Organic First Aid Salve

Plantain, Plantago is a very effective remedy for insect bites and stings. When stung by a bee, chew some plantain and apply it like a poultice. It works wonders for relieving the stinging and the itching. It has been used for burns, stings, dermatitis, and small wounds. It is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and astringent. Its phytochemicals include flavonoids, polysaccharides, terpenoids, lipids, iridoid glycosides, tannins, mucilage, and caffeic acid derivatives. 

Self-Heal, Prunella vulgaris, the common self-heal, heal-all, woundwort, or heart-of-the-earth is an herbaceous plant in the mint family.  It is used as an antiseptic. It is antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial.  Triterpenoids, sterols, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, organic acids, volatile oils and polysaccharides have been isolated from Prunella vulgaris.  Self-heal is rich in rosmarinic acid. It is one of the chemical constituents in medicinal plants known for its therapeutic potentials against cancer, inflammatory and neuronal diseases. It is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. 

Horsetail, Equisetum arvense, is very high in silica, a component of skin and bones. It is anti-inflammatory and can increase collagen production. It is antimicrobial and can accelerate the healing of small burns and wounds.

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium is native to Europe - Achilles used to treat soldiers' wounds and this led to its other names of woundwort and herba militaris. The key constituents in it are tannins, coumarins, salicylic acid, triterpenes, alkaloids, flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones and volatile oils. Content can vary between plants and locations, but many agree that the major oils are eucalyptol, camphor, a--terpineol, chamazulene, b-caryophyllene, these oils are strongly antioxidant, and show varying levels of activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium perfringens, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Acinetobacter lwoffii, and Candida krusei. The strong antioxidative properties of yarrow make is useful for reducing skin ageing while its antimicrobial properties make it soothing for irritations. The alkaloid achillene is astringent and stops bleeding. This makes yarrow helpful as a poultice for varicose veins and for wounds. 

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose or treat any illness.

Wash hands thoroughly before applying salve.