Go Back
4 tins of chickweed salve on a wooden table with fresh chickweed nearby

Soothing Chickweed Salve Recipe

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!
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 8 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 10 hours

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • Fresh chickweed at least a decent handful
  • Extra virgin olive oil enough to cover the chickweed
  • Beeswax ¼ cup per 1 cup of oil
  • Essential oils (optional) I like lavender!

Instructions
 

  • Allow fresh chickweed to wilt (8-12 hours on the counter or 1-3 hours in the dehydrator on low heat)
  • Add a couple of inches of water to a small pot, then top with a double boiler.  A double boiler is essential here because you want to gently heat the oil and herbs without scorching them!
  • Chop up the wilted chickweed while you’re waiting for the water to boil.
  • Add some olive oil to the double boiler, then top with the chopped 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 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 the chickweed infused oil to the double boiler and add the appropriate amount of beeswax for your batch (¼ cup of beeswax per 1 cup of oil). 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 oil per ~1 cup of chickweed infused oil. 
  • Immediately pour the warm chickweed salve mixture into the salve containers. Let the filled salve containers cool completely before securing them with a lid. 
  • Store in a cool, dark location for up to a year.
Keyword chickweed, herbal medicine, salve
Did you try my recipe?Let me know how it was!