This soothing chickweed salve recipe is an absolute staple on our homestead. Insect bites, rashes, cuts and burns are common occurrences around here and my chickweed salve always saves the day!
Allow fresh chickweed to wilt (8-12 hours on the counter or 1-3 hours in the dehydrator on low heat)
Get your double boiler going. I like to use a simple pot of water with a double boiler insert. A double boiler really is essential here because you want to gently heat the oil to extract the medicinal properties from the chickweed, not cook or scorch it.
Chop up the wilted chickweed using your knife while you’re waiting for the water to boil.
Add some olive oil to the double boiler, then top with the chopped and wilted chickweed. Give it a stir. Continue to drizzle in olive oil until the chickweed greens are covered by 1-2.”
Heat very gently for 60-90 minutes; keeping an eye on it and stirring occasionally. You do not want your chickweed to get crispy or “fried!” You know that your chickweed has fully infused into the olive oil when the oil is a dark green color and has a nice herby smell to it.
Strain out the herbs using a strainer set on top of a glass measuring cup. If your strainer has fairly large holes, I would line it with cheesecloth to keep the big bits out. Discard the chickweed pulp. Make note of how much infused oil you’ve made (1 cup, 2 cups, etc.)
Return your chickweed infused oil to the double boiler. The ideal ratio for a salve is ¼ cup of beeswax per 1 cup of oil. Add the appropriate amount of beeswax to the double boiler. Heat gently until the beeswax is fully melted.
Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils, if desired. I like to use 20 drops of lavender essential oilper ~1 cup of chickweed infused oil.
Immediately pour the chickweed salve mixture into your salve containers. Let cool completely before securing with a lid. This allows any leftover moisture to escape, reducing the risk of mold growth.