Plantain, that pesky lawn and garden weed, makes a soothing salve for itches, bites, burns, rashes, sore muscles and strains.
Using the plantain-infused oil we made in this post, here’s a recipe for an easy-to-spread salve to keep in store for all the times someone in your family says “I’m itchy!” and “Ouch!”
PLANTAIN SALVE
makes 7-8 oz.
6-7 oz. plantain-infused oil
1 oz. beeswax
Optional: 1/2 tsp. EACH tea tree essential oil and vitamin E oil
1. Melt beeswax over a hot water bath.
2. Pour in plantain oil and stir until the two are completely combined. 6 oz. will yield a medium-soft salve. 7 oz. will yield a softer, creamier consistency.
3. Stir in the tea tree and vitamin E now if you are using them. Tea tree essential oil has anti-bacterial properties and vitamin E helps as a preservative, but the salve works fine without them.
4. Pour into clean jars and allow to cool before screwing on the lids.
5. Take all the spills and residue from bowls, etc., and smear it all over yourself until you are greased up like a competitive body-builder and can barely type on the keyboard.
Thank you.
Is it plantain or plaintain like on your label? And what does this have to do with those tropical bananas that are called plantains. And furthermore …. how do you pronounce it?
Jeff Atnip–It’s plantain. Nothing to do with the banana thing. Rhymes with Scranton.
Daisy, I have just completed my first batch of plantain infused oil. It is actually sitting on the window sill in front of my computer. As I am writing this I am also suffering from a case of poison ivy. I so wish the salve was done. I could sure use it. When asked by my husband what I was doing out in the backyard. I replied, digging up plantain to make an herbal salve. He knew of the plant from his grandmother who was full bloodied Cherokee Indian. He was aware it was good for poison ivy and bug bites. I am so glad you made both the reciepes available on the Internet. I will be making the salve for our own personal use as well as Christmas presents for family. Thanks again for being there for us. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Toni Teague–Poison ivy is not a fun condition. (As you know well 😛 ) I hope it heals quickly. Love your grandmother in law. Such a wonderful legacy. Thanks for your note. I know your salve will be well-received. I appreciate you.
I just finished my batch of salve. I left it brewing for 3 weeks. I actually forgot about making the salve after my poison ivy went away. When I opened the infusion it had a terrible cheesy smell much like parmesean cheese. (or as my children used to call it stinky spagetti cheese) I did continue on and made the salve. Mine is much darker green than yours. Do you think it is ok or should i discard this batch and start all over? I put some on my arm when finished and the stench is almost as bad as it was before adding the tea tree oil and Vitamin E Oil. Please help. I don’t know if my patients or even me would be able to use the salve because of the smell.
Toni Teague–My plantain oil has a smell, but it’s pretty mild. No one has objected to it, but I can see how some people would find it iffy. It’s possible the water content of the plant material caused some spoilage. Without smelling it myself I can’t tell if it’s that different from mine. If you want to try it again, you might partially dry the leaves, at least let them wilt for several hours, then go ahead and strain it after two weeks. Try a small amount; it may be that it might be a smell that you can’t tolerate regardless. Everybody has different preferences. I hope it works out.
Daisy, I think I will just leave it as is and go with what I have made. If it works it works and I can stand a little smell if it helps the poison ivy. Thanks again for the recipes. I am trying to turn organic and I am on my way. I am making all my Christmas presents for family and friends and my neice is getting married this month and her gifts are all DIY soaps and personal items.
Toni Teague–I hope it helps. Homemade gifts are the best. They are rare these days and really show you care. I need to get started on mine.