How to make Herbal Creams and Ointments
From the impossible union with water and oil, in Coagulation with Sulfur, Mercury and Salt.
Before preparing the ointments or lotions, we need to have the macerated oils and mother tinctures ready.
The difference between an ointment and a lotion is that the first is made with oil and wax and the second also contains mother tinctures (hydro-alcoholic extract) that gives it a more fluid texture. To make the lotions, I prefer first to macerate the oil with the herbs and put the mother tinctures of the same herbs in the last part of the preparation. In this way, the lotion is really impregnated with the properties of plants, since there are some components (active principles) that are soluble in fat (oil), that is, fat-soluble, and other principles that are dissolved in water or alcohol.
We will need:
*400 ml. of macerated oil of the chosen herb (it can be coconut oil, almond oil, organic sunflower oil, olive oil, wheat germ, jojoba… they all work, although there are some better than others, of course).
*50 grs. of beeswax.
*2 pots that fit one inside the other, to make the water bath (it is preferable that at least one of them is made of clay, the one where we are going to prepare the ointment, to be more connected with the earth).
*A wooden spoon
Process:
- Cut the wax into small pieces, it is also useful to grate it so it melts faster, put it in a water bath (a pot with boiling water is placed under the one where we are melting the wax), over a minimum heat, with two tablespoons of oil (which we have previously macerated in the herbs).
- Once the wax is melted, add the rest of the oil, mixing with the wooden spoon, little by little, until they are fully integrated as a single liquid mass.
- When they are integrated (about five, ten minutes…), turn off the hob. It is important that the oil is heated as little as possible, just enough to bond with the wax.
- When this mass cools, we will have the ointment ready!
For the preparation of lotions, we are going to add a maximum of 100 ml. (which is 1/4 of the total mix, 400 grs.) of the chosen mother tincture mixing vigorously counterclockwise, added right when the mix is cooling, but before it’s cold, because it gets very hard and it becomes difficult to integrate the tincture.
Tips and recipes:
Never add more than 1/4 of the mother tincture to make the lotions, because it will not integrate well.
A great combination is a calendula, lavender and hypericum macerated oil, adding a mother tincture of Aloe Vera and chamomile. This lotion is perfect to keep the skin nourished, for burns, scars, to relieve the pain of insect bites or rashes on babies…
For a decongestant cream, it’s very good to macerate an oil with eucalyptus and add mint mother tincture …
Now get to work!
We are all alchemists, and the universe conspires when we really want something and put our hands and our hearts on it.