Adventures in herbal infusions

Several years ago, I began reading about the herbal oils and salves used many hundreds of years ago (before there were corner drug stores). The idea of making herbal salves and oils from scratch was fascinating, so I decided to give it a try.

I was happy to find out how simple the whole thing is -- basically, if you can make sun tea, you are on your way to making herbal infusions!

The infused oils I focus on are for external use only. I always look for solutions for skin problems that herbs can best address safely. It’s amazing how effective some of the most gentle herbs like Chamomile, Calendula and Lavender can be for so many skin irritations. I was especially interested in finding something for my baby’s delicate skin when he had diaper rash, cradle cap and eczema.

I will be posting many recipes for herbal infusions soon for you to try. Then you can use them as-is or try creating your own salves.

Until then, here are some pictures of my latest infusions. After 2-3 weeks in the sun, these will be ready to strain and use. The interesting thing is (ok, interesting to me…I’m a science geek) is that while the dried herbs are left infusing in the oil, the oil itself will not go rancid! There are so many chemical properties in the herbs that it will naturally preserve the oil, even as it sits in the warm sun for weeks. Once you strain out the herb material and rebottle the oil, it needs to be kept out of the sun and used within 6 months to 1 year. Oh yes, herbs are amazing!