Comfrey Cream

8 oz beeswax, grated
2 oz vitamin E Oil
12 c olive oil
2 oz dried nettles, powdered
1 oz dried comfrey, chopped
1 oz dried lavender flowers
6 to 10 marigold (calendula) heads, crumbled

Chop or grate 8 oz beeswax into a heavy bottom pan
or double boiler on low heat. Add 2 oz. Vitamin E
(a natural preservative) and 12  cup olive oil and
stir till melted.  stir in one half oz. dried,
powdered nettles, 2 oz. dried chopped comfrey, one oz.
dried lavender flowers, 6-10 marigold heads, crumbled,
and let the brew sit quietly for an hour or so,
stirring often, on the lowest heat setting possible.

Prepare to strain the mixture: use a large mixing bowl,
and in it set a triple thickness of cheesecloth. you
may need to have someone help with this part, it really
is a pain if the cheesecloth slips down into the hot
herbal wax. try to cover the whole bowl, with some left
over to hang down the sides, as this will become your
handles. Pour the wax mixture into the cheesecloth. pull
up the sides of the cheesecloth and strain the herbs out.
Give it a firm squeeze and get all of the lingering
goodness out of the spent herbs. Discard old herbs.

Now comes the challenge: is it the right firmness? Pour
the strained mix into a clean pan, and allow to cool.
Using your finger, rub the surface of the balm. it
should feel like a (think Noxzema) night cream, firm,
but with a creamy give. If it is too soft, reheat and
add another Oz. of chopped beeswax, then allow to cool
and test for the firmness again. . Likewise, if it is too
hard, re-heat and add another half cup of olive oil.
This can be an all day project. Remember that it will become
more firm as it ages too. When you find the right consistency,
heat and pour into a clean dry lidded container.
Yogurt containers are great for this purpose, or small wide-mouth
canning jars. Label and store in a cool place. this recipe
makes a lot of balm. you could easily half or even quarter it.

Use this on scrapes, cuts, dry skin, chapped lips, cracked 
cuticles, sunburn, and just about any mild skin complaint.

Short Cut:
It will save the straining part of your operation.
We have been talking about medicinal oils. You can make
medicinal oil by the method(s) talked about in earlier posts.
Then heat the oil in a double boiler, add beeswax (approximately
1/4 by volume of beeswax to oil). When the wax is melted you
can test for firmness by dipping a teaspoon in the melted salve
and put it in the refrigerator or freezer for a minute. Take
it out and test for firmness. If too thin add additional
amount of wax. At this point a few drops of essential oil of your
choice can be added giving both a pleasant smell and additional
medicinal properties. Caution: Add the essential oil at the last
possible minute B some essential oils lose their potency
with heat. Your salve is ready to be poured into
containers. Wide mouth, straight-sided ones are best.
