Sunday, November 18, 2018

Poplar Salve (Balm of Gilead)


With the cold winter months coming,
 I thought I would share a recipe for Poplar Salve
You may have to wait until spring, when your poplars are in full bud ...so make sure you **pin** this recipe for future use!

 Start with a 500 ml jar and fill it with poplar buds. 
 Pour olive oil or canola oil over the buds, enough to completely cover them. 
Put lid on and set in a sunny window.

After several months,  strain the oil from the poplar buds and discard the buds into the compost.  You can speed this process up by throwing everything into a crockpot and heating it on medium for a few hours.


  Now for the rest of the ingredients....
Mix 200 grams of bud oil into a glass measuring cup, 30 grams of beeswax and 15 grams of cocoa butter.
Heat this until all ingredients are melted.
If you want a stiffer potion, add more beeswax. 
If you are sensitive to cocoa butter, just omit and use an extra 5 grams of beeswax. 
 I do a test when making balms and salves by putting a small amount into a dish and cooling in the fridge for a few minutes.  That way,  you can adjust your wax while your balm is still heating over the stove.


 A pyrex measuring cup works great set it in a pot of heating water on the stove.
 You can also use your microwave.  Heat in increments of 30 seconds and stir between cycles so as to not overheat your mixture.
 Stir with a disposable popsicle stick until melted for easy cleanup.


 Remove from heat and mix in 8 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus, and mint essential oils and vitamin E.  
  If you would like a stronger scent, add more.  Adding the EO's is optional!  The vitamin E oil is a preservative and can also be skipped if you use the salve up within a few months.


 Put your freshly made salve in containers and use as needed.
I found these at the Dollar Tree and they work great.  You will need at least 7, maybe 8 one ounce containers depending on how full you fill them.




If you are at all sensitive to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), you should not use this, or use with caution as poplar sap contains salicin, which is the precursor for aspirin.  Always consult your physician.

click on pdf for printable option


Cheers!!