Posts Tagged ‘hypericum perforatum’

As promised I will talk today about how we make a vital part of our healing salve – Universal Herbal Ointment at the Moon Haven cottage in Cowaramup,  Margaret River

For the Universal Herbal Ointment we use a potent combination of infused herb oil as one of the very vital components.  By infusing carrier oils with various herbs we are able to extract the fat soluble components of the herbs into the carrier oils…hence it becomes an ínfusion’. You can do the same with water, alcohol and glycerine…to name a few more solvents.

For our Universale Herbal Ointment herb infusion we take dried herbs such as Calendula, Plantain, Shepherds Purse, Yarrow, Chickweed, Gotu Kola and several others  and place them in a sterilised glass jar.  We then take our carrier oil of choice – often this is olive or sunflower oil – fill to the brim and cover.

What follows next is magical… we place the full herb jar in the garden in a lovely sunny place.  Over the days we watch the carrier oil gradually change colour as all the fat soluble components from the herbs are infused into the oils.  Each day we give the jars a stir and let the herbs settle again.

After two weeks or so we decant and filter  the now vibrant and enriched oil into clean jars -ready to make into a Moon Haven salve or lotion.

These infused oils are precious and potent and we treasure them for what they bring to our formulations.  Our Universal Herbal Ointment, Achy Breaky Rub and all our other formulations would not be as effective without the herbal oils.

While completing some recent study I was intrigued to come across some startling information about St John’s Wort. While this is a prescribed weed in Western Australia and we are unable to grow it locally it is revered at Moon Haven as a very special herb that assists with nerve and muscle pain. The study I came across found that a topical application of St John’s Wort as an infused oil was similar in effect to the use of topical anti-inflammatory type gels which include indomethacin and the like[1] While we always knew that St Johns Wort was great for injured and strained muscles it is fantastic to see the scientific community is finally investigating the why’s and wherefore’s. We use St John’s Wort in several of our products but most notably in our infamous Achy Breaky Rub.