Homemade salve

[MsPony]

So I totally had a book on how to make all your own stuff and what herbs to use, and lost it in the midst of moving around in college, grr!! It went somewhere with my horse anatomy book

My horse has REALLY bad allergies, he is already on super expensive herbal treatments for ulcers, so I called the company and added on liver support for him (which should come tomorrow, but will take a few days to see improvement.) But his whole belly in the mean time is raw, itchy and bloody/scabby. I have been putting an herbal salve on there, but at $20/little container, when I am using 1/4th everyday...thats expensive!

So how do you make your own salve? And how do I get the herbs in there? Does anyone have suggestions for herbs? All I can think of is tea tree oil, but what HERB is that?

Me and the horse thank you

 

[big brown horse]

Hi MsPony!

I have not had that problem with my three galoots yet. Sorry I'm no help at the moment. There are lots of us horse owners here though and you should have your answers soon.

I just wanted to say hi and welcome to the forum!

 

[Blackbird]

First find out what kind of herbs are in the ointment you'd currently been using. Different herbs work different ways, even if they are for healing skin. Burdock, for example, if more helpful for a skin issue caused by immune distress.

When I make my salve, I fill a canning jar to the rim, packed pretty well with the fresh plant of choice. Then I cover the entire thing to the top with olive oil, mix it around a little bit to get rid of any air bubbles that are trapped.

Then I cap it tight, and store the jar for a month in a dark dry cool area (depending on the plant really) to infuse the plant's properties into the oil.

After a month of infusion, combine 1/2 ounce beeswax per 10 ounces of oil in a pan, melt, and pour into a container to harden.

Alternatively, you can 'cook' dry or even fresh forms of herbs into oil on the stove to infuse it that way as well.

Herbs that are good for skin issues are plantain, burdock, calendula, chickweed, sage, and even nettles (just now a raw from). You might want to look up some of these herbs to see which is best for your animal. Fresh plants will work best, but you might be able to find some of these at a local herbalist.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I often use lard as a base and cook my herbs in the lard in the crockpot at a very low temperture. I strain it while it is liquid still.
I don't think lard would be good for horses though, since they are ruminants. I would use a vegetable oil to do the same. A slow simmer for several hours. You can add beeswax to the oil to make it into a thicker product like a salve.
I don't know much about horse care, so I can only offer advice on how I make it for people and chickens.

 

[freemotion]

This site has some recipes and principles on making salves and you might find it useful: http://www.rachelssupply.com/bwax.htm

You can also use coconut oil, which is very good for the skin. So is grapeseed oil.

If you want a firmer salve, use more beeswax. For a softer salve, use less. For a more lotion-y texture, use none.

 

[warthog]

I am not familiar with horse care, but what about Aloe Vera?

 

[freemotion]

MsPony, are you still with us? If you give us an ingredient list as it appears on the container of salve that you like, I bet we could come up with a recipe. Also give us a description of how thick the salve is....is it like hand lotion, or like Bag Balm, etc.?

 

[MsPony]

Sorry, I thought I was going to have time to answer on the plane yesterday, but I spent most of the ride sick to my stomach/trying to sleep!

I use Farriers Wife Belly Salve, it doesn't list ingredients, I wonder if I can get an email of them? Hmm. It is more like SWAT in consistency, until you melt it in your car, then its like lotion

Thank you for the links!! I am exhausted and am going to sleep, but I will check those out tomorrow with fresh eyes