Make Plantain Salve At Home (To Soothe & Heal Naturally)

Since we moved out to the country, I’ve learned all kinds of “living off the land” tips and tricks from neighbors and friends who already live on a homestead. One of the first things I found to be particularly helpful was plantain. Plantain salve is a natural and frugal way to heal your family’s everyday wounds and bug bites without all the added chemicals and questionable ingredients.

Make Plantain Salve At Home (To Soothe & Heal Naturally)

Make Plantain Salve At Home (To Soothe & Heal Naturally)

What is plantain?

According to Mountain Rose Herbs:

Plantain has been used by many cultures the world over, and the Saxons considered it one of their nine sacred herbs. It was considered an early Christian symbol and many cultures today refer to it as an aphrodisiac. Despite its usefulness, plantain is considered a noxious weed in some regions outside of its native range.

It is traditionally used for upper respiratory support, and is topically used for minor cuts, bruises, and stings. The leaves of plantain are quite edible, and are often cooked as greens or used raw in salads. Older leaves have a stronger flavor and may be considered objectionable. These older, stringy leaves may still be used in herbal teas, and are particularly suitable for survival situations where the tough fibers may be converted to rope or fishing line. Plantain is very high in vitamins A and C and is also a rich source of calcium.

DIY Plantain Salve

Here’s a small patch of plantain growing in my front yard.

DIY Plantain Salve

You can tell it’s plantain by the vertical venation pattern (grooves).

Make the plantain salve

Ingredients:

  • 1 TB [easyazon_link identifier=”B01BLNA5IQ” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]beeswax [/easyazon_link]
  • 3 oz plantain oil (I used Susan Weed’s recipe for making my plantain oil.)
  • Essential oils (optional) I like to add a few drops [easyazon_link identifier=”B00VKHKH8C” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]Tea Tree[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link identifier=”B00TSTZQEY” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]Lavender oil[/easyazon_link].
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[easyazon_cta align=”center” identifier=”B0016B5U5C” key=”wide-orange” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″] [easyazon_cta align=”center” identifier=”B0015C5RF0″ key=”wide-orange” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″] [easyazon_cta align=”center” identifier=”B00K31M0OU” key=”wide-orange” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]

Instructions:

  • Melt the wax in a double boiler over low/medium heat
  • Once melted, add your oil and stir to combine. Promptly remove from heat once combined.
  • Add your essential oils (optional)
  • Pour your liquid salve into your jar and let cool to room temperature. Then put your lid on and store in a dry/cool place out of direct sun light. It will take on a nice firm consistency once cooled.

Make Plantain Salve At Home (To Soothe & Heal Naturally)

Tips for making the plantain salve:

  • Lately, I’ve had [easyazon_link identifier=”B00F3CNMV4″ locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]blocks of beeswax[/easyazon_link]instead of easily measured pastilles. I found that 1TB of beeswax weighs 1 oz. Using my [easyazon_link identifier=”B0113UZJE2″ locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]kitchen scale[/easyazon_link] made it easy to measure out.
  • Instead of putting the beeswax/oil mix into a pot to melt, I use a clean can (think 28oz crushed tomato size) inside a sauce pot as a double boiler. That way I can just throw it out when I’m finished, and not have to scrub the beeswax out of my pan!
  • I always double this recipe. The doubled amount perfectly fills these pretty [easyazon_link identifier=”B000V5KVDU” locale=”US” tag=”totsfamily-20″]8oz wide-mouth jars[/easyazon_link], which also work well for gift giving.
  • If you don’t like the consistency, you can can always remelt the mixture and add more beeswax (if too runny) or more oil (if too firm). Just be sure to use LOW heat so you don’t kill the goodness in the mixture. 

Make Plantain Salve At Home (To Soothe & Heal Naturally)

I have used this salve to:

  • Soothe spider bites, mosquito bites, and bee stings
  • Prevent infection and speed up healing of cuts and scrapes
  • Sooth and heal diaper rash
  • Soothe poison ivy rashes
  • Soothe irritated (chaffed or dry) skin
  • Sooth and heal minor burns from the kitchen

I like to have multiple jars around the house. I usually keep small jars (think baby food size) in the kitchen, bathrooms, and in the diaper bag.

The plantain salve is a great gift for new moms too! I used to use Boudreaux’s Butt Paste because it was the most effective non-chemical laden tush paste I could find. But my goodness it’s expensive! The plantain salve has been my solution to that problem. It’s effective and totally frugal mom-friendly! 

How do you cut back the costs of those must-have family items? What are your go-to DIY items?

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