Make your own herbal salves for natural pain relief

(NaturalNews) What do you reach for when you are in pain? You certainly don't want to rub toxic chemicals all over yourself or ingest drugs with a long list of nasty side effects. There must be a better solution. How about a natural salve you can make at home that is inexpensive and actually works to relieve your pain?

Here are three salves that have worked for others and may just become your new go-to for pain.
You start with a recipe to make a basic salve base and then choose from three different special pain blends. You may just want to go ahead and try all three of them.

Basic salve base (yields 16 oz)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut oil (not fractionated)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tbsp. organic beeswax pastilles
• 1 tsp. vitamin E (optional and acts as a natural preservative)
• Essential oils and dried herbs (see recipes below)

Materials:

• Small glass or tin jars with lids (4 oz. jam/jelly jars work great)
• Wooden spatula or spoon or wooden coffee stir stick
• Glass Pyrex measuring cup with spout
• Pan
• Glass dropper
• Labels/markers

Instructions:

1. Simmer a pan of water on the stove.
2. Place coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax pastilles and vitamin E into the glass Pyrex measuring cup.
3. Place the measuring cup in the simmering water. Stir occasionally until mixture melts completely. It is best to take it slow and not overheat it (should not be boiling). It may take between 10 and 15 minutes to completely melt.
4. After the ingredients have cooled slightly, pour equal measures into the four jars. Then use the eye dropper (or dispense from bottle) your essential oils and/or infused herbs into each of the containers and stir. Don't stir different oils with the same utensil if you don't want to mix between the different salves.
5. Label each salve with specific added ingredients.
6. Cover the jars with a paper towel or cloth and set them aside for 6-12 hours to complete the firming process.

Just the salve ingredients alone have great soothing properties. The organic ingredients are moisturizing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, are gentle enough for babies and young children and can be used on cuts, burns, bruises, scrapes, eczema, itching skin and diaper rash. Keep in mind that coconut oil will melt at 76°F, so store your salve in a dark, cool place. Add these amazing blends for added benefits.

Pain-reducing blends to add to your basic salve

Recipe 1: Cayenne pepper and rosemary blend (Add to 16 oz. basic salve)

• 2 tbsp. dried cayenne powder
• 10 drops rosemary essential oil

Add these ingredients in after the basic salve base has melted completely.

Cayenne powder is well known for reducing pain and can be used topically for pain, bumps and bruises, sore muscles, shingles, migraine headaches, back aches, arthritis and menstrual cramps. It should be used with caution, as it can be hot, so consider using an applicator and don't get it in your eyes.

Rosemary is also antiseptic, helps with circulation and helps with muscle soreness and pain.

Recipe 2: Wintergreen and clove blend (Add to 16 oz. basic salve)

• 10 drops of wintergreen essential oil
• 10 drops of ginger essential oil
• 10 drops of clove essential oil

Wintergreen essential oil: Wintergreen essential oil is very powerful when it comes to relieving pain. It contains a substance called methyl salicylate, which is now made synthetically and used in OTC pain killers. It helps with painful inflammation of muscles and joints as well. Note that, if you are taking any sort of blood-thinning medications, wintergreen should be avoided.

Ginger essential oil: Ginger gives a slight warming sensation that can help relax and loosen muscles. It also has been shown to reduce inflammation and the pain associated with it.

Clove essential oil: Used as a topical analgesic due to the constituent eugenol which offers pain relief and is readily absorbed through the skin.

Recipe 3: Lavender and peppermint (Add to 16 oz. basic salve)

• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil

Lavender is considered to be a natural antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiseptic according to numerous studies at PubMed.gov.

Peppermint may have anti-inflammatory properties and is also antiseptic and helps locally block pain where it is applied. At first, it creates a cooling sensation, which then turns to heat. Both the heat and the coolness can help relax sore muscles, and the uplifting smell can help clear a headache as well.

Note: You can decrease the amount of essential oils/herbs to make smaller salve amounts.

Sources:

http://www.backdoorsurvival.com

http://www.allnaturalhealthreviews.org

http://learningherbs.com

Cayenne studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Essential oils and pain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov