the herb has been removed from the oil.
The oil can be further stabilized by blending it with beeswax to create a thick ointment or salve that is also more easily transported, as in a first-aid kit.
In a glass double boiler, heat one-half cup of the calendula-lavender oil with 2 tablespoons of beeswax pellets, until the beeswax has completely melted. Add 20-30 drops of lavender essential oil, if desired.
Test the consistency of your salve by placing a spoon-full in the freezer for several minutes until the salve is completely cool. If you want a softer consistency, add more oil to the double boiler; if you want a more firm consistency, add beeswax.
When you have achieved the desired consistency, pour the mixture into sterilized tins, cover lightly with a paper towel, and allow it to cool {about twenty minutes} before capping and labeling it.
No refrigeration is necessary for a salve, though for maximum freshness it should be used within 6 to 12 months.
{DISCLAIMER}
The author is not a medical doctor, nor is she a licensed medical professional. Any recommendations are to educate for consumer health awareness and should not be considered diagnosis or prescribed treatment for any medical condition. If you are experiencing symptoms that concern you, please consult your healthcare provider.
• sweet almond oil, calendula flowers, lavender buds •
September 12, 2014